Superman Revenge Squad - The Lamb

Was briefly trying to remember if and where I'd seen Superman Revenge Squad. I recalled slagging them off cos of over-pimping from God Is In The TV, but it turns out I'd only seen them before at a previous MJ Hibbett's Totally Acoustic night.

Can I write about this any differently than last time. Probably not I don't recall last time too well, so this review may be identical. Although tonight he has a cello player which on the one hand adds more depth to the songs, but on the other hand, from where I'm sat at the back by the door, the vocals are overwhealmed a wee bit, but I could still make out the words, maybe if the chap sat in front of the cello player, or on his knee, no, that wouldn't work.

I like his song about seeing an old man flicking through a porno magazine in the newagent, probably looking for someone who looks like his dead wife. It reassures my search of RedTube for anyone who looks like girls I knew a decade ago.


But, I hear you cry, what does it sound like? Weel, its acoustic guitar with breathy fast spoken/sung vocals. Not much in the way of fancy guitar noodles, but nimble chords. Songs played in the bedsit style, introvert and imaginative, well, songs about thoughts, day dreams and something someone once said or saw. Like The Streets minus the hip-hop.

Ah ha, a song inspired by a half remembered Oink comic strip, Mark Riley would be so proud.

Chris TT - Wilmington Arms

I think this could be the first time I've seen Chris T-T, although Songkick has it that he's played with MJ Hibbett a couple of times.

Tentative piano improv. Lots of arpaggios, its almost magical.

The room is full and the people silent, although a little music is leaking in from the pub next door.

There a strained pauses between each piece as Chris works up the mana to continue. You can see his eyes glaze over when he begins to lose himself in the music.

Quiet chortle as people recognise the outro riffs from Bohemian Rhapsody and Layla.

He finishes up by playing a handful of song requests from the audience on his acoustic guitar.

MJ Hibbett - The Lamb

As I said earlier, its been a while since I came along to one of MJ Hibbett's totally acoustic shows, could be some new songs. To my right sits my beautiful girlfriend, I'd forced her to listen to my ipod for months so she should be familiar with some of the vibe, to my left sits a chap I recognise from the crowd at Indietracks, not sure if I've ever seen him online. We mutter something about 'the other place'.

MJ Hibbett's in a jolly mood, he swiftly briefs the audience about what we're going to hear old and new songs, some stuff off the new not yet released album.

'Theme from Dinosaur Planet' is better than last time I heard it, the audience participation and prog solo have improved.

The wee song about what happened to Main Site IT Guy after 'It only works because you're here' fills my heart with sunshine. I'd always identified more with him than the main protagonist, like Gunter from Friends.

I've to say, the newer songs he played 'Where do all the women go?' and 'Where are all the good men?' has got to be some his strongest material yet, the latter even has a Tim Berners-Lee reference. Or it could just be I've reached a snug station in life and these songs resonate more now than they would have done five years back.

He finishes the set with 'Easily Impressed', a jaunty upbeat number which my girlfriend points out is a marked contrast to the night's first act, Superman Revenge Squad.

She also described Hibbett as rapacious and says that I'm a recidivist.

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Orange Nichole - The Lamb on Lamb's Conduit Street

Two American people performing, they say there's usually more of them, but this evening we have standing up singing acoustic guitar girl and seated guitar chap. Ooh, make that twelve-string guitar chap.

Lots of songs about travelling.

Quite nice. Very pastoral and laid back.

Towards the end there's a neat song about Larry Tate from Bewitched played by David White. Eight quirky points I reckon, and then some more points for the song about being a fan of unspecified Britpop stars.

It would be interesting to hear them play with the full band, we're promised harmonica and hurdy gurdy.

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Superman Revenge Squad - The Lamb on Lamb's Conduit Street

Aw man, I haven't been here in months, I got off at the wrong station, Goodge Street instead of Russell Square, and had to run several blocks to get here. Luckily I'd just downloaded the re-issued Grand Theft Auto 2 so I was well prepared. Just got to fight the urge to pull over a car and wrestle the driver out.

There was quite an eye-opening discussion going on about Oyster cards. The frequencies they go at and the call and response crypto business rather than them just being like a magic barcode thing. And that mob who cracked the technology, but they used electron microscopes which is kind of cheating.

The first act tonight Superman Revenge Squad, I'd heard of them before via God Is In The TV website thing.

The songs all follow the same theme, a bit self-involved. Very white.

