Irish Times writers review the Dublin Guitar Quartet at the NCH Dublin and Arrested Development and The People Under the Stairs at the Pod, Dublin.

Dublin Guitar Quartet at the NCH, Dublin

Minimalism was on the menu for this Dublin Electronic Arts Festival concert by the Dublin Guitar Quartet.

The programme was calculated to grow in interest as it went on, which meant that Steve Reich's Strumming Music - an adaptation of his Clapping Music (1972) - made a good starting point.

Realised on two muted, pitchless and heavily-amplified electric guitars, the phased rhythms resembled the vigorous jostling of a large box of wooden blocks, and had lost the natural acoustic variety that comes from two pairs of human hands.

In contrast, the DGQ's electric account of Reich's Nagoya Guitars effectively combined the resonance of the original version for marimbas (1994) with the definition of David Tannenbaum's authorised transcription for two classical guitars (1996).

All four members of the DGQ took the stage for part one of Leo Brouwer's Cuban Landscape with Rumba (1985), originally for classical guitar quartet, and Philip Glass's Company (1984), originally for string quartet, but sounding more lively, urgent and fastidious in this picked performance.

Yet it was Donnacha Dennehy's Tilt (2006, here receiving its first performance) that proved to be the most intriguing item, and - at around 10 minutes - the most sustained and involving one. It began with two opposing harmonies - one aggressive, the other reposeful - that were varied by increasing contrast and cross-pollination.

Suddenly, however, and as if determined that his piece must add up to less than the sum of its parts, Dennehy loosened his grip on the material.

The burgeoning argument gave way to a more nonchalant mechanisation, a morse-code monotony relieved only by occasional fits of instrumental pique.

The mould of mainstream American minimalism, then, remained unbroken. But it had picked up some welcome scratches, cracks and grazes along the way. Andrew Johnstone

Arrested Development and The People Under the Stairs at the Pod, Dublin

Arrested Development refused to leave the stage for fear of a riot. Despite vigorous objections from Pod management, the crowds' roars proved more persuasive. Group frontman Speech dismissed protests from nightclub supervisors, who were standing offstage gesturing furiously at their watches, saying: "We either stay, and play and everyone has a good time. Or we stop, and y'all deal with the riot."

Half-an-hour later than scheduled at 11pm, the group left the stage amid scenes of opposition from both band members and the crowd. A last-minute change of venue from Tripod (which still isn't ready for opening) to the tiny Pod venue meant a strict time curfew on the gig, as Pod also operates as a nightclub, and its patrons were waiting patiently outside. But despite time constraints and the fact that eight of the band members present could barely squeeze on stage, the intimate setting proved a runaway success. Altogether, there are 19 members of Arrested Development and next time, they promised to bring the whole crew. The Pod will need to invest in a bigger stage.

Solid support came from Giant Panda and The People Under the Stairs. The latter got the crowd hyped, with frontman Thes One stealing people's beers and catapulting himself around the stage like a pinball before departing after just 30 minutes.

But the crowd came to see Arrested Development. Their biggest hits, Mr Wendal and People Everyday, were greeted with mile-wide smiles and deafening cheers.

A chaotic freestyle jam, some beat boxing, a funk solo and even a Bob Marley cover of Redemption Song were also thrown into the mix. Ali Bracken