This all-ages matinee performance was to say goodbye to two local bands, Belfast favourites Oppenheimer who last year were signed to Bar None records and released their self-titled debut album, and In Case Of Fire who more recently signed a deal with B& Recordings and have an album coming out this summer. Both bands are leaving these shores for a few months. In Case Of Fire are to tour the states and Oppenheimer will take in America as well as some of Europe and wherever else will welcome their brand of melodic electro-pop!
Support for these bands came from up-for-it youngsters Mojo Fury. These guys are cited as local sex symbols and the fact that all the young girls standing at the front seemed to know the names of all the band members and frequently declared their love for each one loudly during the set seemed to be testament to this. The older [i.e. 18 and over] members of the audience were bemused by this and stood at the back, preferring to focus on the music, and it’s good! The drummer Mike Mormecha delivers the vocals which are earnest and plaintive and are slightly reminiscent of Kurt Cobain. The driving guitars and thrashing drums that never let up are also Nirvana-esque, with a little classic rock thrown in for good measure which was showcased in their kick off song, the hilariously titled “Deep Fish Tank”. The repeated refrain “Thank you very much” from the last song is still stuck in my head which can only be a good thing! Mojo Fury are currently unsigned but have a new EP in the pipeline, hopefully to be released in February.
Next came Oppenheimer. This two piece [Rocky O’Reilly and Shaun Robinson] have their roots in local music royalty, both members used to be in the now defunct Torgas Valley Reds with local acoustic star Barry Peak. Oppenheimer can usually be counted on but it remained to be seen if they could overcome the lack of atmosphere in the Black Box and win over the large percentage of under 18s in the audience who were presumably there to see Mojo Fury and In Case Of Fire. [Kids these days… -Ed.]
Shaun’s banter between each of the songs stole the battle of the band personalities, and made what first appears to be quite a serious band seem much more accessible which made the younger audience members warm to them. A few new songs were given an airing, most notably “Look Up”. At first this sounds like just another feel-good Oppenheimer track – which is no bad thing! – but then on a more careful listen you realise that it is much more complex than that and the rising chords in the chorus make your mood rise with them. It looks like Oppenheimer have finally came up with a song to rival “Saturday Looks Bad To Me”. A shame that “Allen Died, April Five” was dropped from the set to make way for the new material but it’s perhaps a little too introspective for an all-ages matinee performance. “Saturday Looks Bad To Me” was a fitting finish to the set. The only thing I will say is that Oppenheimer have gotten into the routine of playing this song last, and setlists should never be that predictable. Maybe the new material we so eagerly wait for will change that!
In Case Of Fire up next, and they gave their all and seemed completely immersed in the music they were making. A shame that their music seemed somehow self-involved and didn’t reach down and grab the audience. Also a shame that apart from the fantastic opener “Violence and Pictures”-probably their best known song-the majority of the set sounded very samey. Undoubtedly in control of their instruments the band tried to bring variations to the songs by adding vocals which were for the most part unnecessary and at worst painful to listen to. Possibly concentrating on varying the melody of the songs [or indeed, including a melody in the first place] would help these lads a long way in their American tour.
It isn’t all bad news though. For the last two songs they tried something different and it really worked . A sample from Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech in the song “Plan A” was more effective in doing what the singer had been trying to do the whole way through the set: it made the audience sit up and take notice. This song will be included in the upcoming album sampler/EP to be released in the next month or so. I left the gig thinking that if they possibly shuffled the setlist so that the superior songs are spread out more during the set then these guys could fulfil their promise and do Belfast proud when they go over to America. Fingers crossed!
BROWSE:
MojoFury Official Website
Oppenheimer Official Website
In Case Of Fire Official Website
Words by Elizabeth McGeown
2 responses so far ↓
Andy // February 10, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Nice – really made me regret missing this!
sandrar // September 10, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.