WEDNESDAY 30th SEPTEMBER 1999
2300
KATY DALYS BAR, BELFAST, N.I.
Were you there?
If not why not???!
The seminal first gig by hotly tipped young Belfast punk/pop/indie/rockers was an experience that those lucky enough to be there will never forget...
2 days after their formation they rocked an unsuspecting Belfast bar for 1/2 hr, forcing the following acts to pull out in fear, and not causing a riot with their controversial lyrical material dealing with issues of love, homosexuality and political ideology.
It all started rather sheepishly. Having waited for the support acts to whine through their sets and generally bore everyone in the bar to tears, the mighty 'Dawn were ready to rise. Tuning up and preparing to rock, or standing there looking awkward, waiting for the house music to be turned off. Eventually they got the silence the audience craved. And so it began...
"Hello - we are False Dawn. We are here to entertain you for the evening, please.."
A fast four count and then into the punk/pop delights of AMANDA
The unexpected half-bar ending caught the whole venue off guard, and after a brief period of silence the first huge round of applause of the night broke! The crowd were blatantly loving it!!
"That was called 'AMANDA'. Here is another song that isn't really about homosexuality. Oh, our drummer doesn't want to play this one - everyone beg the drummer to play it...please Gav?"
The Unholy opening riff of SWEETCORN kicked in, and the band followed, miraculously still in time!!
So then a brief instrument change as Nelzo takes the mike and i hit the bass.
"This is a song by one of our favourite artists - he's called 'John Denver' and this is 'COUNTRY ROADS'".
An unexpected choice going down a storm with the middle-aged audience, especially when the acapella harmonies of the end tinkled all over their ear drums. Much applause was forthcoming.
Another vocalist change as Cliff stepped up to sign his tribute to his brother SLOW DOWN MAURICE .
Again well recieved, although perhaps the intensity of the blues jam kiss off may have left some people behind...
"This is about a girl we went to school with..." inroduced BLONDE GODDESS to the masses. By this stage my guitar was hideously out of tune and so the beauty of the creation was somewaht soiled. Oh well...
And then came the moment of controversy - the song we had all been fearing, but dying to play..
"In the seventies, Paul McCartney wrote a song called "Give Ireland Back To The Irish."
The entire bar went quiet. People began to finish their pints and look nervously toward the exits. Elderly Grandmothers were herded back indoors. Every eye in the bar was focussed on me.
"...So...This is our response... it's called GIVE NORTHERN IREAND BACK TO THE NORTHERN IRISH . The atmosphere lightned somewhat as the mighty power chords kicked in and soon everyone was rocking along. Thank the Lord!!! The lift home in the back of an ambulance would not be required...
As the last bars of feedback died away, the set was over - the time had come to leave.
"Thank you very much - you've been wonderful - too kind. We've been FALSE DAWN - Cliff, Gav, Nelzo and me, Chris. It's only rock and roll - but we love it anyway. thank you and goodnight."
Rapturous applause, drinks all round and no other band brave enough to try and follow such a performance.
Not bad for a 3 day old band ...
