Bar Italia - The Button Factory

The last time bar italia were here, they could do no wrong. Touring their brilliant Tracey Denim album, playing too-small, intimate venues; they were critical darlings, eschewing the media with cache galore. Now they’ve done all the interviews, venues have expanded, and their pedestal ever higher. They’re also two albums further along. The Twits and Some Like It Hot were not universally adored. Defiantly, the band have a T-shirt at the merch table with the distinctive Pitchfork rating across the chest, a middling 5.9. As if that wasn’t enough, they land in a hungover Dublin the day after Paddy’s Day. They open with two from Twits, but it’s the lead single from their latest ‘Fundraiser’ that really jumpstarts the gig. Inherently, in having all three lead vocalists have a turn at the mic stand, it provides a compelling sound and energy. This dynamic is one of the most captivating things about the band. From here on, they rarely look back. The big developmental change is in the longer form tracks. ‘the lady vanishes’ and ‘glory hunter’ are thoroughly absorbing, evidence of a maturing band. They have not lost the ability to write a banging single though either. ‘rooster’ is an absolute showstopper, beginning a run of tracks like ‘Nurse!’ and ‘Punkt’ that have the venue rocking. ‘Cowbella’ rounds off, proceeding with the crowd heaving and elated, dispelling any rumours of their star falling and a demonstration of a band who are coming into their own.