The Clockworks - Feb 24 A dose of modern indie pop at the Facebar.

Getting Alan McGee to release your first few singles is never a bad way to start your CV. The man who introduced the likes of Ride, Primal Scream, Jesus and Mary Chain and, um, Oasis to the world has an impressive ability to recognize burgeoning talent. Four years ago, McGee jumped on a plane to Galway, saw the band in rehearsal and signed them. A series of decent singles followed before Bernard Butler came on board to oversee the recording of their debut album, ‘Exit Strategy’.

Now on tour to celebrate the album, the boys from Galway arrive at the Facebar on a Tuesday night, never a great day to pull the punters in. However, for a band promoting their debut album, there is a decent crowd here with a good range of ages.  

Up first we have the electro indie duo of Martellos. Originally hailing from North West Ireland, the duo has relocated to London and bring some smooth bass driven beats to the proceedings. With a stage setup dominated by a pub high table with a laptop and strategically placed pint of Guinness on it, there’s not much room for the band to move around meaning its down to the music to do the talking. As it is, singer and bassist Lorc, along with his magnificent mullet, has a soothing laid back half sung / half spoken delivery which nicely compliments Kev’s meandering guitar. It’s an engaging enough experience and tracks such as ‘Card Tricks’, ‘West’ and ‘95 (Strawberry Blonde)’ are certainly worthwhile giving a listen to.

Martellos - Feb 24 Like Martellos, The Clockworks have also moved to London and this experience runs through their debut album. Giving the album a cinematic feel, ‘Exit Strategy’ is a series of stories telling of a boy leaving Galway, moving to London and his various encounters along the way including speed freaks and a drunken Jesus. It’s a varied and accomplished album (not surprising given Bernard Butler’s involvement) and it will be interesting to hear how it transfers to the live arena.

The Clockworks - Feb 24

Making the stage as moody as possible, the lighting is restricted to a minimum tonight covering everyone in a blue haze. Opening with the piano driven ‘Deaths and Entrances’, the ambience is only enhanced by James’ dulcet tones as the song builds to its climax. From here on, it is a virtual run through the album with the post punk sounding ‘Bills and Pills’ following. ‘Mayday Mayday’ initially threatens to turn into an early slice of Kaiser Chiefs hokum but just about makes it to the other side without losing face.

The Clockworks - Feb 24 ‘Hall of Fame’ slows the pace down considerable and James’s vocals take centre stage once more before the band gently take the song to its conclusion. ‘Car Song’ sounds like it will become a live favourite with its increasing wall of sound. The wonderfully named ‘Danny’s Working Like a Dog’ is a pleasant jangly number with another big ending. ‘Feels so Real’ is a nice slice of indie rock that would sit nicely beside early Arctic Monkeys.

‘Advertise Me’, ‘Modern City Living (All We Are)’ and ‘Life in a Day’ all keep the momentum up before ‘Lost in the Moment’ takes the band back to the sounds of early 80s indie pop. Finishing with album closer ‘Westway’ brings the set to a satisfactory end with an extended instrumental session as James runs through the crowd fist bumping everyone there, before returning to the stage for the encore. The Clockworks - Feb 24 It is at this stage that the band really step up a gear and a good portion of the audience respond with mass dancing. ‘Blood on the Mind’ is followed by ‘Endgame’ and then a corking version of ‘The Future is Not What is Was’. Final song ‘Enough is Never Enough’ with its chorus of ‘these fingers were made for pointing’ is sure to become a festival staple and leaves the audience contented.

For a band that I only heard about recently, they are certainly polished and have bags of confidence plus some decent tunes to boot. There is a lot of promise there and I can see the band becoming a firm festival favourite especially in that mid to late afternoon slot. Whether they can break away from an increasingly crowded market and take it to a higher level will depend upon whether or not they can continue to produce engaging and musically adventurous records. The Clockworks - Feb 24