Reviews

Live music: Ms Mr - Academy, Dublin

Ms Mr first achieved prominence in this part of the world when their brooding electro-anthem ‘Bones’ soundtracked a Sky TV trailer for the swords and sorcery (and naked extras) series Game of Thrones. This may have made it seem that they had come from nowhere. In fact, buzz had been building about the duo of Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow for months. By the time ‘Bones’ broke, their debut single had already received a retweet from Jay Z and was handpicked for New York fashion week by designer Tom Ford. Adding to the mystique, the pair initially kept their identity secret, unveiling themselves to the world at a high profile gig in New York.

If that sounds like a lot to live up to, in the flesh Ms Mr (pronounced “Miz Mister”) more than surpass expectations. Stepping away from the studied minimalism of their album, Secondhand Rapture, Plapinger and Hershenow are deeply ebullient and engaging performers. Squeezed into denim short-shorts, curled hair dyed vivid blue, Plapinger exults in the attention and flashes a shark-like grin; to her side, Hershenow is a stylish foil, with his artful quiff and fashion victim jacket.