The Plateau Sessions is a weekly open mic night held on Tuesday nights in The Workman’s Club, Dublin, and this week’s was striding a path to something special.
With top performances ranging from the acoustic, but extremely unique set from singer-songwriter Rocher who is looking towards a very bright future, to more upbeat pop/indie sets from both Kapitals and TouchWood, Kapitals firing the heavier sound of the two; and this all in anticipation of the mighty, recent Irish heroes, Kodaline.
As Mr. Aaron Roche, better known as Rocher stepped up on stage to showcase his musical ability, he got straight into it, and definitely struck the crowd to pure admiration. His set of solely originals showcased his utter potential to write and execute it with passion. With the usual sound of an acoustic singer-songwriter but a much more complex vocal texture, almost giving his songs the feel to have made their dent in The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack, additionally edging on a clear similarity to Rufus Wainwright, Rocher may just be the guy to spark a new take on the almost too frequent singer-songwriter genre.
As up and coming Indie band, Kapitals graced the stage with their prominent electric guitar and bass riffs, they triggered a resin similar to that of The 1975, but with a more rustic sound. Getting the crowd going with intros residing in a Biffy Clyro setting, but then progressing onto an eager reflection of The Strokes. One thing Kapitals stood out for, if nothing else, was their absolutely flawless harmonies, battling rustic with smooth vocals. Definites to watch out for in the near future.
The final act to occupy the stage before Kodaline was TouchWood, a less heavy sounding band still holding that Indie quality but strutting a more chilled alternative vibe. Swaying the addition of keyboard in their tracks toned the atmosphere into a more mellow scene, with songs capable of becoming chart toppers in the not-so-distant future. Having just released their EP- ‘Elysian Plains’ at the end of April, a group of newly converted fans were already queuing up to wisely spend five quid. Genuinely enjoying themselves on stage, with an energy that had the entire room bouncing, TouchWood are one band I’d be eager to see at any upcoming festivals.
It was then time for ultimate stars of the night, Kodaline, to take to the stage. Stepping up, accompanied by the warming vocals of fellow on-the-rise Dublin singer-songwriter, Gavin James, to perform a cover of ‘Bring It On Home’. This introduction was followed swiftly by title track of their upcoming début album- ‘In A Perfect World’, which was very quickly subjected to an unbelievably proud welcome home response. Proclaiming their happiness to be home in Dublin, having come straight from the airport, they dived into what stood tall at the No.1 spot in the charts- ‘High Hopes’.
Sticking to a set compiled of their hits and favourites, the guys could only bow to what revealed their name to such a large audience in the first place- ‘All I Want’. Absolutely drowned out by the crowd, the roof was being ripped off this very small room. The much expected, fantastic live sound was belted out and Steve Garrigan’s vocals hit every peak perfectly, but the crowd played half the battle for this final song. Never in my life have I heard a crowd of people sing the word “woah” repeatedly with such passion and pride; and this is one of many reasons why Kodaline will be massively popular at many summer festivals this year.
If one thing can be said for the talent that took place at The Plateau Sessions this week; it’s that 2013 is really a year for the Irish music scene. With Kodaline already having made their mark internationally, many others definitely have utter potential to follow right in their footsteps.
Check out Kodaline’s latest single, ‘Love Like This’ below: