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Thrill keep it sunny

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

It only took a verse, however, to see that The Thrills did indeed care at their second New York City show.
Sandwiched into the night?s billing, part of College Music Journal?s annual Music Marathon of hundreds of bands at various venues for four days every fall, The Thrills stood out early on thanks to the kind of buzz that has done wonders for bands such as The Strokes and The White Stripes.
Having just scooped up Britain?s Q Magazine?s Best New Band award, The Thrills could have easily rested on their laurels during their hour-long set. Perhaps they were buoyed by the audience?s enthusiasm, which reached out onto the street where many were turned away from the intimate venue, as they gave an impassioned, tight show.
Part of their charm is that you could never tell by their sound that The Thrills hail from the fabled rainy, dreary streets of Dublin. Their music has summoned up references to the Beach Boys, The Byrds, and other West coast-influences fun-in-the-sun bands of past generations.
Still, The Thrills were intent on showing the crowd of curious music fans that they would not be cast as modern-day stand-ins for those musicians who they have been constantly compared to.
Singer-guitarist Conor Deasy has a unique rasp to his voice that ranged from plaintive to rough throughout their set, and helped set the tone of the show. The five-piece was at no loss for charisma, with sunny melodies and catchy vocals that had even the most cynical hipsters in the room tapping a foot. In fact, the room was a sea of bobbing heads for most of the show.
The mood was uplifting, compliments of The Thrills? bouncy beats and energetic delivery. Deasy flailed a bit with the microphone stand and put on a bit of a swagger during the solos, all well mapped out by the tag team of Daniel Ryan and Padraic McMahon, who alternated guitar and bass responsibilities.
Jangly, shimmering guitar work and the work of keyboardist Kevin Horan, who provided Doors-like psychedelic punctuations to Deasy?s front-man act, all meshed well and gave the audience plenty to move to.
Considering all the hype meeting them during this trip to New York, The Thrills rambled through their short set with all the confidence of a band that has nothing to prove. They played the way they wanted to, the crowd cheering for the gimmicky move when Deasy took out his harmonica and broke into a folksy rhythm, recalling their ?60s influences.
Their new single, “One Horse Town,” now getting airplay on some college radio stations was a high point of the set, as Deasy put all his chops into delivering a classic example of their airy California sound. It is hopeful and bright, and looking at the crowd?s reception, proved a winning combination. People sang along to the lyrics like it was a San Francisco love-in. Such positive vibes are rarely seen at these “next big thing” shows, but The Thrills don?t seem to mind changing the formula around a bit.
In retrospect, the downtown Mercury Lounge was probably too small for the number of people who wanted to see the show, and considering the crowd waiting in vain outside, the band could easily fill a bigger venue next time they play.
The crowd was a mix of all types, but their most common feature is that many people seemed to be there to find out for themselves what the fuss was all about. Judging from The Thrills performance, these media darlings answered that question in the sweetest, sunniest way possible.

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