Live report: Hello Saferide @ Dublin Castle, London UK 11/14/06

The same show as a thousand bands before them at the Dublin Castle.

That is, a good scattering of people and many hangers on from the 'industry' - I spoke to one bloke from Universal Music - he worked in the classical and jazz section, I mean is this how the rumour mill works?

If so, they need to change the coil.

Tonight's show was bitter by comparison to the show last night. Frantically paced, noisy as all hell and not as delicate and delivered as the m-u-s-i-c-a-l p-e-r-f-o-r-m-a-n-c-e at the Water Rats. This evening was a 'gig'. On both nights the set opened and closed in similar fashion with "The gift" and "San Fransisco" without 'the lesbian song' as an encore. The trumpet and choir section of the latter a bit too much Gothenburg 2003 for my liking, but with the dancing from the horn section all was forgiven - even the bloke with the Michael Jackson trousers up front was seen to exhale cigar smoke in time! Jens Skivfonstret looked a crisp double of Damian Minchella on bass.

Nevertheless, Camden is not ideal for Hello Saferide, but slot her in somewhere more discerning and there is potential here in the UK. Having Maia H in tow quadruples her chances, together they seem to steal the show no matter what the venue/crowd provison.

Taken over two nights the differences were this simple:

On Monday José Gonzáles was in attendance. The sound was good and the show relaxed.

On Tuesday, poor by comparison and BBC's Steve Lamacq was going to be there. He's the man who famously asked Ricky, the still missing member of Manic Street Preachers if he was "for real", before Ricky carved the letters '4real' into his arm with a razor blade! Ahem... Hello Saferide is bitter at times. But not that bitter!
- Jason Christie