Power Of Dreams at Whelan’s – Review & Photos

Power Of Dreams at Whelan’s – March 27th

Yesterday was a proving to be quite a busy day for Craig Walker. The indie rock veteran’s latest musical project Mineral were playing an early afternoon gig in the brand new Tower Records on Dawson Street before they had to lug all the gear back across the city to Whelan’s for a support slot (which was actually a kind of double headline slot) to Walker’s 90’s indie rocker band Power Of Dreams who were playing their debut album ‘Immigrants, Emigrants and Me’ in full to celebrate Whelan’s 25 years of quality live music in the city.

Mineral themselves were excellent. Fronted by Walker, his new band are currently promoting their debut album ‘Plastic Ekphrastic’ which is out now on Alan McGee’s label 365 Music. They’re an unusual blend of ‘Vanishing Point’ era Primal Scream and French electro pop duo Air and in a really good way; plenty of guitars, snyths and some beastly bass lines.

Most of the crowd last night though were there to see Power of Dreams of course and for sure they were not disappointed. Walker and Co blasted their way through ‘Immigrants, Emigrants and Me’ in no time at all. Songs like opener ‘The Joke’s On Me’, ‘Talk’ and ‘Never Been to Texas’ and pure indie pop rock perfection, 3 minute tracks of pure bliss. They even threw in a few crowd pleasing covers of The Smiths ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’ and The Cure’s classic ‘Just Like Heaven’.

All in all a thoroughly entertaining night and well worth keeping an eye on any future dates for either band.

Review by Leon Byrne

Photos by Tudor Marian