The Holy Roman Army have come a long way since the last time I saw them, all the way back at HWCH 2008. Having swelled from their original brother/sister duo of Chris and Laura Coffey to a four-piece to include a drummer and trumpeter, their sound has expanded with them. Another pleasant surprise was that their new material seems much peppier than that on their debut 'How The Light Gets In'. It wouldn't have been hard, of course - that record was a dark and glowering slice of electro precision - but these more dance influenced tunes certainly made for a more engaging live performance, especially when combined with highly amusing visuals that were by far the best of the weekend.

Next onstage in the black box that is the Twisted Pepper were Bouts, a Dublin band formed from the ashes of the recently disbanded Lines Drawing Circles and Green Lights. Considering this was their first ever live gig together, the boys were tight and well composed, choosing to approach their audience interaction with a certain self-aware facetious humour. Their edgy guitar rock tune reeks of 90s grunge and punk, rounded off with some astonishing guitar solos and the hoarse, snowy quality of frontman Barry Bracken's vocals.

Staying put partly out of a desire to see LaFaro afterward and partly out of third night laziness, Awake Young Soldiers were next onto the stage. This Kildare-based band are bound to draw endless comparisons with Mumford and Sons for their energetic, bluegrass influenced country rock, but in a lot of ways they more closely approach The Saw Doctors, giving Americana their own distinctly Irish twang. So, though their alt-country rock tunes occasionally came across as trite, the six-piece easily held the stage with sheer enthusiasm, forceful harmonies and friendly, light-hearted banter.

It was always a given that HWCH gig goers would leave LaFaro with their ears ringing, and the Belfast boys did not disappoint, their blasting hard rock guitars interspersed with erratic riffs and crashing drums. Frontman Jonny Black is sure to do damage to his vocal chords with that rasping heavy metal roar, while a shirtless Alan Lynn dripped with sweat as he belted out those rolling rhythms. Highly amusing onstage conversationalists, LaFaro doled out politically incorrect jokes and urged the room to see The Cast of Cheers at the end of the night. Though they have one or two tracks that stand out miles above the rest, LaFaro's raucous, ear-splitting noise translates into phenomenal onstage might.

Arriving at the Workman's Club in time to see Trophy Boyfriend proved futile. In fact, the phrase dull as dishwater comes to mind. While Gregor Ruigrok's undulating synthpop is most entrancing on recordings, live it plodded with little zest or oomph. This was made worse by the fact that Ruigrok's voice had difficulty staying in tune, gradually grating on the ears. While the electronic end of things was taken care of by a new partner, Ruigrok chose to take up his guitar for what was a basic and almost inert performance. Hugely disappointing.

Perhaps it was because they were the final act of the festival, or perhaps it was the growing buzz around their fantastic debut album 'Chariot', whatever the reason, The Cast of Cheers drew an impressive crowd to The Workman's Club. Appearing with some 90s platform fighting game projected behind them (Was it Street Fighter? My gaming experience only extends as far as Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog), The Cast of Cheers brought an extra dimension to their jagged guitars and extensive loops, even inspiring sporadic bouts of mosh-dancing. Conor Adams's ripping, cracking vocals belied his cheeky good looks, and were complimented nicely by occasional backing from brother Neil. The swift restlessness of 'Tip The Can' was an undeniable highlight, as were the frenetic riffs and pounding rhythms of 'Derp'. An all-round fitting end to another great showcase of top Irish talent.

If you've yet to do so, go download 'Chariot' from https://www.myspace.com/thecastofcheers. It's free, so you won't regret it.