Rapid fire May is loco yo gig reviews 6: No Age - Whelans (Upstairs)

I'll readily admit to knowing very little about No Age aside for the fact that yesterday morning I finally got around to listening to Nouns and for the first time this year found myself being knocked right on my arse by an album with an initial listen. A couple of other spins, well not spins exactly, I hit play on my Zen, we really need to come up with some new terminology to keep pace with the MP3 age, throughout the day convinced me to pull double duty and drop into Whelan's after Sunset Rubdown and catch their late gig upstairs. As it turns out I wasn't the only one in the same mindset as I spotted a couple of other faces in the crowd from the first gig and there were a few people that I spoke to later that had been at Broken Social Scene in Vicar Street earlier as well. I don't know if 2 gigs in a night is something that I'd regularly do or that I could justify during conversations with my wallet but late gigs in Dublin as a concept, they've got my full backing. More of this sort of thing please.

But back to No Age, like I said I don't know much about them. So the sight of 2 guys getting up on stage together to begin to play threw me a little. On record they sound so rich and full I was a little thrown that their live lineup was a drummer and a guitarist.

They make a hell of a racket though the pair of them. Samples filled out the noise that neither of them could produce on the fly and on top of and around those went ferociously pounding drums from Dean Spunt as Randy Randell wrung a mixture of Sonic Youth style dissonance and punk fury out of his guitar, and even managed a trip into the middle of the crowd towards the end of the set.

Not the best gig I've seen all year, actually it wasn't the best gig I saw last night but it was still quite the fun hour and knowing how much word of mouth counts when it comes to getting people to show up to see bands I doubt they'll be in so small a room next time they make a trip to these shores.

No Age - Upstairs in Whelan's tonight.

Just a heads up.

Having only previous heard a couple of songs and being reasonably impressed but not blown away I am, at this minute, having a first proper listen to No Age's Nouns. It's the most immediately attention grabbing record I've heard all year, right up my alley. Doors at 10:30.

MySpace.

If you're going to Broken Social Scene on Tuesday.

You've made a bad call, great as they are they've been here loads already and Sunset Rubdown are playing their debut Irish gig that night. (Also No Age are playing a late show upstairs in Whelans, doors at 10:30 but I'd sooner see BSS then them).

But the main reason for this post is to say that Broken Social Scene will be playing one of their mammoth gigs on Tuesday. 3 hour set, no support, band on at 8.

So now you know.