Halloween at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre delivered pure, unadulterated 90s alt-rock nostalgia as Kilkenny noise-rock legends Kerbdog returned to celebrate 30 years of their defining album, On the Turn. With a stacked lineup of local support and a packed, energetic room, it was a celebratory showcase of heavy riffs, melody, and Irish rock heritage.
Opening the evening, Aoife Destruction set an urgent tone early on. Steering clear of traditional opening-act passivity, she brought a horn-driven fusion of ska, reggae, and punk. Backed by tight brass and sharp basslines, her performance was high-energy, engaging the early crowd right from the outset.
Next up was the practically ‘unphotographable at times’ Dublin avant-garde punk artist Meryl Streek (he furiously storms the stage in darkness, apart from relentless strobes and a torch shoved in his pants…auto focus’ worst nightmare!), who delivered a raw, vitriolic performance. Blending spoken-word social commentary with abrasive electro-punk beats and industrial soundscapes as a background to news reports and political soundbites, the set felt tense, heavy, and immediate. His fiery, uncompromising delivery served as a perfect bridge between Aoife Destruction’s ska-punk energy and the wall-of-sound riffage that was to come.
The stage went dark and the soundtrack to Back to the Future slowly faded in, which included Marty McFly saying he brought his new favourite band Kerbdog forward from 1995. When Cormac Battle, Billy Dalton, Colin Fennelly, and Darragh Butler stepped out, the venue erupted.
There are a few albums that have had a genuine impact on me for a number of reasons, and Kerbdogs second album. ‘On the Turn’, is right up there as one of them. It was a perfect blend of catchy melodys, excellent heavy drop D guitar riffs and great lyrics, and I can’t count the evenings in my parents attic I plugged in my guitar and played along with the entire thing. I was truly heartbroken when a third album never arrived and I heard the band had split up, but Battle explained briefly what happened during the gig and I finally, 30 years later, felt like I understood and had a bit of closure.
Tracks like JJ’s Song, Sally, and Mexican Wave possessed the massive, punchy crunch that defined their output on Mercury Records in the mid-90s, with Dalton and Battle’s guitar interplay sounding as (sloppily) tight as ever. As soon as they started playing, that was it. I was sucked in and running round the pit singing along while taking photos and it was one of my favourite times in the pit so far.
Halloween night added an extra layer of revelry to the crowd, with fan singalongs matching the sheer volume coming off the stage.
Beyond the focus on On the Turn, the band dipped into their self-titled 1994 debut and handed out a few fan-favorite tracks like Dry Riser and End of Green.
For an Irish band who only had two records ‘at the wrong time in the wrong place’ (as Battle put it himself), these guys have ascended to genuine legendary status among their legion of terrifyingly loyal fans, and any time they decide to play a gig I always try to at least go, of not shoot it as well. 30 years on the songs sound just as good as they did back then, and Saturdays gig has proven once again that a great album will always be a great album.
While part of me will always hold out hope that the lads go back into the studio and see what they can come up with at this stage of their lives, one things for sure, any time they decide to do a gig again, I’ll be there, because I’ll never get tired of hearing those songs played loud and live.
Aoife Destruction photos:
Meryl Streek photos:
Kerbdog photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Lesser Shelf
Pledge
Mexican Wave
Didn’t Even Try
On the Turn
Rewind
Earthworks
Severed
Dry Riser
Pointless
Secure
Same With The Hammer
Sorry for the Record
____________________
End of Green
Sally
J.J.’s Song
Photos & Words – David McEneaney @experimentzero