Let’s Fly Solo: Staff Party & IRIS Live at Conway’s Yard

By Music Editor Kate Moore

I feel slightly drunk already as we climb the stairs into Conway’s Yard. We - myself, and my long-suffering housemate who I have dragged to see various gigs across Cork City’s myriad of wonderful venues. This one is a first for me, a gig as part of the summer Festival Season lineup at Conway’s, an attempt to bring the atmosphere of a festival right into the city itself. We’re here to see Staff Party with support from IRIS, two of Cork’s hottest up-and-coming bands. Already as we enter it’s clear that this is an anticipated show, with gig-goers swarming the stage before a single band member graces it. 

IRIS performed their first gig in Cork just over a year ago, but you wouldn’t think it. They take to the stage with the sureness and stage presence of much more experienced bands. Their songs are imbued with a certain energy, with even covers carrying their trademark sonic buzz. The energy they bring to their cover of “Tongue Tied” by Grouplove turns the pop classic heavier, and even though they’re such a young band, it really feels like they already have their own signature sound. 

After IRIS, the crowd really comes together, the anticipation building. My housemate beside me is getting tired, but my vague guilt for dragging them here is eclipsed by utter excitement. I have seen Staff Party once before and I must confess that before being a journalist, I am a fan. There is a sort of suspense in the air – they were brilliant before; can they bring that level of magic to the stage again?

Staff Party, who formed in 2021, have gained a die-hard fanbase after only a year and a half of gigging. It is a testament to not only the power of their music (as a unit, they are seamless), but the power of their performance.

Staff Party live are an utterly raucous experience. Despite having just one official single released, the absolute earworm that is “Solo”, they manage to hold the audience’s attention for the hour plus long set through their energy alone. 

Frontman Jamie Kierans is a force to be reckoned with, clambering on every surface imaginable (besides the drum kit), onto a platform in front of the stage, leering out over the crowd. If it did not add so much to the performance, I would wonder at the reasons beside his insatiable desire to be as tall as possible. He has a unique and special stage presence, never really seeming to sit still. Whether it is coming into the crowd to deliver a round of hugs to anyone who will take one, running furiously around the stage or sprinting on the spot in time to the music, he is a force of nature. 

A vital part of Staff Party’s charm is their effortless comedy – Kierans takes time to make quips between almost every song, and at one point is anointed by a member of the crowd with a Burger King crown, which he accepts graciously. A lot of the show feels like an elevated, punk pantomime.

A lot of the show feels like an elevated, punk pantomime.

Their set contains covers, but where Staff Party really shine are on their originals. Songs like “Magic Man’” and the aforementioned “Solo” buzz with the sort of frenetic energy that compels the crowd to dance. Dancing is a vital part of the Staff Party ethos, made obvious in their song “Famous”, where Kierans croons: “Why don't you please yourself / And dance yourself clean / You might find that dancing / Is all that you need.”

The band manage to carry their energy right through to the end of the set, with guitarist Jake O’Driscoll hauling his guitar off the tiny Conway’s stage and right into the crowd. As the final song draws to a close, he flings himself onto the ground right in the middle of the pit, followed closely by keyboard player Alexa Newall (sans keyboard). As the crowd begins to raise a chorus of “ONE MORE TUNE”, Kierans protests somewhat regretfully: “There aren’t any more tunes!”

All I can say, is I hope to see them dance another day sometime soon.

You can catch both Staff Party and IRIS at Cork’s Independent Music Showcase: UnCorked, in the Everyman Theatre on September 18th.