Dublin Rocks

In lieu of taking a trip somewhere outside the city, the roommates and I decided to stay here and check out a 3-night music festival known as the Hard Working Class Heroes.  Held primarily in the Temple Bar area of Dublin, the festival offers a list of 90 unsigned Irish bands and gives them about a 40 minute set in one of 5 different "hot spots" within the area.  That area, by the way, is somewhat reminiscent of what I imagine bourbon street is like for Mardi Gras.  Just a bunch of secluded streets littered with people having a great time as they spill in and out of pubs, eateries, and over-priced shops.   The real bonus is that you only pay $20 for entry into 5 different pubs - far cheaper than the cumulative price you would have to pay to go into each on a regular night - and get live music of most any flavor from 7:30 - midnight. 

Highlights of the night included:

• The smashed 16 year old girl on the train ride into the show who insisted she was going to call the president of Ireland in order to find out which of her friends took the remainder of her alcohol and questioned everyone's knowledge of their own self identity by exclaiming, " NONE OF YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE...SLAGS"

• The size of the bouncer at the first club we stepped into, the Button Factory.  His waist literally began at my nipple.

• The music, of course.  We started the night off as strong as we ended.  Hybrasil wound us up by demonstrating their love for Duran Duran channeled through elements of their contemporaries the Killers and Minus the Bear.  While Frightened Rabbit (pictured up top) sent us home with a taste of chill indie rock a la Death Cab for Cutie in our mouths.  The funny thing about their show was we all agreed they sounded similar to DCFC within minutes of being there and found out they are opening for them in a couple of weeks after we got home. 

• Four Dame Lane (pictured below) - the coolest, and most popular pub of the night. It kind of felt like you were hanging out in someone's attic.

                                                 

Another band deserving of your attention is The Revellions. We were geared up to see them before we left, but were sadly disappointed to learn they were on the bill for the night before.  But in the end it didn't matter.  We boarded the train full of left over enthusiasm from the shows and plenty of $7 pints of beer.  Well worth staying home for the weekend and a great way to forget how poorly Manchester played against those sacks from Liverpool!