Button Factory, Dublin
Credit where it's due - Waterford band O Emperor have travelled from being a secondary-school unit to cover-song college act to Choice Music Prize nominees. They also took matters into their own hands when, having recorded their debut album, 2010's Hither Thither,they sent it out to a bunch of record companies instead of doing what many other young bands do: sit on it, and then complain in a boo-hoo voice about how unfair life is.
Now, however, O Emperor arrive at a point where playing Hither Thither's tunes begins to lose traction, and so this gig is one of a few end-of-year outings where new material is previewed amidst fine debut album tracks such as Don't Mind Me, Don Quixote, Heisenberg, Sedalia, Taloned Air, The Fat Lady Singsand December.
The difference in direction is interesting, but sometimes for the wrong reasons; where Hither Thither's tracks gathered pace – initially slowly but then rolled out in a manner akin to a prize fighter being knocked down for the third time only to get up once again and win the match the newbies, perhaps inevitably, lack the same type of cohesion.
The interplay of piano (Philip Christie) and guitars (Alan Comerford, Paul Savage) adds textures and layers, of course, yet while the previous influences of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Band, Dark Side of the Moon-era Pink Floyd and Grizzly Bear seemed contained, they haven’t yet been fully realised for the new songs (the titles of which were lost between mumbles from the stage and chatter at the back). Also, to these ears, having two lead vocalists (Savage and Christie) indicates more a creative schism than bond. Another flaw is a sparsely attended venue infiltrated by family, friends and guest-listers but very few actual fans.
Such matters might get sorted out they often do. But the nagging impression is if there’s any democratic band that requires a dictator then it is most assuredly O Emperor.
