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Party Weirdo
Dublin, The Boom Boom Room
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Article
written by Johnnie C
Sep 17, 2006.
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For all its faults, The Boom Boom Room is a proper indie venue that hosts some of the most original and enterprising gigs in Dublin. And how heart-skippingly refreshing it is to come to this stuffy little hovel midweek to witness Party Weirdo – three artistic women ‘doing their own thing’ and fast becoming the darlings of a truly alternative Dublin scene. They're an enlightening amalgam of musical experimentation, toy instruments, feminist expressionism and performance art; how gleeful to behold something that goes so against the grain of the usual ‘four blokes, four chords’ production-line indie rubbish.
True enjoyment of Party Weirdo possibly necessitates getting with their programme – not an easy thing to do, as there isn’t one. I mean, how does frontwoman Cara Holmes describe her band's music? “I'm totally stuck for words; I think in general, it's fragmented, off-beat melodic music with subtle messages for people to laugh at, cry to and hopefully be inspired by. From Hello Handsome, angry thoughts about female objectification, to Let's Talk Business, turning corporate speak into something that actually means something in the real world. Sorry, that's a load of cock, it's very difficult…” You can see the reviewer’s problem here.
Their whole set-up is erratic and eccentric. Aside from the 3D talents of vocalist/guitarist Cara and drummer Emily Aoibheann, the multi-instrumentalist Therese McKenna changes the dynamic of each song, by turns playing flute, cello and bass guitar, as well as adding whoops, squeals and other assorted background sounds – whether called for or otherwise.
Their opener, Hello Handsome, is indicative of their songwriting approach – to jigsaw an imaginatively intangible whole out of disparate but compelling pieces. Theirs are loose anti-structures, free from rock’s convention of constructing songs around one or two great riffs or sequences. In toy-terms, they’ve made an oblique monster from Stickle Bricks, Fuzzy Felts, Play Dough and Barbie’s head.
For an unsuspecting audience, their most accessible song, The Cat’s Got It, comes too early in the set to make the rest of it work. However, its danceable riff and its hook, “the beat, the beat that skipped my heart - the beat!" are both irresistible; their best shot at a bona fide indie hit. Meanwhile, the wonderful Panic Part 1 features kazoo, Daniel O’Donnell-dancing, targeted pointing and climactic finger-popping – quite the finest thing I’ve seen onstage in months.
Party Weirdo are here to give Irish audiences a much-needed kick up the noughties. The music scene here already needs them more than they need the scene. Get them while they’re hot.
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