Hausu @ Cyprus Avenue 2/11/2021

Cork record label, Hausu showcased their stack of talent in Cyprus Avenue on last week. Featuring Neil O’Sullivan-Greene, Drew Hall, Actualacid, Automatic Blue and Arthur Valentine.

Words by Jack Squibb | Pictures by Jack & Jordan Gough

Opening up proceedings, stood alone in the centre of the stage was Neil O’Sullivan-Greene. Wielding just his guitar and stunning visuals that he designed himself, it was a breathtaking opening set.

Littered with gorgeous melodies, glitched in parts to throw the crowd off, it was captivating. There was a stillness across the crowd as they clung to every word sang and every chord struck. He performed like a pied piper, drawing people in with his luscious strokes of the guitar.

Following on from that, warming things up on a bitter November night was Drew Hall.

A man and his keyboard, seducing a crowd on a Tuesday night. Hall was riveting as his fingers danced across the keys, singing songs of frustration and the headache it induces during ‘Lost My Head’ or warming hearts throughout the rest.

If you want a clearer picture of Drew Hall’s sound, imagine if John Legend was from Cork. There you go, that’s Drew Hall. A spellbinding set that silenced the chatter from the back and made everyone pay attention.

After a heartwarming start from Neil and Drew, it was time for hearts to race. Enter Actualacid.

A man in a green workers jacket and covered by a woolly kraken mask strolls on stage and thus ensues chaos. With the help of Hausu’s founder, Colm Cahalane, the first 10 minutes are a flurry of remixes swarming Cyprus Avenue.

With his audience under his control, it was time for Stunttmane to join and take the adrenaline-pumping set up another notch. Clutching to his mic with Hulk hands, as he donned himself with a balaclava and ski mask, you’d never question the level of seriousness they take COVID protocols, if anything else.

The eclectic set saw each person on stage become like a puppy Labrador, overly-excited at everything going on and loving every second of it. That energy seeped through the crowd with the party atmosphere truly in place. The mood continued to only go in an upward direction after.

Drew Linehan, better known as Automatic Blue has had an astounding 2021, which is strange cos, well, you know why. Releasing his debut album, LOOK COOL DEAD in September to much praise from critics. Now he took to the stage for his moment in the spotlight.

In an electrifying performance the set had the audience pulsing forward with every moment that passed, sucked in by what they were hearing. A combination of mixes and his flurry of melodies booming from his guitar as he sung during the likes of ‘ASHTRAY’ was frenzy-inducing. It really said it all that when the set came to an end that there were boos echoing out, upset that there wasn’t more.

Rounding out the Hausu showcase was the dreamy sounds of Arthur Valentine. Emerging on stage in a racing jumpsuit, Valentine cast a spell over his spectators with seductive melodies and stunning vocals.

The spell cast by the Cork man would be broken by his beautiful visuals. On screens around the venue was a car cruising around an island with a design akin to Grand Theft Auto, if GTA were set in the countryside. That grip Valentine had though was broken for some when Hausu chief-in-command, Cahalane approached with a PlayStation controller in hand, offering people a chance to control the car in the visuals. Designed by Neil O’Sullivan-Greene, it was a performance engaging on many levels.

As winter begins to bring it’s cold bite to Cork, Arthur turned up the heat with a sultry performance that wooed the crowd, sending them home with a longing for more.

The line-up did suffer a casualty with Ghostking is Dead having to pull out the night before due to illness. With that being the only disappointing thing, Hausu came, they saw and made it clear that they have an arsenal of talent across all genres that are demanding your attention.

Check out the gallery below for all the pictures from the night.