He's just a young chap sat with acoustic guitar. Sounds like that Stuart James chap who did that 'Waifs and Strays' song kind of like rapping but with more guitar.

If you like down-beat thin navel-gazing acoustic guitar stuff, you'll love Superman Revenge Squad.

Other blog posts
Superman Revenge Squad

Ryland Bouchard - Wilmington Arms

Loud, stompy music from Ryland Bouchard. Sounds like The White Stripes Hotel Yoba. Stabby acoustic guitar and bum tish drums.

Richer and warmer sound than the other bands, quite a contrast.

Ooh, he's got a beard and not one of those stubbly one's like the other bands. I wish I could grow a decent beard. And he's got one of those guitars with violin hole in it.

Gentler songs later on in the set, almost lulling me to sleep, drummer taking it easy.

Allo Darlin - Wilmington Arms

Joined tonight by a guitarist Hexicon, centre stage is the pixie Elizabeth Darling armed with ukelele.

Very stark songs, starting of with her Stephen Hawking song, science and uke, yay

Aw man, they floor us with a killer cover of the Ramones' 'I wanna be sedated' its going to be on a Atomic Beat Ramones compilation CD at some point. if you've heard Allo Darlin's version of 'you shook me all night long' you know what to expect.

There's a whole blanket soaked in warm honey load of friends and associates joining them on stage, usual percussionist Virginia, Will from the previous band, the other chap from the previous band, then some othe chap possibly from the Pipettes on vocals for the penultimate song.

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Moustache of Insanity - Wilmington Arms

I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen the Moustache of Insanity. Although Will, the beardy chap, was one of the chaps playing on the platform at Indietracks last summer.

Crikey, its cold out.

On stage its "Sparkly, and cosy" according to the missus. Will's got a loud electric guitar, the other chap, wearing a bear hat, and clutching a Casio VL One starts off on vocal duties. Ooh both wearing cardigans, tight trousers, floppy hair.

The 'bom bom bom' refrains are neat and used frequently. I thought "Cheese and freckles" was my favourite song until they played "My baby's sixteen thousand kilometers away", it was the build up and the starkness that made it.

If I had a job and money and stuff I'd buy the Wee Pop compilation CD with them on it. As it stands I' d feel awkward quiding the missus for it.

Verdict from the missus - "Eighties pop rock"

Yaaba Funk - Afro-Kokoa - The Big Chill

Afro-Boho, shoreditch jungle rhythms in a flatcap. Regular drums and bongos, at the same time! Almost ska-ish guitar, then the sax kicks in. I though it was all right but it turns out they were just sound checking.



Hours later they kick off on stage. Its the first time I've seen this kind of music played live. The three piece sax section really catched me, well that and the general rhythm that's got everyone moving.



Male / female vocals, a little too shouty for my tastes, but broadly euphoric.



It gets a bit political a few songs in, Obama and political freedom.

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MJ Hibbett, Jim'll's Brain - The Lamb

Think, think, think. How can I write a review of the actual gig, rather than just channeling my own idiocyncratic iconoclastic channeling of relationship insecurities? Have I already gone too far with two occurances of the word "I"?

There are thirteen people in the room, and a mob of hundreds outside in the street, drinking. Of the thirteen, around five are female, divided broadly evenly between blonde and non-blonde, but a clear trend in polka dots. Of the men, two wear beards and a broad two thirds wear shirts. On the whole, the crowd age range is mid-twentes to late thirties.

MJ Hibbett has tuned his ukulele and kicks off with a song from his Rolling Stone Album of the Year album which hasn't been performed live for seven years. Its alright.

There follows a song about the pretension of the low end hi-fi industry, a wonderful song called "Red & White Sockets".

Next up is Jim'll's Brain, reminds me of a chap from The Mighty Boosh, starts with a song called "Picture in the NME", which played on acoustic guitar, was really nice and make some members of the audience feel warm and fuzzy inside, you can tell by looking and from the minor chords in the chorus. It finishes on a neat unbacked guitar solo.

Second song, "I wish I had legs like Elvis" with dancing, sounds a little like one of the better Oasis B-sides, that little descending guitar line they used to use to tug heart strings.

An 80's electro-rock song, covered acoustically. Robbie from IoMoPS would appreciate it as it came up in our cover version tennis game a few years back. Outside, a high speed police chase with sirens ablazing serves as an excellent middle eight. Police chases, much underused as middle eights.

