If your ears are still ringing and your ribs are bruised from the barrier, you’re not alone. Last night at The Academy, Canadian electronic project Femtanyl brought their Man Bites Dog Tour to Dublin, and it was what I can only describe as an unrelenting blast in the face of feral digital hardcore.
Inside and outside the venue, the energy in Middle Abbey Street felt more like a peak-summer festival weekend than a Monday night in the city centre.
Special guest Takihasdied set the floor on fire early. Their set was a perfect primer—heavy on the abrasive, internet-fried glitch and hyperpop textures that got the room moving way past the standard “head-nodding opener” threshold. (You can thank the multiple roadwork sites on what is the already bottlenecked Drumcondra road for me arriving just too late to shoot them). By the time they wrapped, the room temperature had easily risen five degrees.
When Noelle and Juno took the stage, that was that. All bets were off and I got the strong impression that anything could happen. Opening with a relentless barrage of breakneck webcore and punk sensibilities, the duo proved why they’ve built such a rabid cult following online.
The live translation of track favorites like ‘P3T’, ‘GIRL HELL 1999’, and ‘KATAMARI’ didn’t just meet expectations, it demolished them. On record, Femtanyl feels like an absolute panic attack; live, it’s a communal exorcism mixed with a panic attack.
A massive wall of blown-out bass, frantic breakcore chops, and Noelle’s raw, screaming vocals cutting right through the maximalist digital noise. The pit was non-stop. For an 850-capacity room, it felt completely packed with sweaty bodies, flying elbows, and a deeply wholesome sense of community amidst the heavy mosh. Complete visual and sensory overload. The strobe work matched the frantic 180+ BPM pacing perfectly, turning the main room into a dizzying rave-punk capsule.
Absolute madness of the most enjoyable variety.
Femtanyl photos:
Photos & Words – David McEneaney @experimentzero
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