Words by Rene Rosierse
Dubinski set foot in mainland Europe last week for a series of shows as part of their European tour, we checked out the start of their tour in the Netherlands. Dordrecht’s Popcentrale was the place to be, albeit not a very common place for non-Dutch bands to start conquering the Netherlands. We were hopeful people would show up on a Wednesday evening and luckily they did!
Main reason for their audience were local favourites Vera & The Sleepover Club who supported Dubinski, being a local band meant that a lot of their friends and family turned up. We did wonder if we were the only ones showing up to see Dubinski as we’d seen them live in their previous iteration as Ded Rabbit when they played Newcastle’s Little Buildings. Dubinski are an alternative indie rock band made up of brothers Eugene, Fergus, Donal and Eoin Gaine from Edinburgh, who released their second album ‘What Is Your Definition Of Happiness’ earlier this year and their latest single ‘Back To Basics’ at the start of their European tour.
Vera and her Sleepover Club opened the night and were in luck as their audience knew every single song already, their mix of pop and indie rock had them perform a varied set list that started off with a bunch of nice indie pop tunes that slowly shifted towards their indie rock repertoire. Personal highlight was indie banger ‘My Distortion Pedal’! The men from Dubinski were very supportive during Vera’s set as they witnessed her entire show, cheered, clapped, and took it all in. It’s something you don’t see very often in The Netherlands, a main act who actually supports their support….
The audience loved the support and were all impatiently awaiting what the four brothers from Edinburgh would be treating them to. So when Dubinski entered the stage they received a very warm welcome. With propulsive drums during ‘Fall Right In The Grave’ the band started their electrifying live show. A show that often sounded like a crossover between Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand but always with a typical Dubinski twist. Songs like ‘Hole In The Head’ and ‘Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ easily won over their crowd. They danced, cheered and had a great time with this ‘new’ band from Scotland.
Songs from both their albums came together into a great set with a prominent spot for their latest single ‘Back To Basics’. For the encore Eugene played a fragile acoustic version of ‘Making Luck’. With ‘Better On A Day’ it was time to end the night. Dubinski won over a few more souls, and Vera & The Sleepover Club will have to share their fans with the Gaine brothers from now on.
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