To say that the night of this concert featured a torrential downpour would be doing a disservice to how truly horrendous the weather was. Thankfully, none of this truly mattered; there was no reason to go outside when Zanzibar offered a night of brilliant local musical talent.
Headlined by Irish four-piece Smalltalk, support was supplied by a solid line-up of three bands that complimented one another in a perfect manner; hard rock, blues rock, and indie rock, all in a package provided by esteemed local promoter and photographer, Johnsysshots. Frankly, regardless of the weather, the idea of doing anything else that evening was a little foolish.
The Dive present with a mellow yet driving sound, with an indie back bone that is infused with rock’n’roll spirit. From the outset, the bass performance is particularly fantastic, with a real appreciation for the melodic capacity of the instrument; in a world of chugging root notes, it is exciting to watch a bass player who truly treats the bass as an instrument, not a tool.
Tracks such as ‘One Man Show’ and ‘Autumn’ show a penchant for sprawling, cinematic indie, buoyed by danceable energy that contrasts beautifully with some of the melancholic undertones. It is clear that this is a band composed of very technically proficient musicians, fronted by a vocalist with a very distinctive vocal flair.
Nerves were clear, and interaction with the audience was minimal. It would be nice to see The Dive break down those walls somewhat going forwards, and show the world who The Dive truly are. The musicianship is of good quality, so half the battle is already won, they simply need to let the audience into their world. Perhaps being a band at the very inception of their career, this is something that will naturally develop as they discover who they are.
Regardless, The Dive did well to warm up the audience, hooking in the indie fans in the room, and giving you plenty of reason to forget about the torrential downpour just outside. There’s potential in The Dive; check them out and see if you can see it too.
With an immediate call for the audience to come forwards, Sam Millne & The Virants get things off to a bouncing, energetic start. The crowd are instantly sucked in by their jangly, retro-tinged, summery tones that walks a tight rope between indie and heartland rock.
With a stage presence that is contained yet energetic, the band launch into tracks such as their latest single ‘Aeroplanes’ with a punchy rock’n’roll flair. Moments such as ‘Living in Limbo’ see them lean more into a 00’s indie direction, with a style reminiscent of the likes of The Fratellis and Razorlight.
The crowd seem very familiar with the band’s bigger numbers, which is always a brilliant sign at the grassroots level; support of bands at this scale is what keeps live music alive. Sam Millne has the sort of charisma that thrives on the local circuit, electrifying your favourite local venues and turning packed basements into sweaty mosh pits. Nothing is guaranteed, but it’s easy to see this sort of cult following building for the singer and his backing band.
Wrapping things up with the big Arctic Monkeys styled riffs of ‘Carolyn’, Sam Millne & The Virants successful brought the night out to the night out. It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see some of the larger indie acts of the region, such as Red Rum Club and The Mysterines picking this group up as a great choice of opening act.
HasHinders are a band that refuse easy description. A finely tuned blend of psychedelic rock, blues, jazz and shoegaze, I had the privilege of catching the band’s headline performance at EBGBs. Immediately what struck me, however, is how much of a cult following they had developed since then; a good amount of concertgoers at this event had turned up to watch HasHinders, despite how strange and intense their music is.
The reason for the exponential success, however, is quite simple: when HasHinders take to the stage, they completely dominate the room. They exert an enigmatic and beguiling presence, yet one that is utterly captivating, as their bluesy grit steamrolls into your attention and demands you remain squarely focused on their performance.
Their original track ‘Tadpoles’ is a sound that can only be described as psychedelic thunder, with vocals that seem to explode from nowhere with a blazing passion and a driving power. Their incredible cover of Nina Simone’s ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, however, is begging for a studio recording; not only do HasHinders manage to capture the original drama of the track, but bring their own interpretation with a desperate and ferocious performance of the legendary song.
Between their performative conviction and their indescribable nature, HasHinders possess all of the hallmarks of a future cult favourite. The four members are musicians in the highest sense of the word, weaving hypnotic sonic black holes that, regardless of your taste in music, you cannot help but regard with respect and admiration. Get ready for their debut release sometime soon.
