THE next big thing in Irish rock came across the pond and splattered the crowd with ear splitting thrills at Rocky Sullivan’s. Based on the meager crowd on hand to witness it, many people had apparently split town for the Easter break.

That was a shame. The Bible Code Sundays is aptly named, as the band is a religious experience.

Fronted by Ronan MacManus, brother of Declan who is the artist currently known as Elvis Costello, these London rockers delivered an adrenaline fuelled set of hard charging original rock tunes.

Rather than sprinkle in an occasional flute or accordion trill to give an arrangement the ol’ Celtic feel, the Bible Code Sundays put everything on the table arrangement wise during their woefully short set. The furious fiddle raced with the flute as MacManus rode roughshod over the whole Celtic noise with acerbic modern rock guitar chords.

The band does know how to slow it down to produce a tearjerker when need be. “Mayo Moon” is a sweet romantic ditty about leaving a love on the dock as the ship waits, a scenario all too familiar for many Irish immigrants.

“The moonlight where we used to walk/I left you standing there/I could swear through my sorrow you could see through my shadow/the coffin ship stands by the cave waiting to take me away from here,” MacManus sings.

By the time he left the stage, most of the strings on his guitar were completely shredded. His vocal chords were no better, as he thrashed through the music with a ragged pitch that went down well with the punters.

“Maybe it’s because I’m an Irish Londoner/that’s what makes me what I am/you can hear it in my accent when I talk/I’m a proud London Irishman,” sings MacManus on “Irish Londoner.”

It’s one of the many great new songs the band displayed during the night. While the crowd might have been sparse, the ones that did show up could help the band blow up big here in the coming months.

I did see a few record label types listening intently, and there were some drunken whispers that the band might be playing in some festivals stateside this summer. Mark my words this is a band to watch!

For more information on the band, check them (and other great bands) out on the Celtic Lounge Radio on celticlounge.com or myspace.com/biblecode sundays.