I WENT TO WUNDERHORSE AND BASHT AT ROISIN DUBH

By Enya McIntyre

And here’s how it went ..

Boots laced, eyes lined; off we march our well-accustomed route to Roisin Dubh for Wunderhorse with Basht supporting.

Musty scents of booze, sweat and tobacco welcomes us as we step into the dimly lit space.

Waves of pounding punk sounds tease through the slim opening into the main venue as opening act, Basht has the crowd going.

The promise of rollies and shite talk wafts down the stairs as a multitude of black docs pound their way up towards the smoking area while others gather at the bar.

But it’s blinkers on for us. No time for messing: grab a drink and hit the dancefloor.

The sound and my heart rate escalate simultaneously as I step into the main venue.

The dancefloor clears as everyone rushes off to top up drinks and light up cigs in anticipation of the main event.

Wunderhorse peal back the curtains at about 9.30pm and casually stroll out in baggy T-shirts, instruments in hand.

Anticipation builds as we watch them tune up under purple lights, whispers from the crowd guessing what song it will be.

Girl Behind the Glass starts to take shape and suddenly Harry is playing the iconic riff.

“I found a photograph .. someone I use to know” escapes my lips in tune with Jacob and the crowd is going wild.

Basht are a sight to be seen as they tear across the stage, each and every one of them enthralled in their instruments owning every second of the performance.

The crowd is a mirror of their energy as the whole place thrashes around singing and dancing.

After playing for about thirty minutes the set comes to a close with much headbanging and guitar shredding.

The scene is like something taken from a 70’s film camera shot in the likes of CBGB or The Cavern: a small intimate venue, a group of boys rocking in a trance-like state all over the stage, to a crowd full of receptive fans singing and dancing along.

It’s not far into the show and they’re kicking off with the hit, Leader of the Pack and everyone is going crazy.

We’re just as much captivated by the instrumental talents as we are by Jacob’s voice.

My feet don’t leave the floor once; my body jumping and swaying to the likes of Purple and Mantis.

Teal’s “What if it did Katie, what if it killed her” evokes a special reaction from the crowd as Jacob signals for us to take the lead in singing the highly anticipated line.

Morphine is a special one. From where I’m standing, the lights are hitting the stage and piercing through the crowd perfectly. It’s quite the cinematic spectacle.

The music returns to a heavier sound, winding the gig down and us up with heavy punk rock sounds and screaming vocals until all goes still and the gig is over.

But the night isn’t.