What is immediately striking about Smalltalk is their stage presence. Nerves sizzle at the edges of their performance, but not in a way that hinders them; instead, you can sense the adrenaline and excitement blooming because of it. For the Irish four-piece, Zanzibar may as well be Etihad Stadium; their conviction to captivate the audience remains just as immense.
The band’s musicality bristles with a hard rock energy, laced with driving riffs and straight-cut, uncompromising percussion. Atop this sits the unbelievably powerful vocals of Aoife Cranney, with immense belted notes being delivered with a commanding sense of effortlessness. It all feels intensely musically relevant, sitting perfectly alongside other modern acts such as Crawlers, Foo Fighters, and VUKOVI.
There’s a real genuine chemistry between the band members that is a delight to watch; each fulfils a distinct role and character on the stage, and the fun they’re having is deeply infectious. The crowd are easily sucked in, even by the band’s unreleased original material, with plenty of big smiles and movement.
This is particularly the case during a fiery cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’, which sees Cranney truly flexing her skills as a commanding front-woman; she knows the crowd can give more, and explicitly demands it of them with a playful amount of aggression. As far as Smalltalk are concerned, it is their world inside of that room, and the audience are more than happy to reciprocate on that idea.
A broken guitar string is handled well by Ciara O’Reilly, who finishes out a song with nothing but a quickly mouthed ‘oh fuck’ to indicate anything had gone wrong. HasHinders step in to provide a replacement guitar, and during the interim, Cranney speak directly to the audience ensuring that they know that Smalltalk gigs are a welcoming and accepting space, especially for the ‘shes, theys and gays’.
The set slows down in pace for a handful of tracks, as the band deliver some incredibly powerful performances in the form of original tracks ‘97%’ and ‘Naive’; the former in particular is a visceral moment, the tracking taking its name from the percent of women who have experienced sexual harassment or assault.
It’s an arresting couplet of tracks that sees the audience’s attention squarely focused on the band. Smalltalk, despite their name, have an awful lot of important things to say that the women and non-binary folk in the room will be deeply sympathetic with, and the men in the room will hopefully find affecting enough to look introspectively.
It is clear that the band believe in the importance of what they do. Not only do they openly talk of their experiences as queer women, but do so in the theatre of rock music, which for so long has been dominated by straight white men. The sincerity and emotive weight of Cranney’s vocal performances are impossible to ignore; it is clear that this woman lives and breathes music, and understands that there is a real power to the potential of Smalltalk.
From here, events picked up the pace once more. A cover of ‘Kiwi’ by Harry Styles sees Cranney demanding that they sing along otherwise they ‘won’t get any treats afterwards’, and in this economy, that’s not a risk the audience was willing to take. Bassist Bridin Magee truly shows her proficiency for the instrument here, with an electrifying performance that is evident of a musician that truly enjoys what they are doing. The same can also certainly be said for drummer Émer Doyle, who I don’t believe stopped smiling once throughout the entire set.
Smalltalk close out their set with their big single, ‘Walk No Shame’, an anthem of LGBTQ+ empowerment. It’s a fantastically celebratory end to the set, with the entirety of the audience, regardless of their background, swept up in the movement. Somehow, Cranney still has some power left within her to deliver some of the most impressive belted notes of the set, ensuring that the live track lands with the same sense of conviction it was written with.
It is impossible to truly predict where a band will go. Some of those that deserve to tour the world fizzle out long before they even conquer their city, whilst some of those headlining arenas perhaps should have remained a local secret. In the music industry, nothing is guaranteed.
Yet Smalltalk perform with a conviction and passion that cannot help but make you wonder if there are far bigger stages waiting in store for them. Not only are they both topically and musically relevant in their songwriting, but are remarkable performers that possess not only superb stage presence, but a deep understanding of their own musicianship. It’s the kind of concert you can’t help but revisit in your mind over and over again, wondering when you’ll next get the opportunity to see them perform.
In the music industry, nothing is guaranteed, but success for Smalltalk is at the very least deeply deserved. Remember the name.
Features photo credit belongs to @lens_of_a_wool.
Follow the bands on social media below:
The Dive
Sam Millne & The Virants
HasHinders
Smalltalk
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