Sex Mask chose Dublin as the opening night of their EU and UK headline tour. The Melbourne three-piece, whose self-titled EP landed just a week ago, arrived with serious momentum behind them.
Wifeswap opened the night and set the tone well. The Dublin four-piece deal in melodic, noisy guitar-driven songs that had the room nodding along from early on, each track flowing into the next with a seamlessness. “Bosman Ruling,” the lead single from their debut EP Digging, stood out as a highlight, its restless drum-driven energy and melodic guitar lines carrying the emotional weight of a song. A Dublin band worth keeping a close eye on.
Humane followed, the touring support act travelling with Sex Mask across the EU and UK run. Opening with “Watch Don’t Learn” and moving through “The Curb” and “Tear It Down,” they built steadily across their set, road testing a handful of unreleased tracks alongside their better known material. By the time they reached “Kill Time”, they had the crowd dancing, a perfect handoff of energy into what was to come.
When Sex Mask took the stage, the room shifted entirely. Frontman Wry Gray, commands a stage in a way that is physically restless and entirely present. Kaya Martin’s jagged guitar and synth work and Vicente Moncada’s driving, precise drumming locked in behind him to create the kind of tight, relentless post-punk that leaves very little room to breathe. They opened with “No Love” before tearing into “How To Be Cool At Parties,” and the room responded immediately. “Girth” and “Birds” kept the intensity high, while “Circe” and “Beheadal” showcased the more unsettling, atmospheric end of their sound. Midway through the set came “Dirt,” introduced as a brand new song receiving its first ever live performance, a significant moment for an opening night of a tour. “Lockjaw” and “Sweat” from the new EP demonstrated exactly why the record has landed so well in its first week, before “TYFU” and “Brick Wall” kept the energy at full tilt. They closed with “Raid,” the lead single from the new EP.
Wifeswap photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Piglet
Pearl Bastard
Bosman Ruling
Summer
Calliope
Laughter
Humane photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Watch Don’t Learn
The Curb
View
Quality
Tear It Down
Penny
Kill Time
Dugout
Sex Mssk photos & set-list:
Set-list:
No Love
How To Be Cool At Parties
Cold
Girth
Mike
Birds
Drug Reference
Beheadal
Burning Rose
Circe
Dirt
Lockjaw
Sweat
TYFU
Brick Wall
Raid
Photos & words – Cian O’Donnell @cianod6