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Fight Like Apes
Review: An Bróg, Cork gig.
I was very excited about seeing Fight Like Apes and was waiting in line, when the very beautiful May- Kay (front woman of said band), walked out bedecked in curlers, accompanied by the three guys who make up Fight Like Apes. That started the night off on the right foot for me!
Surprisingly, the doors opened almost on time and then the first animal themed band, When Good Pets Go Bad, took to the stage.
As a supporting act, I didn’t expect them to be as good as they were. They performed confidently, if not a little bashfully. My main critique of When Good Pets Go Bad was that their sound didn’t carry very well, which was probably more to do with the guy on the sound desk than the lads playing. They also lacked a certain presence on stage, which may have been eclipsed by the personality of May-Kay. However, the crowd were enthusiastic for most of it and the band were completely immersed in their music.
An anxious air began to loom as more people began to ask for Fight Like Apes, but When Good Pets Go Bad did well to get them on their side, as they used a great array of effects pedal to drive forward their almost 90s, alternate pop punkish vibe. They finished to a great round of applause. Then the next band, Circus Cat, took to the stage.
This band seemed to pack more of a punch and worked the crowd to their advantage. There were a few small problems with feedback, which was a distraction, but for a band that I had never heard before they seemed like a real ‘sing-a-long’ band. I don’t mean that to be insulting; I mean it in the Oasis kind of way where the songs seem to be recognisable. They played consistently through the set, although somewhere in the middle the band themselves began to lull. Fortunately, they pulled it back and the crowd were back dancing and clapping for more.
Fight Like Apes then fought their way through the crowd to their instruments and introduced themselves. May Kay quite femininely spit out her water to the ceiling and the band erupted into a flawless “Do You Karate?” The lead female provided the kick in the balls attitude that the crowd had been looking for, seducing the men and leaving the women in awe. She truly is a force to be reckoned with on a stage.
“Lend Me Your Face” followed and was accompanied by thrashing fans and a very confident keyboard player. “Kathmandu” then followed by a regular addition to their live performances - two lengths of steel pipes were smashed together by May Kay and Keyboardist ‘Pockets’ as an extra percussion instrument on “Digifucker”. All of the tracks from the new album seemed to please the crowd, but one of the greatest moments of their set was “I’m beginning to think....”
There seemed to be something primal about the way the band held themselves on stage as the crowd sang back. ‘Pockets’ performed his role perfectly, switching between his own keyboard and Mary-Kate’s. At one stage, he pulled out quite an impressive move from his arsenal of ‘ridiculous things to do on stage’ and hugged his keyboard to....I don’t know actually; squeeze the sound out of it?
The band announced that their last song would be “Do Yourself a Favour”. They performed it outstandingly, leaving the crowd begging for more. As 'Pockets' rushed off the stage, he immediately returned to play "Jake Summers", while May Kay hurled herself into the audience (later commending the male audience for their chivalry).
The band seemed to be intent on letting An Bróg know that it was an amazing venue; “We have missed this place, yis are all f****n' brilliant”. The intimate and close nature certainly seemed to suit the band better than their previous gig before Christmas, which was in the Savoy.
The final two songs of the night were quite literally mesmerizing. “Something Global” has always been a favourite of mine and mayhem seemed to emanate from the stage as that faded out. “Battlestations” then ended a perfect set. The final song was as usual interrupted by a stage invasion, which is a regular part of Fight Like Apes gigs.
Surprisingly, the band left very quickly then and the majority of the crowd dissipated soon afterwards. After seeing this band play a couple of times now, it is fair to say that intimate and smaller venues are really where the tour de force is.
Next time Fight Like Apes come to town, get yourself there! You won’t be disappointed.
By: scruffy_joe
