TILT #40 - The Button Factory

Tilt, Dublin City FM’s weekly radio show curated by John Barker, celebrated its 40th live music event with a room packed from wall to wall. Avenue 68 were on first, putting the evening in motion with their effortless charisma and signature R&B, funk-induced sound, guided in groove by frontwoman Lauren Woodyatt. The Dublin-based band have solidified themselves as a standout of the city's independent music scene in the last year, drawing an ever-strengthening fanbase to their shows. Avenue 68’s stage presence has only grown in ease and confidence, bouncing off one another's energy throughout the set. Hailing from glorious Cork, Maicín brought boyish charm and foot-tapping hooks to the stage. Frontman Matt Hurley embodied a young Van Morrison, with his blazer-shirt combo and gritty vocals. Multi-instrumentalist Maébh Fitzgerald shredded on both keys and harmonica, then proceeded to parade around the stage with a melodica later in the set. Maicín journeyed through their eclectic, genre-bending discography, peppered with folk and new wave influences, and played crowd favourites like “Che Guevara” and “It Is What It Is”. Last, but by no means least, was BABYRAT. Representing another cornerstone of the Cork music scene, the bands’ energy was infectious, light-hearted and fun. The bands’ set harvested enthusiastic feedback from the crowd throughout, encouraging all in attendance to dance their little hearts out. Frontwoman Zoe Callanan is the poster child for a new wave of pure rock chick energy, with her flair for magnetic theatrics bursting out of their performance from the very beginning. BABYRAT’s set contained all the right shades of Avril Lavingne girly punk while also bringing their own self-proclaimed ‘bitch-pop’ to centre stage. Guitarists Matthew Lucas and Jamie Kierans dived into the crowd, first to crouch down, then conducting an eruption of energy from the ground up to round off a spectacular night of music. What a gig, what a city.