Bastille grace Olympia Stage

There’s something endearing about a band that repeatedly thanks the audience for coming out to see them. It’s a refreshing display of humility and gratitude in an industry that is becoming increasingly dominated by money. But as Bastille took to the Olympia stage on Friday night, it was clear that the London quartet are still getting to grips with their newfound fame.

Opening with catchy hit Badblood, what is immediately evident is an affectionate casualness between the four lads that almost makes you feel as if you're watching your friend’s band rehearse in his basement, rather than the global chart toppers who are actually on stage.

What’s not casual however, is their performance. Flashing strobe lights, snare drums and questionable, yet infectious dance moves are all a loud accompaniment for the band’s blend of indie-rock and electronic pop.

 Not one to chitchat, lead singer Dan prefers to let his voice do the talking as he effortlessly rattles his way through popular hits Overjoyed and Things We Lost In The Fire.

At one point during the night, Dan decides that he wants a piece of the action and jumps into the crowd while launching into a rendition of Flaws much to the delight of his many admirers.

The setlist is an eclectic mix of new records such as Campus and Brave combined with old familiars like Laura Palmer, These Streets and Weight of Living Pt. II.

They even throw in a cover of City High’s What Would You Do? which instantly goes down a treat among their predominantly young spectators.

It’s a generous delivery of 17 songs that is sure to satisfy the masses.

During the encore, Dan playfully asks the audience to join in on his dancing during club anthem Of The Night, and of course the crowd are only happy to oblige.

As they bid farewell with their most well-known hit Pompeii, every single crowd goer jumps to their feet, a sure sign of an enjoyable night.

 Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Scary series special fails to pack punch

Last night marked the highly anticipated screening of the Pretty Little Liars mid-season finale Halloween special. 

Having ended the previous episode with the 'Ezra is A' bombshell, it appeared as if the Halloween episode was off to a promising start. And it was.

In the opening scene, we see Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer (in full victorian costume) heading to the Halloween Party that's being held in Ravenswood Cemetery. 

Victorian costumes? A party in a cemetery? This is shaping up to be the episode of the season. And then just like that, it begins to fall by the waist side. 

While in the cemetery, the girl's spot Red Coat(Alison) entering a crypt, and so they follow her. In what is nothing more than a head-spinning maze, the girls then travel from the crypt into a tunnel, and then through the tunnel into a mansion, rounding corners, and opening doors as they search for Alison. Along the way, Hanna and Spencer go missing, Hanna gets locked in a phonebooth before being freed by Caleb's new friend Miranda, Spencer attacks Ezra, the girls reunite, Hanna and Caleb part ways, and the girls get a flat tyre leaving Ezra to drive them home.

And then comes the episodes's BIG reveal. Alison Di Laurentis, who has been missing and presumed dead for the past four seasons is actually alive? Well, we definitely didn't see that one coming.

Yet again, after being promised answers by show creator I. Marlene King, the only bits of information that were were given are that Ezra is bad, and Alison is alive. And well, we sort of knew that already.

What about all of the other mysterious occurrences that were never explained?

- Who was the creepy man on the bus to Ravenswood, and what, if any, was the significance of his character?

- How did Aria not realise that she was holding hands with a statue, and not Hanna?

- Why did Spencer and Hanna disappear? Did someone grab them?

- What were those bright lights that Hanna saw shining through the telephone booth?

- Other than inflicting harm on one another, what was the purpose of Ezra going after Spencer?

- How did Ezra happen to drive his car around at the exact moment that the girls realised they had a flat tyre?

- While Hanna is in the phone booth, she see's Ezra or A grabbing Alison through the glass. At the end of the episode, Alison is alone. How did she escape his grip?

- After Ezra drops the girls off at Rosewood he drives away, but coincidentally reappears with Aria's phone at the exact moment that the girls are talking to Alison. Was his reappearance for the sole purpose of giving Aria back her phone, or did he know that Alison was there?

