Being from Dundalk myself, it’s always great to see a band from here do well. What makes it that much better is when that band is actually good.
I shot the Just Mustard underage gig in the Spirit Store, Dundalk, on Sat 26th Oct.
If you are in any way interested in the current Irish music scene, you have no doubt at least heard of Just Mustard. The Dundalk 5 piece have been making a lot of noise over the last few years (both on an off the stage) with their own brand of shoegaze meets atmospheric wall of sound music and amazing live shows.
Saturday was no exception.
What was also fantastic to see was the fact that while they were playing a sold out gig that night, they also put on an underage gig at 4:30pm, which is unfortunately an all too rare occurrence in a lot of venues these days.
From playing in bands for almost 30 years, I played my first gig at 14 and I remember way back then it was so difficult to find anywhere to play. You generally relied on the usual battle of the bands type gigs in youth centres or hoped your school would put on some kind of music event in the gym. Otherwise it was basically invite as many people round to whoever’s garage we were able to use to practice in until their parents had enough and kicked everyone out.
There was always the legendary Sunshine Bar that didn’t really ask what age you where once you could actually sell tickets though, and without them, none of us would ever have had any experience with playing actual live gigs, so 14 year old me would have been so excited to have something like this happen, and hopefully it’s the beginning of a more frequent trend of these type of gigs.
An underage gig like this is so important, both for the countless young bands trying to cut their teeth, and for the younger fans who just don’t have access to these gigs as they are usually in bars.
So credit to both Just Mustard and the Spirit Store for making this happen, and hopefully a lot of other bands and venues take note.
Regardless of the time of day and age of the crowd, JM performed at the same level as they would any other gig, and they were as fantastic as ever.
Their recordings are great as is, but if you have never seen them live, I would highly recommend checking when they are playing next and getting a ticket.
Their shows are basically a wall of sound and atmosphere blasting out of a pitch black stage, with the members only visible if any of the multiple strobe or sweeping spotlights happen to hit one of them for a split second, and then they’re gone again.
I’ve heard them described by other photographers as ‘pretty much unshootable’ or ‘playing in the dark’, but I genuinely think that they have completely missed the point of what they are trying to achieve (and achieve very well).
Like their music, JM are trying to create an experience with their live shows, and it is genuinely unlike anything else you’ve seen before (but may have since when more savvy bands have realised how cool it is and ‘borrowed’ the style).
For me, as a photographer, I find it satisfyingly challenging to shoot them as you need patience and an understanding of strobe vs shutter speed etc. to make it work. When you do nail a shot of them it is even more rewarding because (unlike the recent over use of purple lights at most gigs that is, in my opinion, horrible) the shot looks genuinely cinematic and moody and dark, which is exactly my type of photography.
There has been a lot of thought put into their live shows, and it genuinely does compliment the music…which is genuinely great. The bass and drums are solid and consistently driving the rhythm while the two guitars sonically intertwine and compliment each other while never getting in each others way, and it all comes together with KT’s haunting vocals over the top.
These guys are great to listen to, and even better to watch live, and a fantastic representation of the over abundance of raw talent that has been present in Dundalk music since the 90s.
Cannot recommend them enough.
As they would say here in Dundalk, ‘Mon da Town!’.
Just Mustard photos:
Words & photos – David McEneanery @experimentzero