live review ~ the sass ~ voodoo, belfast ~ april

Voodoo, Belfast

The Sass

Belfast’s latest gem from the growing new Rock 'n' Roll revival scene is "The Sass", an energetic, pulsating unit of screaming guitars, rhythmic bass lines and effortless charisma. They opened proceedings with "Jukebox", an upbeat, exuberant affair with the lyrical quality of Stereophonics played to a Cribs style riff, incorporating a Kelly Jones-esc vocal. They followed this with "Sonny's Daughter" an anthem which again highlighted the groups solidarity and synergetic qualities. Another tune which radiates optimism, reminiscent of the Libertines in their prime. Perhaps the highlight of the slot came towards the end of the set, when a note perfect rendition of The White Stripes classic, "7 Nation Army" was blended seamlessly into 80's cult smash "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics. An inspired mix, which worked perfectly and drew a great reaction from the audience, highlighting the intelligent musical minds of The Sass. Front man Colm Donnelly showed his composure by adding, almost ambivalently, "That’s a tune I wrote last week", again working an already impressed crowd. The most surprising moment of the set was learning that this was the groups debut gig, a rather remarkable testament to a band with a bright future. To reiterate the words of The Sass front man, we "don't think it went too bad" either. Brilliant gig!

Review by Taylor Johnson.

Check out The Sass on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thesassmusic?fref=ts