Caught Live: Hard Working Class Heroes 2011, Day Two @ Various Venues, Dublin (07.10.11)

With the majority of punters not having to worry about work the following morning, Friday night was always going to be when HWCH 2011 really got the party started. Having said that, it wasn't all glowstick-fuelled hijinks (more on that later) by the banks of The Liffey: the evening also served up generous helpings of country-tinged pop (in the shape of Donegal's Clubfoot), multi-instrumental folk (courtesy of Mackerel The Cat) and brooding post-punk (from local outfit Zealots).

But the middle night of this year's fest was all about sweaty, smiley fun. Mischievous shape-throwers Grand Pocket Orchestra delighted a packed Workman's Club with their ramshackle art-pop outbursts, while local heroes Squarehead and Enemies closed out a triumphant Richter Collective Vs. DMS Ireland party over at The Button Factory with sleek blasts of garage pop goodness and dance-inducing math rock, respectively. Back at The Workman's, electro loons Le Galaxie – who recently launched their Laserdisc Nights 2 LP at the same venue – incited a mini-rave with a commanding headline set of synth filth and hands-in-the-air abandon. Tunes like 'Orion' and 'Midnight Midnight' already have the feel of five-star live anthems, and this is one band who clearly have the kahunas to pull it all off. Oh, and we're pretty sure there were glowsticks at one point too. Did we mention the glowsticks?!?...

It wasn't just the HWCH bands who were playing a stormer, however: our (very) hard-working photographer Colm Kelly managed to snap close to a dozen bands over the course of the night. To view a bumper gallery of his shots, simply click on any of the thumbnail images below.

Go here to check out our coverage from day one of this year's Hard Working Class Heroes festival