Is this working? Going through every single song? Have you, dear reader, formed an impression of Jim'll's Brain?

Ooh ooh, little spikey shards of Pete Green, if you love Pete Green, you might live Jim'll's Brain. Sweet and homely acoustic guitar noodles, wonderfully eccentric.

After a short piss/beer/fag break, Hibbett launches into Gay Train, with it classic 'Fresh Prince of Leicester' intro.

Ooh, its a bit special tonight, a few songs he doesn't play live so often, and the banteris on top form. "Bands from London are shit".

A few brief sprints through riffs for his Edinburgh Fringe show. He's almost perfected it but could have taken advantage of someone's mobile phone ringing far more than he did.

Here's the flyer, its going to be very good


Actually it was rather jolly to hear some of the anecdotes, I was nearby when they happened, hundreds of miles away in another place, another girl in my head.

One of the things that I always foeget about these Totally Acoustic things is they're early doorsish, start at 7:30pm and over by 9:30pm and I haven't quite figured how to fit in dinner. So every month, I have my two or three beers on an empty stomach, it goes straight to my head and I go silly.

Last time, I got so silly I escaped during the piss/beer/fag break, phoned Interflor via 118 and ordered flowers for a girl. More of that sort of thing.

Bands
MJ Hibbett
Jim'll's Brain

Comet Gain, The Wave Pictures - The Enterprise

MJ Hibbett, Sunny Intervals - The Lamb

Back at the Empire Theatre, MJ Hibbett at the front, I've claimed my usual seat at the back. Nodding recogition to the Spiral Scratch folk in the corner and Wee Pop somewhere in the middle. Not quite sure if its a tradition yet, but Mark starts with a ukulele set.

Informative introductions to each song, a Morrissey / Smiths medley in the middle, a few breaks in songs where he forgets the words and rather than dishonestly covering, he admits his mistakes.

"I'm never sure if its out of tune or just supposed to sound like that."

Finishing with A Million Ukuleles, the blissful tale of schools replacing recorders with ukes cos they're more fun, and the refrain that it just takes a few people infectiously playing to make the world a better place. When unexpectedly in the final chorus, half the audience pull out their own ukuleles and start playing along. Hibbett's almost overcome with emotion, falling over when he realises its not just some crazies in thr corner, but the chap sat next to him too.

I think I heard a cry of "Ukulele flash mob!"

Next up, Sunny Intervals, the keyboard chap from Pocketbooks cos MJ Hibbett never manages to see them play live, so its almost the same. He's stood along centre stage with an acoustic guitar.

There had always been suspicions that he was the secret powerhouse behind the Pocketbooks, but on his own its clear that he'd the 21st century's answer to Ian McCulloch. Imagine the Lightning Seeds solo.

Sweet and kinda funny. Some guy to my right who was providing a laughter track for Hibbett, he chuckles a few times. I'm ordering the debut release on Wee Pop.

Kind of friendly atmosphere after ther interval, MJ Hibbett with guitar, imaginary campfire aburning, familiar songs to which everyone knows the words, well, a couple of new ones and less familiar ones from themists of time.

Audience participation abounds and hints about what the new album's going to sound like - live favourites recorded using the bosa nova rhythm preset.

Its weird, every song gets me right there, hairs stand on end, I gazing into the middle-distance pondering the mistakes I've made and how to put things right. Its like one of those once a season Doctor Who stories where there's some kind of paradox or time loop, where yoy can't change the past, but with the twin benefits of hindsight and Hibbett lyrics.

He's heard the future and it sounds suspiciously like modestly played ukulele.

Bands & MP3
MJ Hibbett - Lesson of the Smiths
Sunny Intervals - Sixty Seconds to fall in Love

Other reviews
here

White Heat: One More Grain, My Sad Captains, Mixedcases - Madame JoJo's

Crap, I'm here a little early, I can just about count the number of people here on the stumps of one paw. Not only that, but whilst last time I was here at Madame JoJo's I was so impressed with the coolness of the DJ's moustache, that I figured I'd acquire one of my own, tonight about half the folk here have moustaches. I feel 17% chump.

Some girls wander in, take a seat next to me and wander off soon after. Stupid facial hair. Its like I've gatecrashed a secret society.

I think this year I shall keep a running tally of how late after the advertised doors time it is before the first band comes on. Maybe using the magic of the internog to sling up a poll somewhere to first gauge expectations.



