Paddy Casey at Cuckoo’s Nest – Review

Paddy Casey at Cuckoo’s Nest – September 14th, 2013

Last Saturday in the new Wicked Chicken venue at Cuckoo’s Nest saw the launch night of LEKMK Promotions. Acts featuring on the night included Dublin Bands Penrose and Late City Edition. The headline act on the night was none other than Meteor award winner Paddy Casey.

LEKMK promotions are made up of Phil Kealy and Mick Cummins. Two lads passionate about music from both the performer and audience point of view. It was this drive that led them to opening the Wicked Chicken venue. One thing for certain is that the areas near the venue are not lacking in musical talent which was shown on Saturday but for years has been lacking any real quality venue for them to show the wares.

This could be a real game changer for bands like Penrose. The Dublin 3 piece’s sound is akin to 1995 Brit-Pop era but not from any one band in particular; they’ve taken pieces from each and made it their own. Formed by guitarist duo Darragh McGrane and Philip O’Luanaigh in 2012, Penrose warmed up the crowd with a host of originals including ‘Your Past’, ‘Feel the Love’ and the absolutely sublime ‘It Ain’t Country’. Although a little rough around the edges, they certainly have something worth watching, whether it is their catchy hooks or the rasping vocals of Philip O’ Luanaigh.

Next up we had Late City Edition. The one thing that stood out for LCE was the fact that they have only been together for 3 years but sound like they have been playing together for a lot longer. Everything was spot on (including the hair-do’s). You’ll do well to find another band on the Dublin music scene as tight. Like Penrose above, they take a lot of inspiration from mid-90’s indie and add it to an older 80’s Mod sound fused with a modern twist giving them a rich rock sound. Late City Edition are all set to release their next single ‘She Saves My Soul’ in early October.

To conclude the night we had the award winning Paddy Casey come to the stage. Along with his piano player and his numerous guitars, Casey gave us an acoustic show like no other. Kicking off the night with ‘Addicted to Company’, the crowd were soon into the swing of it. Several dancing and screaming audience members filled the front of the stage to help along with the party atmosphere of the evening. Several times during the set Paddy would play everyone the chorus of his new songs before starting each one, so everyone could join in. The night continued on with fan favourites like ‘Living’, ‘Lucky One’ and the upbeat ‘Not out to get you’.

Overall, a great start for a decent venue that should see many more bands in the area. If LEKMK can keep attracting the bands, the audience will arrive in their droves.

Review by Pat Byrne