Delorentos
Live in Whelan's, 10 October 2005
Review Snapshot:
This gig, purely in scientific terms, was amazing. Something to be
studied, analysed, pondered over (if you really could be arsed) but ultimately
something to be hugely grateful for. Never before have I seen such a crowd, such
a vibe, such an atmosphere at an unsigned gig. This is what we need. Things seem
to be starting to happen in Dublin at the moment, so throw open your arms and
let the good times roll!
The CLUAS Verdict? 9 out of 10
Full review:
Tonight marked the launch of the Delorentos debut and self-financed EP,
"Leave It On." The band have been working hard for the last while, gigging
throughout the country and recording whenever time and funds allowed. Tonight at
least, it most definitely looks as if the effort is paying off. To say Whelan's
was full would be an understatement, it was packed. 506 people, with more turned
away at the door.
The stage itself was quite impressive. A very simple but groovy light show
worked really well, syncing in with the music, pulsing with the crowd, helping
to set the scene. You can preach about how "it's" all about the purity of music,
but a gig is more than that; it's a happening, a fusion of many different
strands, with the music at its core. Tonight the effort was made and it all
seemed to fall into place.
Support came from The Chapters and Dry County. Unfortunately I missed most of
The Chapters, but Dry County were very interesting. They're electronica with
guitars, drum loops, and bizarre stage props. Definitely a prospect, but not
quite there yet live. Actually while the drum samples are good and different, I
think a funky drummer would really set this band on fire. That organic-electro
groove that The Propellerheads inhabited could be theirs, and goddam that would
be a gig.
Delorentos themselves have a peculiar presence on stage. They may not look like
your typical dirty rock and roll band, but they have something, the elusive
"it", that easy-going kind of magnetism which allows them to fully inhabit a
stage and make it their own. Actually for some reason I just thought of The
Band; they may be nice blokes, but they can kick it. To describe their brand of
rock is quite difficult. That's not to fawn over it and say it's amazingly
revolutionary, because it's not. The Delorentos sound is no new art form, but
rather a fresh, fluid burst of life, and to be honest, I think it has to be
experienced live. Since the gig I've heard the EP and while it is quite good,
its songs are the same in name only as those which burst out of the stage, and
that sound is more than a little special. A tight rhythm section provides the
back beat and groove for some jaggedly upbeat guitars and shimmeringly-effervescent
vocals.
I've said it before but the vocals really do set Delorentos music apart. Not
that the underlying score is somewhat lacking, just that the singing adds that
extra dimension; from acapella openings, to harmonies, to double and even triple
tracked vocals, or even just the sharp lyrical trade offs? it all works.
The band finished, as can be expected, with their new single, "Leave It On". It
was fast, loud, expressive, just plain right. Ronan seems to have found his
voice on this tune, sitting back and inhabiting the groove. As the dying chords
rang out and Delorentos left the stage a cheering crowd stomped and called out
for more. This isn't supposed to happen at an unsigned gig? thank God it did.
Experience it.
I gave this gig 9 out of 10. That might seem a little strange, and if you were
expecting to see Dylan at the Manchester Free Trade Centre or Zeppelin shaking
the stage at Madison Square Gardens you might have left a little disappointed.
But the quality of this gig, every aspect of it, was amazing. And all from an
unsigned Dublin band.
Daragh Murray
Check out another review of Delorentos live in Crawdaddy in June 2005.
Check out an interview with Delerontos
that took place on the day of this gig.
