Written by Krysta Ayers

APRIL 26, Austin, Texas—There was a lot going on in Austin on this particular Saturday. Linkin Park was playing down the road, in the opposite direction The Austin Blues Festival was kicking off its first night, Rufus Du Sol was set up on a stage further away, and deeper into downtown comedian Felipe Esparza was collecting laughs. And even with all that, Stubb’s was packed. The shoulder-to-shoulder standing room for the amphitheater went straight to the back, crowds of fans standing farther than the merch table.

The Ireland-based band was incredibly high-energy; lead singer Grian Chattan eventually took his shirt off, which, for the late evening heat of Texas, made sense solely on a practical level. There was no way to know that other events were happening in the city. As far as this venue was concerned, this was the only show that mattered.

With a sonic punch, the band started things off with an extended version of “Romance,” the titular song from their newest album, then went straight into “Jackie Down the Line” from their 2022 album, Skinty Fia. They played “Death Kink” and “A Hero’s Death,” and “It’s Amazing to be Young.” The crowd reacted in…various ways. For such a big show, one would assume the energy from the crowd would be consistently enthusiastic and outwardly (and loudly) supportive of every strum, key, or syllable pronounced. That was hardly the case, but perhaps that’s a story for another time. Thankfully, the fans in the front, lining the stage and up to the sound area, were hyper-reactive to all that the band was doing.

There seems to be a very interesting sound that always distinguishes Irish and UK bands from their US counterparts. On the surface, it’s almost stubborn. Harder. Grittier; there is more being said between the guitar, drums, and bass. They beg to be paid attention to in the same way that Arctic Monkeys, The Kinks, The Pogues, and Blur did. To speculate, I think it’s the attitude they carry—like they invented sadness and leather jackets and brooding. I don’t hate it.

The rest of the set consists of “Boys in the Better Land,” which has a shout out to fellow Dubliner James Joyce, and “Favourite” before heading into the four-song encore. It’s at this point that the crowd seems to finally wake up from the cat nap it’s been taking. The shouts for an encore are loud and demanding before we get “In the Modern World,” Desire,” “I Love You,” and last, but certainly not least, “Starburster.” It was “momentary blissness” in the city and though, some in the crowd were lukewarm, I hope they left with a newfound love for the spunky, 80’s-leaning, post-punk band all the way from Ireland.