Hvmmingbyrd, The Grand Social, Dublin
- Written by Marky Edison
The Grand Social stage is decorated with helium filled clouds for Hvmmingbyrd’s Know My Name EP launch. There is a seated area at the front of the room giving the evening a theatrical feel that is fitting to the performers. Support acts Ailbhe Reddy and Rosa Nutty both sing to hollow bodied electric guitars. Their dulcet tones are a fine aperitif for the main course to follow. Full time Hvmmingbyrds Suzette Das and Deborah Byrne are joined by bassist Neil Dorrington from BARQ, their old drummer Helen Lane, and Know My Name producer Aisling Jarvis on guitar for this one-off show.
The set opens with an instrumental passage, then with the help of the band it's a stonking version of ‘Blindsided’. It’s one of the stronger moments on the EP and with the power of the full band behind it, it reaches another level. Byrne adds a floor tom to their debut single ‘Out Of My Head’ before the guest musicians leave the two core members for a mash up of Madonna and Massive Attack with Byrne on electric guitar. With Das's atmospheric keyboards complementing the pair's interweaving harmonies, the two songs mesh seamlessly even when Byrne scolds herself for stumbling over a verse.
The backing trio return for ‘Never’; one of the highlights of the CD, complete with a kickass breakdown. ‘Legacy’ then bounds in with an off-kilter rhythm. It is essentially the title track of the record with its chorus of “So you might know my name/ Immortalise my face/ Maybe it’ll mean something/ Or else I’ll be forgotten”.
It’s their first time playing with a backing band and it does show through with some of the playing very loose and under-rehearsed. Nevertheless, with the other players behind them; Lane’s light touch on the drums and the fat bass from Dorrington, they sound even more trip-hoppy. They finish with their signature tune ‘If Love Was Enough’. Hvmmingbyrd mark II have only just begun.