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ÌýFighting With Wire
Animal Disco at Aunt Annies, Belfast
Friday the 12th fo August

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It's been quite a while since headlined a gig in Belfast, and the crowd is clearly rather happy to have them back. Both band and crowd are revved up from the start, and proceedings kick off with a helluva bang as they unleash a cracking, unrelenting rendition of ‘Into The Ground’.

It's increasingly difficult to discuss Fighting With Wire without making some rather obvious references to the likes of Nirvana, the Foo Fighters and even Weezer on certain tracks. And yes, they may not be inventing the wheel, and it may even feel a bit like a throwback to the 90s era of post-grunge rock at times, but - good grief! - they do it rather well.

They're tight, but have just enough messy rawness to keep us on our toes, knowing just how to milk the crowd and just how far to go with it. They take to the stage like they own it, but never lack engagement with the audience. The singles from their debut album Man Vs Monster are bona fide classics of the local music scene and go down a storm. Indeed, at times it’s difficult to hear frontman Cahir O’Doherty over the volume of the crowd singing along with him. And the new album certainly sounds like it’ll serve up more of the same when we finally get to hear it, with Cahir assuring us that it will be soon, it’s just held up by red tape and a few other things that don’t bear repeating.

Relentlessly loud and stupidly catchy rock, endless amounts of energy, and the best of craic from Cahir - a Fighting With Wire show might be familiar territory by now, but they always deliver.

Orla Graham