On walking into Doyles, it was shocking to see the statues of Jesus on the amplifiers, the Virgin Mary on the walls and religious pictures pasted onto card and hanging from the ceiling that threatened to rain down on us. It was a nice idea but I think the 80’s night will be more to people’s liking. The first band up was Waver, and again I am not afraid to admit it, I am somewhat biased when it comes to certain bands and one of those bands is Waver. What can I say, I know what I like… I’d gotten a few hints of what they were brewing up a couple of weeks ago at Janice’s cracking party; with a tape of their last practice session. When I say ‘ WE ‘, I mean those of the neighbors and us that were there. Unfortunately, we were monumentally drunk when we heard it, and like so much after it all and you are in the depths of a hangover, you know it was good, but at the same time you wonder how will anything ever be good again.

Waver has changed a lot since I first saw them in 1995. They’ve gone through two drummers and are into their third, Chip of Holemasters fame (or infamy, depending on the stories you’ve heard). When they sound-checked, it was very, very raw. The last gig they played was at the beginning if 1999 in the temple Bar Music Center, a plug in and play gig. They hadn’t played at that stage in more than six months, maybe more, then they got up on stage and played a stormer. They did that tonight too. They got up, plugged in and played though with a good deal more preparation this time and why not, they were playing a rake of new songs, with a few oldies sprinkled in their too.

Most Irish bands thankfully defy description, most bands do, they are lumped into certain groups because they play guitar music with one or other gimmick, techno music, whatever. The only bands not worth listening to are the rip-offs that couldn’t write an original song if they were paid and frequently they are. I can’t classify Waver anymore than I can anyone else, they just rocked. Halfway though the second song, the head on Simon, the bass players amp went for a burton as did a very tall statue of Jesus. It smashed into a lot of pieces. Happily the head, with some of the back of it gone, sits on my shelf. It looks like the face on that house in Inchicore that I see every time I get the bus. Someone turned one of the gargoyles into the face of Mother Theresa, only it looks like she’s been on the piss for weeks, just like the head of Jesus does.

Simon approached the Mic for the first and last time with his, ‘ We’re having a smashing time up here, ‘ crack. Later, the amp head fell again pulling a lead out of a socket. To his credit, Simon played on and kept in time as someone ran to fix the problem. If you want music like you remember it used to be before EMO, just good melodic rocky songs, Waver are just your cup of tea. Some Better Days want them to play Belfast with them. Pack your sleeping bags because for three quid and a bag of cheap cans, it will be a gig worth going to. Waver rule.

Gymslip was described by the Kids as Bog-rock. I don’t know what that’s supposed to be, but if it’s what Gymslip is, that’s fair enough. They actually only arrived a short time before the gig started. The guitarist and his girlfriend walked into Doyle’s directly in front of us and let the door close in our faces inadvertently. They were apologetic and I thought, they are nice, I hope I don’t have to rip them apart. As it happens I didn’t have to because they were quite good. Not exactly what I would listen to all of the time but actually could be persuaded to.

They took to the stage very quickly and began playing. The bass player was great fun to watch because he was bouncing around like he was on a pogo stick on a trampoline. They sounded like Rollins without the intensity. Mind you, I would pay three pounds to see those guys than pay twenty-three to see Rollins. Don’t get me wrong, I have every respect for Hank and he’s paid his dues, but it looks like we have to pay our dues to him now. I would almost expect to pay twenty-three pounds to see Rollins arch-nemesis, Michael Bolton.! I paid twelve pounds to see Bush in the SFX, I wouldn’t pay much more to see any band. I’ve bought Hank’s CD’s, seen his spoken word live, read his books and loved particularly (and almost exclusively) his tour diaries. But what did his promoters think? That he’s Pearl Jam? Very few bands, if any, are worth that kind of money. I can see his ‘ People ‘ rubbing their hands with glee as they count the money backstage while Rollins plays to twelve year olds, all getting sick after too much illicit vodka.

Murder the Members of the PMRC
Murder the brainwashed at MTV
Murder the business corporate labels
Murder the bands that feed their tables.

Says GG, sound right to me. It would be nice if Rollins did a Godspeed You Black Emperor on the ticket price. I can hear his outrage now as he finds out how much the tickets cost, eyes bugging out of his head, veins straining from his neck, muscles tensed, tattoos rippling, face puce in colour as he roars:

FORTY DOLLARS FOR A TICKET TO SEE ME? WHAT THE FUCK?

Then demolishes the record executives, tour manager et al in a GG Allin stylee. Then of course, I remember he has a label with David Geffen to fund and a book company. Back to the review (I apologise to anyone who reads these reviews, if there is such an animal, I get sidetracked and rarely ever get to actually talk about them). They had a good crowd to see them and they were very enthusiastic. They played a Biohazard song late in their set, and though I don’t usually listen to that sort of thing, the version they did was very good. With a night like this one, you can always be guaranteed that the bands enjoy themselves. Waver enjoyed themselves, Gymslip did, Some Better Days too, and they aren’t shy about telling you so. Most bands whose names are associated with money are, as Frank Zappa said, only in it for the money. The kind of band’s playing Dublin now like Sweep the Leg Johnny, who come over for little money and with only a floor to sleep on and who put on blinding performances are more indicative of the music ethic in Dublin now.

That sweet feeling of wondering whether or not the first song Some Days Better played was going to blow us away or disappoint us, was delicious. As they tuned up, one of the guitarists started playing some Fugazi: that was it! That decided it for me, they were going to be good. And of course they were. Most bands don’t live up to their promise, having potential is one thing but using it is another. Given that some of the members are members of Circle Again, it was a mellow sound they began with and ended with a crunch.

The Kids have a habit of putting on bands, not repeating themselves too often, finding line-ups for gigs, three or four new bands at a time, or bands that haven’t played in a while, and being consistently good for three quid. Even if you only saw one band you liked, you’re paying a quid to see them; chances are though, you’ll like most of them. They are pretty consistent in giving new bands a chance, and though Some Days Better aren’t exactly a new band, they themselves said it’s tough to get a gig in Belfast if you’re not a punk band. It’s pretty much 50/50 in Dublin at the moment which is good because it’s the same as with all other gigs: you’re getting to see the good, the bad and the ugly.

Some Days Better enjoyed themselves, as did the crowd. It was a little like when Tooth played in Doyle’s the first time. The power of their music blew people away. The sound wasn’t great that night and it’s improved since then. As powerful as Tooth were that first night, Some Days Better were subtle and surprising because from song to song you couldn’t tell what was coming next. They were nice guys too, we got talking to them after the gig, if they can’t get gigs in Belfast let them play in Dublin