- How has Alison remained undiscovered for this length of time? Where has she been, and with whom?

- Is Ezra really the one that she fears the most?

- How did she get back to Rosewood so fast?

- More importantly, why is Ezra acting so creepy? What exactly does he want, and what is his motive?

With so many questions left unanswered, the real question is, are we ever going to find out the truth? We'll have to wait until at least January 7th to find out.

Film Review: Thanks For Sharing

When it comes to the issue of sexual addiction, there is an air of disillusionment amongst society. The idea that such a thing exists is not only humorous, but to a certain extent, seems almost unbelievable. In his new film Thanks for Sharing, director Stuart Blumberg attempts to remove this stigma.

Starring Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow, Thanks for Sharing follows the lives of Adam,  Mike, and Neil as they battle to overcome an addiction that has taken over their lives.

Adam (Ruffalo) is a successful environmental consultant living in New York, who after being sober for five years seems to be well on the road to recovery. This is until he falls for attractive cancer survivor Phoebe (Paltrow), who begins to question her feelings upon hearing Adam’s revelation.

Mike (Tim Robbins) is Adam’s sponsor, and also head co-ordinator for the AA meetings. For the past 15 years, Adam has dedicated his life to providing support for recovering addicts. But, in the midst of helping others, Mike has neglected his relationship with his own son Danny (Patrick Fujit), who has returned to the family home after struggling with an addiction of his own.

Neil (Josh Gad) is an emergency room doctor and Adam’s sponsee, who in the beginning is unwilling to take his addiction seriously.  However, when inappropriate behavior results in him losing his job, Neil is determined to turn his life around. It is during this time that he encounters fellow addict Dede, played by popstar Pink. Together, they keep each other in check, acting as a motivator each time one of them shows signs of faltering.

With instances of subtle humour throughout, Thanks for Sharing is an insightful, yet surprisingly enjoyable drama that explores the dark and lonely side of addiction, while illustrating the importance of family and friends in striving for a positive outcome.

Image top via Thanks For Sharing on Facebook

Dublin delights for Passenger

Not so long ago, he was playing warm-up for Ed Sheeran. Fast forward a few months, and Mike Rosenberg aka Passenger, is more than capable of holding his own on stage.

Greeting a packed Vicar St. crowd last night, he exclaimed, "It's great to be back" before launching into a rendition of Life's for the Living.

But, these are new times for Passenger. He's worked hard to get where he is today, and he's not afraid to let us know. Just five years ago, he tells the audience, he was playing to crowds of less that 20, most of whom never acknowledged his existence.

There are lighter moments during I hate in which he encourages the crowd to join in on his hatred of  "racist blokes," "ignorant folks," and The X Factor, to which he refers to as a "bunch of money grabbing pricks."

Most of the time though, it's a sombre affair. If he's not singing about broken hearts in Holes, it's his struggle to give up smoking in Riding to New York.

Occasionally, he demands silence as he attempts to sing unplugged versions of his songs sans a microphone. While it's great in theory, his quiet, yet beautifully raw voice seems to get lost among the louder members of the crowd, who are seemingly unwilling to shut up.

There are no lazers, fireworks, or even backing tracks. It's just Passenger and his guitar. For some, it's a confusing concept. For true music lovers, it's a sight to behold.

Let her go is an obvious high point, every member of the audience singing along note for note to the most popular tune in Ireland this year. One guy even shouts out the question that's on all of our lips, "why'd you let her go?," to which Passenger good-naturedly replies "good question!"

Admirably, each song is a story, all of which feature real emotions and real experiences. By the end of the night, you feel as if the person standing on stage is not so much a musician as a new companion.

He doesn't leave without saying that he'll be back soon, a promise that most of us will only be happy to hold him to.

It should probably be noted that if you enjoy shouting obscenities at the stage, or filming every song on your mobile phone, then this is not the gig for you.