Augustines at Whelan’s – Review and Photos

Augustines played a sold out show at Whelan’s last night, November 27th.

Formed in 2010 in New York, Augustines – formerly known as We Are Augustines – released their debut album, “Rise Ye Sunken Ships”, in 2011. Augustines’ Dublin gig was part of their “Walkabout” 2014 tour that will end on December 8th in London.

Despite being a rather cold day in Dublin last Thursday, Whelan’s was hot – almost steamy – thanks to the hundreds of people gathered to experience Augustines. “Experience” really is the right word to describe an Augustines show. They don’t just play, they immerse everyone in the room into their infectious energy and don’t leave until everyone is exhausted from all the dancing and singing.

Their Whelan’s gig was no exception. From the very first tune, the lads were sweaty and looking like they’d started the party well before they took to the stage. The band didn’t need to warm up, to slowly build momentum. As soon as they began playing, their music hit us and the party was in full swing.

Augustines spent their Thanksgiving day headlining in Ireland for the first time. They shared their catchy tunes, deep lyrics and amazing atmosphere with their Irish fans, and received an overwhelmingly positive response from us all. Our reactions didn’t go unnoticed: “I hope I can make it up to you”, said frontman Billy McCarthy. And oh how they did!

The main part of the set was over in no time. Time flies when you’re having fun. No one moved an inch until Augustines returned for the encore. After another few intense tunes, McCarthy admitted again how overwhelmed he was with the reactions of the crowd. Truth be told, not many bands have had such a big impact on a crowd in Whelan’s, or even Dublin.

The encore finished on that emotional note, but we still wanted more. Besides, at that point Augustines hadn’t left the stage throughout the set to perform on the floor, as they usually do. A few moments later and the lads were back and went straight to the packed floor. They began their acoustic, unplugged part of the set, to the delight of the crowd who sang from the top of their lungs.

Dublin natives The Bonny Men, who supported Augustines, joined the fun for a couple more tunes, finishing something that started as a gig but ended as a party with friends.

According to the band themselves, they skipped Ireland in their last tours because the bookers felt they weren’t popular enough here and they might fail. There’s no doubt now that they’ll be back, and most likely, in a (much) bigger venue.

Can’t wait!

Photos by Tudor Marian