Desaparecidos – Button Factory – 08-02-13

By No More Workhorse on February 9, 2013 • ( Leave a comment )

Even at 32, Conor Oberest has done enough to be discussed in Indie circles in hushed tones. He started making music at the tender age of 13 and hasn’t looked back since, with well in excess of 20 albums under a variety of guises and bands.

This week Conor arrived in Dublin to play two gigs at either extreme of music, a folk gig playing his Bright Eyes and solo music in the National Concert Hall and an Emo gig as part of the Desaparecidos in the Button Factory. The Desaparecidos are a side project that have only released one full album, 2002’s ‘Read Music/Speak Spanish’. They returned last year with an EP ‘MariKKKopa / Backsel’ and do seem quite fitting for our current times with their lyrics based around politics, social issues and the 1%.

The surprisingly young crowd (can they remember the first album?) in the Button Factory was buzzing with anticipation for the arrival an Indie legend. Desert Heart from Northern Ireland were an impressive support on the night, and whetted the appetite nicely for what was in store.

The Desaparecidos arrived on stage a little after half nine and went straight into their new single ‘Left is right’. The five piece band consist of two guitarists, one bass, one on keyboard and a drummer. They’re surprisingly tight considering that they spent the previous night rehearsing as they haven’t played together in recent times.

“Fan the flames, serve them cocktails down at the Stock Exchange

Hear the screams, take our baseball bats to the limousines”

Words that must make Bono shiver in his four post bed! There’s no doubt what this band is set out to achieve/ discuss and it’s unusual to hear an established artist such as Oberest crying out for change in this way, but it’s clearly there in the lyrics.

“If one must die to save the ninety-nine,

Maybe it’s justified”

There was a song for bankers ‘That would cut your throat for a dime’ on the same day that the Irish Government did their swapsies of a promissory note for sovereign debt. The crowd roared louder than normal for that one!

There’s even time for a Clash cover version with ‘Spanish bombs’ re-affirming the bands punk credentials. Their short set finishes just after 10.30 leaving the crowd to spill out onto Temple Bar filled with thoughts of over throwing governments and bringing the banks to their knees! I wonder will it happen yet.