This was a first. New visitors to the Maynooth campus, The Saw Doctors cautiously emerged to a raucous student audience. Not renowned for forgiveness, and famed for an immense capacity for ironic appreciation, college audiences are intimidating for even the most seasoned pros. "We're The Saw Doctors," announced Davy Carton, good-humouredly. "You must be the students." Of course The Saw Doctors treated their crowd well, and Maynooth returned the favour. As Leo Moran eased into the catchy riff of Exhilarating Sadness, the song reverberated through the long hall and high rafters. Fevered whooping and rowdy salutes punctuated the frenetic numbers, giving the air of a contemporary ce∅li in a refurbished barn.
Although poor acoustics swallowed up the saxophone and the keyboard in the early half of the epic set, To Win Just Once and World of Good were echoed by the crowd with clarity. Many numbers seemed aptly chosen for the performance. The facetious politics of Michael D, the identity asserting This Is Me, and the inebriated simplicity of Chips (which finds solace from loneliness in fast food) found an especially sympathetic audience.
Sadly, the more musically ambitious numbers, many from the current release Villains?, fell on rather indifferent ears. Dark Wind, a slower rock ballad with shimmering organ and subdued vocals, passed by almost unnoticed. Meanwhile, the rich groove of Villains, with Moran's darkly intoned lyrics, just about passed muster.
But the brass pairing of Danni Healy's trumpet and Anthony Thistlewaite's saxophone elevated the smoochy Darkness into an undeniable triumph. Playing to an indefatigable crowd, The Saw Doctors demonstrated amazing stamina with a pacy but perhaps over-generous set. Tellingly, I Useta Lover didn't even get a look in. It's a tribute to The Saw Doctors' performance that no one seemed to notice.
