Saturday 14/06/08 Jape, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, White Williams, High Place @ Future Days, Dublin

Future Days is a new independently promoted urban festival; the centrepiece of this event is two nights in Dublin’s prestigious Vicar St. venue. Forever presents and Foggy Notions are two of Ireland's most cutting edge promoters and they have put together a face-achingly cool line up of freaks, legends, future legends and the downright insane. Devoid of corporate sponsorship and very reasonable tickets prices for a bevy of talent, Future Days represents a festival of the people and for the people.

New York duo High Places opened proceedings with a bass heavy set. Mary Pearsons dream like vocals coupled with the thumping drum bass from Robert Barber made for a pleasant surprise and gave quite a jolt to some ribcages. ‘Head Spins’ and ‘New Grace’ in particular rattled the consciousness of the crowd.

The bass offensive continued with White Williams. The brainchild of Cleveland born Joe Williams, they plough a field of electronica and bouncy tunes filtered through the sardonic and fidgety front man. Looking, literally, like they had just crawled out of bed, they get the growing crowd on side with a pulsating show. Williams plays synths and melodica as he flits around the stage backed by his band, sporting rather fetching lumberjack shirts. ‘Fleetwood Crack’ is a stand out track alongside ‘Headlines’, which gives the crowd a fairly thorough pummelling.

A change of pace form the previous electronic oasis was next as drone merchants Deerhunter slotted uncomfortably into the middle of the bill. Lead singer Bradford Cox looks painfully thin and he even complains at one point that the white lights were making him hot and sick. Musically Deerhunter seemed at odds with what came before and what would follow but they put on a flawless performance, full of energy and noise. Whitney Petty, wearing leather trousers and in her bare feet, is an impressive sight. Whether lazily strumming her guitar or playing the mouth organ, she distracts from the lead singers sickly demeanour.

A sense of expectancy slowly builds around the venue as the baying crowd awaits Dan Deacon’s arrival. His set up is deep in the crowd; only visible due to the luminous skull above his turntable, adorned with a menagerie of horns, buttons and whatever else the insane need to make noise. He certainly makes some noise; he is practically swallowed by the crowd as they swarm around him, the skull our only guide to his whereabouts. A human power surge appears to happen as he cajoles and encourages the crowd, making human whirlpools and a human tunnel for the crowd to pass through. Hands are waved as the banging sound reverberates around Vicar St. The New York native is dressed like a blind Timmy Mallet with a Jar Jar Binks t-shirt and he has an infectious enthusiasm. ‘Crystal Cat’ is a kinetic thumper to open the show and ‘Wham City’ slays all before it. The music almost plays second fiddle to the spectacle and the show is a collaborative effort for all concerned.

The crowd are electrified by the time Jape take to the stage and they do not disappoint. Jape is primarily Dubliner Richie Egan, a member of brilliant noiseniks The Redneck Manifesto. He is the shining light of the Dublin music scene and a buoyed crowd lap up his unique electronica. He regales stories through synths and guitars; the song writing is key to Japes appeal. His new album, 'Ritual', is a step forward and it shows in the performance tonight, as the new songs dominate the set. Sporting a funky moustache, Egan pogo’s around the stage clearly feeling the joyous reaction from the crowd. They open with ‘Christopher and Anthony’, instantly enrapturing the crowd already energised by Dan Deacon’s performance. ‘Floating’ is one of the older tracks played and it’s a savage beast of a song. Jape is the only Irish act over the two-day line-up and they provide a triumphant set, almost bordering on ramshackle at some points but never going over that line. ‘Streetwise’ is mesmerising and ‘I Was A Man’ cuts through the crowd like a sword. The gig builds and builds to a euphoric climax. ‘Phil Lynott’, the standout track from his new album, is stunning and it finishes off a thrilling night of music. Egan launches into the crowd during the climax and is mauled like a messiah.

Day One in pictures: