PREWN - THE GRAND SOCIAL

Prewn - The Grand SociaL

Words: David Carr

Making her Dublin debut, the well-travelled Izzy Hagerup is Prewn, the band and the person. Last year’s brilliant sophomore album System landed in my top five AOTY, so seeing her perform on our shores made for an essential appointment.

The aforementioned album opener ‘Easy’ kicks off tonight’s gig. It builds with an uneasy tension as elements are added to the deliberate drums and chugging baseline before the electric guitars are unleashed in a frenzy. This is exactly what makes Prewn so appealing and why her unconventional, disorienting sound works so well.  She only offers the familiar comfort of ‘Commotion’ before delighting the crowd with five unreleased songs in a row.  The most captivating is a near six-minute janky Americana about bees.  The minimal harmonic outro is beautifully observed by the utterly absorbed audience. The fifth new track is a sure-fire winner and surely a future single.

The vocal interplay between Izzy and bassist (Sarah?) on ‘I’m Gonna Fry All the Fish in the Sea is utterly mesmerising.  The emotional heft of ‘Alive’ hits me deep in the gut. Another new track, “about ticks”, has a quirky quality that reminds me of Elaine Malone.  The gritty ‘Dirty Dog’ concludes the main set as Izzy takes her chance to dive into the crowd.

The saccharine sounds of closer ‘Perfect World’ send the crowd home with a terrifyingly accurate portrayal of bloated billionaires. Prewn exceeds all expectations while also revealing the next chapter in her songwriting.