Michael Mormecha album launch with support from Strength
Crescent Arts Centre – Thursday 30th June 2016
Splitting his time between the likes of Loris, Malojian and the iconic Mojo Fury, not to mention producing many records in Millbank Studios, it’s impressive that Michael Mormecha finds time to put out music under his own name. He did just that, with his debut solo album ‘Lofi Life’ released back in May. You can find our own Benjamin Magee’s review here. A couple of months on and Thursday night saw the album get a grand old fashioned launch in the Crescent Arts Centre.
Ahead of the music the venue hosted an exhibition of collage artwork by John Kerr, featuring impressive collages of David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and one of Michael Mormecha himself. For most of the crowd arriving later on, their welcoming committee consisted of Derry’s Strength. That’s not some resistance group, but rather an undeniably talented four-piece who have pushed themselves to the fore over the last year with some strong releases.
Fronted by Rory Moore the band prove to be an even more exciting prospect live. No doubt leaving newcomers to their sound more than a little surprised, the band are undeniably different. Driven by an often hypnotic combination of beats and bass, there’s a lot of space in their live sound leaving the focus very much on Moore’s lyrics. The whole band takes time to fully build themselves and the audience up but Moore is the picture of confidence throughout. One would certainly have to be with choruses of “Jet skis, jet skis, jet skis” and “I am a man with metal hands, cruel metal hands” delivered in his own way. I overheard one audience member making comparisons to the film ‘Frank’, which has a semblance of similarity. Dedicating songs to the women of Scotland and discussing smoke particles and snowflakes are par for the course.
Both ‘Northern Ireland Yes’, met with a resounding yes from the audience, and ‘I Like Compressions’ are highlights. They are typical of the band’s sound with a mix of bass riffs, keyboards in the chorus, beats and percussion. ‘Farewell To Strong Men’ has them at their confident best. False starts and stops led by shouts of “stop” and “go” preface an uptempo beat. Bassist Eoghan Donegan and instrumentalist Conor Mc Namee dance and clambour over each other throughout an energetic track. There’s no-one in Northern Ireland making music quite like Strength who have a live show to match their bold sound.
Not one to be upstaged, Michael Mormecha takes to the stage clad all in black, his face concealed behind an equally black mask. His five band mates for the night are dressed the same, making quite a first impression. A long instrumental intro builds into opener ‘I Know What You’re Looking For’. With its stabs of guitar and synth, and Mormecha’s keyboard solo, it’s a glamorous romp of a track.
Much like the album Mormecha and band’s live set is a showcase of diverse alt-rock songwriting, with Mormecha’s distinct vocals at the heart of it. The band utilise the extended, atmospheric intro again to full effect on the lead-up to the wonderful ‘Mixtapes’. ‘Happily Lost’ is a rocker, featuring glitchy fuzzy guitar while ‘Vicious Delicious’ is another guitar-based track, introduced with Mormecha encouraging the substantial crowd towards the stage. The quiet ‘Restless’ offers a brief interlude leading to an absorbing performance of the darkest track on the album, ‘Old Moon’. Track after track is met with a great reception from the crowd, quickly transforming into an expectant silence with everyone eager for more.
Still, to my mind there’s no stronger track on ‘Lofi Life’ than ‘Family’. Having already experienced the album version and a live in the garden version, this performance may eclipse both. The layered alt-pop of the verses with their rhythmic guitar leads into an emotional peak in the chorus as Mormecha sings “I don’t ever wanna miss you”. Closing the first half of the set is the fittingly theatrical ‘Kaleidoscope’. The band flexes their musical muscles through the tracks various movements, ending in bursts of frenetic guitar. The band are applauded off stage, and it’s not long before a few chants of “one more tune” start up.
With ‘Lofi Life’ played in full, Mormecha and a few of the band members return to the stage for an encore, this time de-masked. And what an encore it proves to be, beginning with a rendition of Mojo Fury’s ‘We Should Just Run Away’. It’s quieter, stripped back and piano focused but building into something bigger. Next up is ‘Tic Toc’, which may not have made the album but it is a pretty and fully formed track in its own right. Vocalist Claire McCartney returns to the stage for Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’. It’s a real explosion of energy, with the band in party mood during the bridge as McCartney solos and cowbell and percussion take over while Mormecha grins throughout.
There are many moments during the set where it feels like the performance has reached its zenith. But it would be hard to argue against the closer being the real show-stopper here. Written in Mormecha’s Clown Parlour days, ‘Stanley Kubrick’ is a monster of a track. The sheer power of the drums on the track pushes towards a powerful ending and a successful launch night for Mormecha and co.
Michael Mormecha has shown himself capable of writing great songs, but also capable of incredible live performances in each of his guises. It’s only right that one of his best performances was on Thursday night to launch his very own album.
