AHOUSEiSDEAD - Whelan's- 21/3/26

AHOUSEiSDEAD. Seem alive and well to me. A House are legends in the Irish indie scene, which they took no time establishing last night in Whelan's. A yearly tradition for me to catch them, at this point, as they've no shortage of new tunes (and old classics alike) to pull out of their bag. The Prongs burst open the doors, treating us to their Sultans of Ping meets The Fall type of spoken word/sung word poetry about Hector Grays and Samuel Pepys against noisy guitars. Very enjoyable indeed. Dave, Fergal, Neil and Jay came onstage and flew straight into 'Call Me Blue', an iconic entrance if ever there was one. They staggered the set, half old songs and half new tunes. The new songs stood up against the singalongs with no bother at all. A particular new track stood out, 'Get Together, Come Together for Each Other' or some such variation, which has a galloping chorus of epic proportions. It stands tall among a setlist of skyscrapers. '11 Years' saw Dave Couse attempting to shatter every pint glass in the bar, with his falsetto soaring over the crowd. They even gave 'Freak Out' a go, a b-side for those of a certain vintage/of the 7" single/12" single persuasion. Their latest release 'Forever Mediocre' is one of the best singles this year and the reworked 'Endless Art', now 'Cathartic Art', felt like a group therapy session in the best way imaginable. Catch them ASAP. You'll cry when they die (hehe).