Caught Live: Jape + Goodtime + Moths @ The Button Factory, Dublin (01.10.11)

There was a celebratory mood inside The Button Factory on Saturday night, as local heroes Jape launched their new Ocean of Frequency LP with a typically uplifting and energetic set. Those who got there early were treated to an(other) impressive turn from rising electronic talent Moths, followed by fellow locals Goodtime – minus the 'John' these days – who previewed tunes from their forthcoming The Colours of Darkness album, which is due out early next month.

But it was all about Richie Egan and his band, who were unsurprisingly full of smiles and banter. Ocean of Frequency is growing on us with each listen (look out for a review in the coming days), and hearing the new songs live certainly helped put meat on the bones of some of the record's more nuanced moments. Not that it was all new stuff, mind: Ritual standouts 'Strike Me Down' and 'I Was A Man' have never stomped so hard, while the obligatory mass singalong of breakout anthem 'Floating' was hands-in-the-air great as per usual. A surprise highlight arrived in the shape of recent acoustic B-side 'Lying on A Deathbed' ("...a song about growing up in Crumlin"), which brought a dollop of poignancy to proceedings – despite the best efforts of some nattering gobshites down the front to sabotage the moment.

If karma is anything more than just an abstract, wishful-thinking concept, then Ocean of Frequency deserves to be huge. It's out now across all formats, so go buy it – after you've checked out our slideshow of Mark Earley's shots from Saturday's gig below.