As long as Arthur's Day continues to flow, controversy and debate will surely follow. Praised and bashed in equal measure, the drink giant's divisive marketing wheeze has always been a frustratingly mixed blessing for punters who put live music ahead of the alcohol - the promise of headline acts in intimate venues versus the uncertainty of who might be there, where or when. All thanks to Arthur.
One must get ahead of the game, so when The Script take to the stage at Drumcondra's Ivy House pub before 7pm, for every loyal fan in receipt of last-minute tip-offs, there seems to be two who happened to be in the right place at the right time. As the word spreads and the audience (and temperature) swells accordingly, Danny O'Donoghue and his bandmates deliver a 40 minute pop-rock hit parade, the likes of 'Breakeven', 'Talk You Down', 'For the First Time' and 'Hall of Fame' all getting an airing. It's smartphone central, with swathes of a predominantly female crowd conflicted between savouring a sweaty Danny up close and personal and making the world know via social media that they are one of the lucky few. The band, meanwhile, relish the novelty. Since supernova-ing, the Script don't get to go back to their roots too often. Amid bouts of deafening shrieks from the crowd, Danny manages to extend a phone call to a privileged friend of an audience member and have a round of drinks (yes, that drink) "crowd-surfed" to him from the bar. While the faux-humility of the band's frontman can be somewhat grating in such a confined space, one cannot but admire his ability to make the crowd feel part of something special.
Meanwhile, across the city, Iggy Azalea's people are preparing the way for the precocious Australian hip-hopper at the Odeon. Shortly after 8:30pm, clad in eye-catching full-length green bodysuit and accompanied by two rather sultry female dancers, Iggy brings the spectacle and the attitude to Arthur's Day. Performing with gusto, there is little let-up across an all-too-brief set. Rapping clinically over electronic beats supplied by DJ Wizz Kidd, Azalea commands the attention of a hitherto civilised Harcourt Street clientele as she unleashes 'Work' and 'Bounce', among other hip-hop/trap numbers. Performance-wise, it's all affected American accents and close quarter twerking displays from the dancers. Even once she takes to the stage, few beyond a smattering of die-hards in the front rows are much aware of who this is posturing on stage before them. However, with that commercial sound, and administering the bratty female hip-hop shtick with panache, Iggy Azalea, with an album under her belt, will be far more than a curiosity upon her inevitable return.
Having duly processed that assault on the senses, it was on to South William Street's Dakota bar, one of two ticketed venues in Dublin tonight. Here, expectant faces knew well that major headliners were in store, and even given the murmurs and the conjecture, an almighty roar erupts from the full house as Emeli Sandé's name is introduced. Witnessing her less than stone's throw away on Dakota's makeshift stage, one is struck initially by Sandé's sense of style and, from the opening salvo of 'Heaven', by that incomparable voice. The English/Scottish performer is in amiable mood (having performed earlier over at Paddy Cullen's), and her brand of poppy neo-soul is embraced emphatically by a rapt audience. Vocal cords get strained throughout 'Beneath Your Beautiful', while arms are raised aloft during 'Read All About It'. Ably supported by full band and backing vocalists, a passionate Emeli Sandé exits the stage to her chart smash ‘Next To Me', leaving a sense that the show had transcended major-artist-in-a-pub novelty status to become something a bit more special.
Columnists will write, critics will sneer and moral guardians will remain sceptical, but tonight, it was all thanks to Arthur.
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Words: Killian Barry
