[2008]
The Voodoo Lounge 8th May
School Talent Show 22nd May
Fermanagh Vibe Festival 17th August
McGruders 28th September
Battle of Bands SEMI FINAL in Civic Theatre Tallaght 5th October
Captain America's 6th October tallaght
Winners of NOISE 2008 Battle of the bands!! 28th october
McGruders 13th November
Temple Bar Music Centre (Button Factory) 15th November
McGruders 16th November
Captain Americas Tallaght 1st December
The Steering Wheel Clondalkin 7th December
[2009]
Blast Beat comp The Wezz Donnybrook 23rd January
Audition in The Dandeline Cafe Stephens green 7th March
Blastbeat Regional Finals in The Academy 4th April
(The Relaters advance straight through to the finals)
The Academy, Blastbeat National Finals 9th May
Winners of School Talent Show, 22nd May
The Steering Wheel in Clondalkin Village, 24th of july...
Eamon Dorans in temple bar 18th of August
The Pint (not the point) 5th of September
Lee's Wedding!! In the Russelcourt Hotel, Harcourt str. 12th September
Blanchardstown Draiocht Theatre 2nd October
Captain America's 17th October
Captain America's battle of the bands final 19th October (The Relaters finnish with second place)
Thomas House 24th October
The Steering Wheel battle of the bands SEMI FINAL 30th October

The Relaters
The members of this band have a very youthful appearance. But I heard them on My Space and I found that for such young people, they have quite a mature sound. Originally formed by cousins Ryan and Leon, guitarists Gaffo and Hego joining later on, this band's style leans towards a sound, much influenced by 'The Strokes', 'Kings of Leon', 'Red hot Chilli Peppers' and to add depth and contrast the guitarists are more turned towards Rock'n'Roll having strong interests in 'Guns'n'Roses, 'Led Zeppelin' and 'Thin Lizzy'.
As I watched the two guitarists pick their instruments up, I pondered on whether they could do such beautiful guitars justice. I didn't have to wonder for long though, as John Gaffney lead guitarist and Wayne's younger brother, started warming up with some fancy riffs. WARM UP? As his fingers flew across the frets effortlessly, I could hear jaws hitting the floor including my own!
'King of Country' was their first number and this was the bass player Leon's opportunity to show off, which he did. I could feel his sweet riffs touching my soul and the tone of that guitar was just so beautiful that it lifted the whole sound of this band beyond description!
This band was going down very well with the punters as the number of audience members gradually began to increase. After the first band with such a focus on heavy rock, the mood here was easier on the ear, with more of a contrast between Rock and Indie sounds. Their second number was 'Last Nite' which is a 'Strokes' cover. With a slightly cheeky but nice attitude, Ryan performed this number very well and you could feel how he enjoys doing it. They continued with 'Moonburn' and as both lead and bass were impressing the listeners with riffs and hooks so good I had to pinch myself, I noticed how well both gelled and complimented one another.
These guys who are really only kids would bring to mind for me, bands I used to listen to a lot way back in the late 70s to early 80s, only with a weird crossover from classic rock to alternative when the mood takes them. Having said that, they have this wonderful contrast down to an art, plus it's original for sure. They still throw in the occasional heavier riff to give and extra bit of oomph to the thing! 'Howl' was number five. This had a mysterious melody line using minor chords. John played a sweet catchy riff behind the verse. He also played a seamless solo.
Everything was so balanced and with the crowd growing, the show still felt like quite an intimate affair. The atmosphere was fun and laid back. A fair sized portion of my own family was taking up a few tables at the front so this definitely was shaping up to be an enjoyable night for me.
'June' was the next number. This got an overwhelming buzz of enthusiasm from the audience and as John shone doing a little show off riff someone shouted 'Gaffo rocks!' Ryan played a lot of rhythm while singing which was extremely appealing and created a full sound. With beautifully effective input from a bass guitar which in itself has a weird shape in appearance, this band gave an overall awesome performance to whet the appetite for the next act.

Hey everybody just to let you know The Relaters are now on Myspace www.myspace.com/therelaters
Check it out!!