PalmaViolets

Palma Violets: Live at Bruxelles, Dublin – Review

PalmaVioletsDecember 4th 2012: Bruxelles: Dublin

Typical, just typical, you get to a venue for a much hyped band and your phone dies, this means you don’t get any photos or videos of Palma Violets.

Downstairs in Bruxelles, the crowd has already formed and been entertained by Gangs.The venue policy of not serving alcohol while the bands are performing means in-between acts the bar is bustling and smokers have vacated the premises. It doesn’t last long though, just before Palma Violets kick off, the venue is at capacity.

Palma Violets are fresh from their weekend at Other Voices and the choice of Bruxelles as a venue is an interesting one. It has more warmth and light than it’s northside rival, Academy 2 but it too suffers from a lack of stage, meaning the first couple of rows of the audience have prime location.

The band make their way to their instruments through the crowd and the youth appeal of this band is instantly apparent as they are greeted like heroes. Their sound lives somewhere between The Libertines and the post punk sound of The Vaccines.

While there’s nothing outstanding new about their sound, Palma Violets carry out their musical task with such vigor and passion, it’s hard not to take note. Sam Fryer’s garage rock vocals are helped along but the masses who sing along with every word. Bassist, Chilli Jesson, seems to have a desire to get close to every member of the audience, throughout the set, he darts from the stage to the centre of the assembled crowd, instigating moshes to his heart’s content. The pinnacle of the set is the ultra catchy ‘Best of Friends’ from earlier this year, deafening cheers from the audience show their approval. The night wouldn’t be done though, without some crowd surfing. Yes, downstairs in Bruxelles, Jesson is up to his old tricks, putting the heart crossways in the bouncer on duty, who he even manages to get to crack a smile.

Palma Violets have a hell of a lot of potential but perhaps need a little gentle hand of a producer to guide them in the right direction. If they can harness the passion and energy, these guys will definitely be ones to watch.

Photo from Facebook © Richard Gilligan