MAINLINE

I had been waiting for a chance to catch Mainline live for quite a while now, and finally got to just earlier this week, when I went to see Jim Reid, over from the UK playing a rare gig in Dublin, whom they were supporting. Delivering a loud and dark psychedelic rock n'roll groove steeped in Jesus and Mary Chain tradition, there is really no Dublin band that could have fitted the bill better than Mainline, and packing an awesome punch as a 6-piece, leading off with their flagship song Black Honey, they performed a cracking loud set which lasted about 30 minutes, and was a really fitting curtain raiser for such an occasion.

Ever since Black Honey was released in 2005 as a limited edition 7" and 12", Mainline have been receiving an abundance of praise from both the press and public alike, although I feel it is rather unfortunate that further material has not followed since then, as it has resulted in perhaps an over-emphasis by the press on one song, which although a top quality song in its own right, sounds a bit too close to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to showcase the band as something more varied and unique.

I prefer some of their other material, in particular 'Where The Ghost Meet' and 'Once More Because Of You', which although delivered with that same noisy groove, are both more broody and melancholic, longing and ultimately hurt, with an aching vocal style comparable to that of Spiritualized at times. In 'Where The Ghost Meet' the influences rise to their finest, where primal drumming echoing The Velvet Underground's 'Heroin' can be heard, and an excellent riff towards the finish touches on some from The Jesus and Mary Chain's Honeys Dead era.

Four songs can be streamed from their myspace, 'Black Honey', 'Once More Because Of You', 'Where The Ghost Meet' and 'The Healing Song', plus the recently made '52 Strings' video. Playing this years Psycho Fest at Dublin's Voodoo Lounge tonight (which I previously mentioned some weeks ago in a review of The Things), details of their upcoming gigs can as ever be found on their myspace, including Psychotic Reaction @ Crawdaddy in Dublin on July 1st and the Hi:Fi Ireland Festival in August.

Related Links:

http://www.mainlinesounds.com

http://www.myspace.com/mainline