The Mighty Heartache – impassioned soul and country tinged rock pop with crafted songs and an old school groove. Vernons Future – The Vernons, as were, coulda been contenders. Feted by Melody Maker back in the day, and resolutely talented at Lightning Seeds meets XTC intelligent rock pop. Reformed in another age, the future is bright with a nice punchy riddim section and a jangled guitar part with washes of keys and a deep dark vocal that suggests the influence of ‘80s Paisley Underground bands…all quite psych based and garagey but melodic too. Rather good. Pigeon Lips – self proclaimed “queer feelings rock band”, a boy/girl/they 3 piece playing frantic jugular seeking art punk. Frantic, frenetic, cool. We at Bugbear Towers dig this mucho. Void Oids like one minute, Slater Kinney tinged next. Super. Stage Door Guy – agit pop/prop punkishly hewn indie rock with politico anti Tory lyrics…cues from Billy Bragg, and this act was once just one guy with a roughly rocked but suitably visceral guitar. The song structures owe more to contemporary indie types like the Arctic Monkeys than the folk punk lineage of Bragg et al really. Now a full band. Spiffing.
Source: Dublin Castle website