From Geneva to Gothenburg via Dublin

Sarah Buechi'sTHALi last night at the Project Arts Centre: Birds Fly to Heaven was the romantically-appropriate theme of the opening song from Sarah and her group from Geneva. But the high tempo piece that followed broke any illusions that the couples amongst us last night may have had that this is going to be a romance tunes only gig. From the third song on, I was brought back to Rajasthan in India by the beautiful karnatic beats and chanting. This was a true mix of cultures and genres! Soil Collectors at yesterday's 8:40pm gig: The group from Gothenburg began with a mesmerising opener of surreal vocals that sent shivers down many a listener's spine. I don't know how they manipulate their vocal cords to perform such feats but I'm sure it's technically extremely difficult. Late arrivers had a long wait between pieces to be allowed to enter - the first was about 12 minutes long. The performers' appearance, the electronics, percussions and various unconventional instruments added to the stunning show. They are pure originality. Bjork, eat your heart out! OKO - the closing band in last night's line-up: Few festivals draw such a diverse range of audiences as 12 Points does, and fewer groups blend as many musical genres as OKO. Darragh O'Kelly played a grand piano while Djaculate dropped samples on the turntable. At one stage they joined their drummer, Shane O'Donovan and guitarist, Shane Latimer in a quartet of button pressing like crazy on various machines, and it culminated in a dizzying mix of great music. The Dublin band did us proud!