GiggingNI.com

Pocket Billiards

With Strait Laces; The Cahier Collection; Gareth Brannigan;

It's quite refreshing when you see a new venue opening up for live local music, especially when it's outside Belfast, as it's another place for bands to come, play and showcase their talents to a new set of unexpecting punters for one of them to possibly become their next biggest fan. That's the upside so of course, there has to be a downside that being playing to a crowd who doesn't notice you, respect you or even clap after songs. It happens to everyone at some point in time but the show in Lisburn was pretty damn good.

Gareth Brannigan opened the night with his acoustic guitar in hand and a load of hits songs to help him through the night. Outkast's 'Hey Ya' was first to be performed with Gareth twisting out his own delicate version. Striking strong similarities to the likes of Damien Rice and even a bit of Jack Johnson, Gareth definitely has been blessed with the voice to stun audiences and other cover songs like 'Use Somebody' and 'Crazy' with definitely keep the audiences eating out of his hands.

The Cahier Collection was the next act up and the band that really kicked things off. The lights were dimmed, the TVs switched off and the bar was starting getting people drunk - it was time. After playing Radar in the Speakeasy Bar, Belfast, it is great to see that this band is starting to get the attention that they deserve. Tunes like 'Bad Blood' and 'Genuine Crook' really got the crowd going but now newer songs like 'The Leading Role' and 'Islands' are definitely setting a new landmark in TCC history and you can seriously see these songs being screamed back to them in big numbers. Confidence is evidently high, tunes are being performed to perfection (even with a replacement bassist) and stage presence is at the maximum - it's great seeing these guys at their best and to be honest, I've never seen anything less than their best.

Having seen Strait Laces just two days before, the level of performance was well maintained and stage presence was at maximum with David Hanna leaping around stage like a monkey on something illegal. With crowd members dancing to 'Clap' and people nodding their heads frantically to the likes of new song 'Guiltshake' and some jumping around to 'Kissing in the Reichstag', Strait Laces were giving the crowd a great dose of local rock at its best. Set-finisher 'Where the Wolf Roam' is truly one of the best songs I've heard in a long time and with their trip to Texas for SxSW only two weeks away, expect even better things of Strait Laces when they return - with undoubtly even more fans.

Headline act Pocket Billiards arrived with news spreading that their drummer Jim wasn't in attendance and that they had a replacement drummer to fill in - but how was it? Incredible, especially since the poor guy had only one practice! 'Dirty Money' opened their set up in style with songs like 'Spide' and 'Get a Job' catching the attention of the crowd - it's hard not to with trumpets, saxophones and men jumping around like lunatics to the sound of pure sweet ska punk music. Other songs like 'Don't Scratch my Soca' and 'Drunken Waster' truly display what Pocket Billiards is all about. 'Belfast Town' rounds up a great night of truly exceptional music with the crowd doing their fair share in terms of clapping, dancing and making a fool of themselves. Pocket Billiards are definitely one of the best bands in the town.