Intimate gigs, are a rare and special thing. Being able to feel the vibrations of a foot-tap, and hearing the sighs and laughs of a band, adds a dimension to a show that can’t be easily found in Dublin. Celebrating Odessa’s 10th anniversary on a late Thursday evening, Little Matador did exactly t3hat; playing a mesmerizing acoustic set to a thoroughly captivated audience. Paring down their usually electric live set, the band played an off-the-cuff collection of their hits, telling stories and joking between each tune. The room was packed to the gills as friends, family and Little Matador fans nodded and tapped feet, restraining themselves from hypnotically dancing, for fear of stepping on toes, or spilling a drink. The twang of the acoustic guitars, against softened drums and ‘smooth as funk’ bass lines pasted smiles on faces all over the room.
Shatter, with its cowboy style riffs and repeated falsetto chorus was as warm and satisfying as the whiskey, one audience member announced they were waiting on. Having supported rock legends such as Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age it was difficult to ignore the obvious strains of influence in each song. Similar in tone, and possibly in hair-cut, Little Matador exuded all the signs their famous counterparts, while still maintaining a sound unmistakably their own.
Liar Liar, a minute and a half punk-esque track off their new self-titled album was softened, elongated, varnished and polished into a mesmeric desert rock ballad. Drummer Paul Brennan, the only member without a mic, crashed around on the pared down kit giving the set a rhythmic jab with every pause and start. Reasons, the latest single off the album again had been put through the ‘acoustic blender’ and had come out the other side possibly even catchier than its electric original. The soft tones of the bass and guitars allowed singer Nathan Connelly’s voice to take on a more central role, and helped the chorus to crawl into the audience’s ears and make a nest. This Crooked Wood, a song never before played acoustically, should be, from now on. Injecting pace and urgency into the set, it allowed bass player Gavin Fox run the length and breath of his instrument, fills and sly little licks were thrown in as he bobbed up and down to the song’s speed. The eerie lyrics set against the driving rhythm added to the excitement. And you know what? It actually looked like the band were enjoying playing it.
In the end that’s what made this show so good; the marriage announcements, the side stories, the dedication of the gig to Paul Rudd (the AC/DC drummer acquitted of murder allegations: Rock and Roll right?!). It felt as though I had stumbled into a rock and roll, post-christening party where the priest had arrived to say a few words, instead deciding to jam for a good half hour. The band enjoyed themselves, so the crowd were enjoying themselves; and in essence that’s what made this short gig so good. While being dubbed a ‘side project’ for the Snow Patrol guitarist Nathan Connelly, Little Matador played like it was an impromptu Led Zeppelin reunion concert, and to be honest, you can’t ask much more of a band then that.
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