I'd forgotten how dark it was in here, through the murk I spy a vaguely familiar face, 2 retro EyeSpy points. Apart from the internoggin, I haven't seen her in real life for years, the last vibe I recall was loathing, so I keep my head down and moustache proud.

Lone chap on stage first, dunno who he is, I thought there were only two bands on. He has a guitar, a keyboard, a lot of effects and an embarrassed smile. Usually I don't like tape loop acts who build up their own backing, I want to live in a house, I don't need to see it being built. But his first song seduces me, it sounds like The Postal Service.

It sounds like a small boy looking up in the snow, with a bloon.

All warm and droney with nice rock guitar layered in.

That girl who looks like Jef is here.

My Sad Captains have gone ace. This one time back in '94 I heard The Levellers at Glasto, they took one of their best songs, One Way, and stuck a long didgeridoo intro on it and it sounded brilliant. No didgeridoo for My Sad Captains, but they sounded different tonight, they sounded great, they sounded real.

In fact, I'd go so far to say they sounded better than I've heard them before, Indietracks and Windmill. Still could be tweaked a little more, like there's nothing wrong with their recorded output so far, its a little perfect poppish but the production is a little pedestrian. Listen to Bad Decisions here, and tell me it wouldn't be better if the drums were a little more explosive leading up to the chorus, when they play live you get a little more of that vitality coming through.

I'd never heard of One More Grain, they had a trumperter which shoogled my interest. But on listening, they seemed a bit like Half Man Half Biscuit up their arse, with Julian Cope solos tacked on and arguing with JamieC.

I was about to leave with a crap review of them in mind, when suddenly, out of no where, something drops, and One More Grain are wandering round Cumbria and the Peak District. My legs go all wibbly, my eyes well up and I go back to the mid-90s.

Later, a busker is playing Take Five and Angelo Badalamenti on the underground, which does a better job of taking me back.

Bands & MP3
Mixedcases - Boo be with you
My Sad Captains - Building Blocks
One More Grain - Down Roman Road
White Heat

White Heat: Dananananaykroyd, ddd - Madame Jo Jos

The Plimptons - Post it Note videos

The video to The Plimptons Rock n Roll pt 3

Also known as Cupboard of Porn, this video is work safe, unlike my last go at it which was just porn. This one is based on a storyboard drawn by Adam J Smith, animated by myself. 75 individual post it notes frames of animation and a couple of recycled animated video clips.

The song is taken from their 2007 album Pomp, available on Amazon, and was named after Gary Glitter's Rock n Roll pt2

Herman Dune, Tiny Dancers - University of London Union

Gah, students! Hundreds of them, and they all look odd, and wrong. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Paul Calf type, I love these mindless wannabe hipsters as much as the next battle hardened graduate. Its just that this is stundet-central and they're all so old-looking.

I didn't know how to get to the venue so I missed the first act, must see them some other time.

So, to the Indiana Jones theme, Tiny Dancers take to the stage. It reminds me of how I felt before Cast came on in '95.

Hmm, when have I seen this cunz before? I could be getting them confused with The Edgar Winters Group, there's a similar vibe. American FM stuff, but with huge punchy bass drum and a singer in green jersey and red baseball cap.

Mic stands are adorned with white flowers, not as nicely done as Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring, and there appears to be a potted plant near the keyboard stand.

When they go a bit Razorlitey, I head to the bar. Something about how drinks used to be cheap at stundet unions. I didn't get close enough to be served before I lost interest, huge queues, crap service and punters dicking about with their drinks. The problem isn't that there's not enough barstaff, its just that sometimes people ought to accept they're not going to get ice with their drink, and that last minute order from a mate after the rest of the drinks have come should go to the wind.

Crikey, as the roadies set up, the anticipation in the room is palpable, is this the same Herman Dune wot played the Winchester Club in Glasgow the other year? This is a 800 punter venue and its buzzing before the band come on. I feel uncomfortable.

They still look like a bunch of hippies, with Orlando Bloom on bongos and Mick Fleetwood on guitar and vocals.

Some natty guitarwork on lead and solos from 'David' and the backing vocals are the magic which makes it all work.

I do like that “I Wish That I Could See You Soon” song, but well, at least 50% of their songs sound just like it. When they actually get round to playing it, it comes across a bit mangled, stripped of the tenderness of the original recorded version and well, spiced up. The drums make it heavy, the guitar stamp on it and the vocals seem a bit jarring.

