Wasting no time, Ewan Friers edges the crowd closer to the stage, then closer still until crowd and band are confronted. Kicking off with a ferocity that culminates in a distorted guitar breakdown, each member’s instrument swings in unison with distinct flair. Catalan have a lot of that, delivering almost-spoken vocal qualities reminiscent of American punk, made their own by their delivery with an unmistakably northern Irish twang.
As the atmosphere built, Friers’ two-step swagger across the small space allotted to him proved Catalan’s presence to be far bigger than the stage they occupied; his band match the stunning “pent up energy” he talks about. Easily released to the next track, the crowd’s vocals soared back at the stage, led by Belfast’s own indie-rock outfit Gnarkats plotted front and centre. Keeping up audience participation, Friers shifted the focus. “Can someone find out how many days we haven’t had a government here?” he says, starting a bidding war. Launching into the second proclaimed world debut of the night, a clean and bright melodic riff-driven track with verses spat like short headlines, Friers claims “The theme of this gig is Stormont. Stormont-core. This is Brexit negotiation-core. This is hard border-core.”