Review: SCORE - Pinot Noir, Mid-sized Car

Don't beat yourself up for not hearing of Breach and Quinn. Not only did this musical act fade into obscurity a long time ago after making a movie universally panned by critics, it also never existed in the first place. This band persona of Alan Howley and Jack Cawley resembles anxious players returning to settle old scores.

There are worse outlets to channel cynicism than the weary genre of film noir. With Breach and Quinn's cinematic flop resurfaced as a cult phenomenon, they find the time apt to play its 'unplayable' soundtrack.

I don't know what's better: seeing the polite Howley step into the figure of a coolheaded hero, or witnessing Cawley's guitar wizardry build slick and moody arrangements. Kevin McGee lends support, his subtle drums maintaining an air of intensity. An exchange with a femme fatale (a guest performer each night, in this case the plush Mark Doherty) bears the hardboiled dialogue of the form ("I like your sense of adventure". "I like your dress").

Howley presents many different faces, challenging the moral character of a man trying to comfort his kidnapped son but distracted by the art of seduction. He plays the villain of the piece with a Pinteresque balance of threat and triviality, consumed by drunken howls of laughter and gurgled utterances.

Breach and Quinn rise like a phoenix from the flames, and their smoky storytelling makes for an overnight success.

score runs at Project Arts Centre (Cube) as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe until 19 Sept. For more information and tickets, see the Fringe website.

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