Starsailor

The Academy, Dublin Thurs 9pm €25 01-8779999
Back in the late 1990s, record companies were on the hunt for no-frills melodic rock, scouring venues for bands that would fit the casts laid aside by the likes of Travis and Coldplay.

Wigan's Starsailor were one of those bands, and, given the name (taken from a Tim Buckley album title) and the music (deft, slightly winsome white-boy rock), it seemed as if Starsailor might emulate the success of the bands they were influenced by. It didn't exactly work out that way, but despite some blips along the way (including a well-intentioned but faltering production appearance by Phil Spector on their second album, 2003's S ilence Is Easy), Starsailor have survived. On their new album, All the Plans, the band continue to ply their trade, offering no-frills melodic rock. Clearly there are enough fans of it left to make it worth Starsailor's while to stick around.

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Loney Dear, Dublin, Thursday