In Pictures - Bambie Thug review: Witch gets crowned on homecoming to Cork City Hall
Bambie Thug and dancers on stage at Cork City Hall. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Bambie Thug brought the curtain down on a 32-date European tour with a homecoming at Cork City Hall on Thursday. The gig marked the end of an incredible year for the Macroom native (who uses they/them pronouns) following their sixth-place finish in the Eurovision Song Contest in May with ‘Doomsday Blue’.
That leftfield tune was certainly Ireland’s most interesting – and arguably our best – entry in many years, but will Bambie have a life beyond Eurovision? On the evidence of the Cork concert, the answer is a definite yes.
A mass chant of ‘Crown the witch!’ welcomes Bambie onto the stage in the wake of two barechested dancers. This is a show without any live musicians, as the 31-year-old’s ‘ouija pop’ is very much a studio creation, with a big hand from producer Tylr Rydr.
As a live spectacle, Bambie and co manage to carry it off thanks to impressive choreography and a powerful light show. And, of course, the affable stage presence of Bambie themselves. Yes, their image has nods to dark magic and S&M, but Bambie comes across as somebody quirky and warm, rather than anyone you’d need to be sprinkling the holy water on. They also come with a strong message of decency and tolerance, sentiments that feel more pertinent than ever in the week of the US election.
Bambie’s throbbing electronica is a sound that’s deep, dark, and squelchy. It may have been beamed into the continent’s sitting rooms in May, but many of these tunes feel more suited to secret playrooms adorned with leather props.
The sleazy fun vibe gives way to a moment of poignancy for ‘Children Should Be Laughing’, as Palestinian flags appear around the stage. ‘PMP’ has a screamalong chorus of “Pussy, money, power”, and other highlights include current single ‘Fangtasy’. ‘Tsunami 11:11’ has the crowd showered from waterguns, with the strategically-placed squirters including talented Limerick rapper Hazey Haze, who’d previously warmed up the venue before the main act.
What feels like a shortish-set comes to a close around the hour mark with Bambie’s Eurovision banger, and an extended end-of-tour thank-you session comes to a close with an invocation to “Stay hydrated, be kind”. Wise words indeed from the witch.