They play a couple of new songs, which seem a bit darker and could grow on me, but the evening seemed to drag on during the second half of the set.

Bearsuit, Ida Maria, Cheeky Cheeky and The Nosebleeds - The Dublin Castle

The Dublin Castle, and I think I have a cold coming on, that kind of welling up of the sinuses and gnuck sensation around the nose.

Cheeky Cheeky and The Nosebleeds are on stage. Its Club Fandango, which means little to me. They make noises with guitar, and some shouting too. I only caught the last song, but from that I reckon Dananananaykroyd could see them off with no problems.

I wasn't sue if I'd wandered the right way down Parkway to find the venue until I saw the singing girl from Bearsuit, I'd recognise that skirt anywhere.

She'd vanished when I wandered in, but I caught sight of Steve Lamacq, the old booker from The Word. Its a shame he abandoned that, the TV channels formerly known as terrestrial sorely need music. Still that was almost twenty years ago, I'm here now.

Time Out said something about the next band being Swedish, but I'm not sure how well they'd fit in with Sounds of Sweden's tweeness, for Ida Maria rock a fair bit.

The girl has a mighty voice and stage presence, reminiscent of the sound and intensity of mid-nineties Bjork. Cast iron fringe, polka-dot red dress, and three lads playing instruments until she straps on her own guitar. Its kind of embracing the way she keep glancing at the other guys on stage as if in reassurance.

I was going to slag off the way that despite the voice and the hooks, the tunes aren't really up to much, but then halfway through I realise it sounds like they have early Ash as the backing band and all is good in the world.

Its a bit crude, but the song name “I like you so much better when you're naked”, like c'mon.

I thought I saw fans in the crowd singing along, but it was just the promo girl, later on the hunt for mailing list unters. It took a bit of running around to avoid her.

New Year 2006, I started a websie called Hot Chicks from Obscure Indie Bands, it was a great idea, but I gave up after 24 hours. One of the women to make it was Lisa the singing girl from Bearsuit, tonight now wearing hotpants and a top like my missus would wear in bed. How can I take photies of the band without feelng creepy.

Time passes and ah ha, the band launch themselves on stage wearing Jupiter Force spacesuits, which makes a refreshing change.

I saw them at The Venue in Edinburgh in 2003, possibly with Debbiee, and remember being concerned that they sounded like kids let loose in the instruments cupboard in music class. More like they're having a fight in the cupboard.

The singer girl was brimming with even more unbridled glee in the music than my 18 month old niece when she sees a doggy woggy. The glee is infectious.

They play old songs and new ones from the new album out yesterday, and its knackering stuff even just watching them.

Former Utopia, Kattparaden, Lonelady, Christie and Emily - The Social

For once I came straight from the underground station, taking no wrong turns. The hour wandering around Carnaby Street was intentional.

Girl on the door “Do I know you?”
“Yes, we've known each other for years.” I ought to get a t-shirt like that.

Former Utopia on stage, guitar and drums, could be sounding like Idlewild but with more chorus, its kind of like being hit by a 2” thick stick.

Some slower numbers too, slightly wistful, it would be quite nice if I had more inclination to listen to them. Maybe this is what Sebadoh sound like. Arab Strappy too, but without the scottish accent, just the miserable remains.

Female drummer too. Ooh, hand on, according to the flyer, its a six-string bass guitar, I thought there was something faintly dischordant about it.

Also from the flyer comes the realisation that his place is The Social as in the Heavenly Social. Crikey, I feel like such a bumpkin from the styx.

Kattparaden on next, last time I saw Astrid play was two years ago, on acoustic guitar, with a packed out attentive crowd. Tonight she's on electric piano.

She seems a little less nervous than last time, still sweetly vulnerable. I've often though about the need for sons that describe very specific emotions, the ones everyone feels in very specific situations, anger at one's other half late at night when you're in a club, Kattparaden have a song for that – Disco Lights

Paul is here, he looks tense halfway through. Oriental folk behind and to the right are talking loudly. I think Astrid's microphone is a little high up.

Its a short set, only five songs. There about forty people here. Gentle, tender songs can only hold their attention briefly.

LoneLady on next, from my seat at the back they sound really percussive. Singing girl enunciating on the drum beats, cranky guitar lurching around behind it. There's either people talking really loud or the songs also feature random shouts.

Maybe aiming for The GoGos, but need to blunten those arrows of desire. The drums are just too much pounding “Bum tish, bum tish”

Halfway through they get out the bongos and the accordian/bagpips effects module and it all goes a bit Bjorky.

