TheCity

Tag: Button Factory

  • Oasis tribute act a must see for fans

    Oasis tribute act a must see for fans

    Ever since I was young I have always loved Oasis, writes die-hard Oasis fan Darragh O’ Connor. 

    As a Manchester City fan, and having that in common with both Liam and Noel Gallagher, people often think that’s the main reason why I’m such a big Oasis fan. That is not the case. It has always been about the music when it comes to my love of Oasis. However, I am not going to deny I absolutely adore that Liam and Noel are City fans.

    It’s incredibly difficult being an Oasis fan in this day and age. The band broke up in 2009 after a major falling out between Liam and Noel before a gig in Paris and they still don’t speak to this day. Despite Liam’s apparent attempts to reach out to Noel to get the band back together, it looks more unlikely as each day goes by, that it will ever happen. Obviously, this is heartbreaking for Oasis fans of any age but especially heartbreaking for someone, like me, who have never seen them perform live.

    This is why I was overjoyed to hear the renowned Oasis tribute band, Live Forever, would be performing in my hometown, Wicklow.

    I had heard rave reviews of the band from those who had seen them perform sold-out gigs at The Button Factory, therefore it was not an opportunity that I was going to pass by.

    On arrival, I was surprised and disappointed to see a small crowd in attendance. However, that is more of a sad indictment of Wicklow than anything else. Once the band took to the stage, any feelings of disappointment completely disappeared. I was absolutely blown away by how fantastic they were. I approached the gig with high expectations due to the rave reviews and those expectations were exceeded.

    The ‘Liam’ of the band may as well have been Liam Gallagher, that’s how good he was. He had Liam down to an absolute tee, from singing with his hands behind his back, the parka, to his stage presence in general. There was also ‘Noel’ who did the vocals for any of Noel’s songs that were performed on the night, which I thought was absolutely brilliant and was not something I was expecting. There was plenty of interaction between the band and the crowd. The duo were determined to give the people, most being die-hard Oasis fans, their money’s worth and they certainly did that and more.

    Unfortunately, they didn’t perform some of my favourite songs, but that’s due to a large number of songs by Oasis that I’m fond of and therefore the gig would never end. They played all of the songs you would have expected them to play with songs from Definitely Maybe and What’s the Story being prominently featured.

    The tribute act is referred to as being the closest thing you can get to the real Oasis and I certainly wouldn’t disagree. For that reason, I could not recommend them highly enough, die-hard Oasis fan or not, they are an act that I believe people should go out of their way to see.

    I was even fortunate enough to have a short conversation with ‘Liam’, who admitted he loves performing and how much it has helped him personally. He’s actually a Manchester United fan, funnily enough.

    The group are in the midst of their Farewell Tour but are not breaking up forever. There are limited tickets available for their gig in Swords at the Chalk Venue this Friday night as well as their multiple other gigs across the country before their final two shows on December 28 and 29 in The Button Factory. The band are playing a huge role in making sure Oasis will Live Forever in Ireland.

  • Gesaffelstein the Great

    Gesaffelstein the Great

    Gesaffelstein is a 28 year old Dark Techno DJ who, despite having a name more German-sounding than two Bratwursts in a pair of lederhosen, hails from Lyon in France.

    Well known to aficionados of Techno, Gesaffelstein is not quite yet a household name, but having already collaborated with big names such as Daft Punk, Brodinski and Kanye West, I suspect it won’t be long before his name is on everyone’s lips (despite the fact that it really is quite difficult to pronounce).

    This is the first time the Techno artiste has graced Ireland with his presence, and so there was a significant amount of buzz surrounding this gig. To be honest when I heard that it was the Button Factory he was to play, I was just a little bit sceptical. This is a big venue, and if enough people fail to turn up for a show, it can leave the room looking a little sad and empty. Like the inside of Paris Hilton’s head.

    However I needn’t have worried. Loyal fans showed up in their droves and packed out the standing room area to create an electric atmosphere that was buzzing with anticipation and sticky with the sweat of close to a thousand teenaged techno lovers.

    The sizeable crowd at the Button factory
    The sizeable crowd at the Button factory

    The Japanese Popstars supported, and while I also had my doubts of this choice of opening act, I was once again proved wrong, as the Northern Irish three-piece managed to hold the attention of the crowd quite well, though it was obvious the vast majority of revellers had come there to hear one thing and one thing only: Techno, and lots of it.

    When Gesaffelstein finally took to the stage the feeling of excitement in the room had reached fever pitch. As the he began to play, the relentless, thumping, baseline appeared to transform the crowd into one single, bouncing, bumping entity, loosely tethered together by the beat, and, of course, more sweat.

    Gesaffelstein played an amazing set, a combination of originals and remixes, dark and light. To say his first Irish gig was a success would be a gross understatement, and I can only hope he’ll be back to us again soon. Judging by the reaction he drew from the audience, I’m not alone in this feeling.