Aw man, the toilets on the ground floor are disguised. Paul says just walk to the end of the bar and push the wall with your right hand. Its like some kind of optical illusion.

Finally Christie and Emily , quiet finger picking, video thing on the screen behind them, one of the girls is on keyboard but to begin with its hard to hear. Its very stop starty, and meandering.

Ooh, clunky spookiness, like a slowed down Adams Family. Lots of old skool reverb too. Its just too atmospheric rather than musicy.

The place had emptied out quite a bit since Kattparaden .

Towards the end the clunky reverbed keyboard rises in the mix, giving the set a neat folk dub vibe. Rather pleasant. Ooh ooh ohh, the girl with the guitar looks like the girl from Cat and Girl.

Review
here

Photies
here
here
here

Jo Foster, Ceylan Delikanli, The Hector Collectors, The Bears - The Halt Bar

The Bears, missed them, but I asked Adam if they were any good - "Yeah. If that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is. Contemporaries of The Hector Collectors according to the blurb.

Speaking of which, they're next on stage.

This incarnation is just Iain and Adam with Paul from the Plimptons on drums. Whilst line-up-wise they're a pale shadow of the glory days of when half of indie pop faves Camera Obscura were with them on drums, or the mastermind behind NME faves Dananananaykroyd played bass for them, or even earlier when Paul from The Poppadoms played bass for them, the sound is almost exactly the same as the classic Hector Collector demos that John Peel played at the start of this decade.

Its as shambolic as always, cultural references all a decade out of date, psychopaths on the internet, Oasis-style britpop. Oblique ad libs to the crowd, "This is another song in the world", "In the year 2525 no one will remember this song"

Ad and Paul both lose their voices towards the end. During the final G, Cm, D medley, it fell apart a few times, word forgetting, string breaking, song forgetting.

Glastonbury was really muddy and tiring, but ultimately alright.

Perhaps some brief explanation, tonight this is Go-ra-ga, a sister promotion to Drive Carefully Records, same sort of people, but ethically run. Now Nuts and Seeds made a similar claim of ethics and would publish their accounts online, door takings and how much each band were paid. It didn't last long and they never seemed to need to pay venue hire or PA hire.

On the other hand, Go-ra-ga is at the Halt bar, where no door entry is charged, it'll be interesting to see how they can back up the ethics claim.

Ceylan Delikanli and another girl on stage next, as joint headliners, restless audience, they started with too much talking, but when the girls started singing, the audience falls silent. The second girl giggles gratingly through the first song, but Ceylan is flawless. Two girl harmonies and a £12 ukulele.

Paul Smith with new haircut nattering to Adam, who previously had been mistaken for a barman, and white russians requested.

Viking Moses is here, they invite him on stage to help swap around instruments whilst the audience chat amongst themselves.

Music for falling asleep to. I'm not sure who Ceylan's friend is, but she sings nice, less of the ethereal quality of Ceylan, but nice, lilting and melodic.

Songs get better towards the end of the set, with understated, jolly keyboards, loud keypress noises.

Its a bit Glastonbury style folkiness.

Dave and Chris from the Just Joans are here, and Tom Snowball too, now I think about it, Viking Moses sounds a little like Tom Snowball.

Ooh, The Just Joans are playing Twee as Fuck in October, the club night that Uma Thurman runs, its a small small world this green land of indiepop.

Ah, now it all becomes clear, the other girl on stage with Ceylan and Viking Moses was Jo Foster, the headline act. All three of them intermingled, not quite knowing all of each other's songs, but close enough.

So, in summary:-
Jo - Lilting
Ceylan - Ethereal
Hectors - Shambolic
The Bears - Yeah

Clair takes me notebook to contribute her own review...

Ethical, What is ethical?
I'm trying to write something
of substance, but :
A) There is no light
I can't even see wr
(what I'm writing, apparently
+ B) I can't even
remember)
Anyway, ...
I have a feeling.
that my breif (brief)
drinken appearance
stall,...
Okay. Completely forgotten
what I'm saying. But
yes, I am honoured to
be writing in Christopher
David Gilmour's book of
excitement _ perhaps I shall
finish soon. The Bears were
wonderful (yet I'm biased
as I have been to
Amsterdam with one bear
and have... I don't know
Been associated with
others?)
Anyway. They were
ace + Hectors were
wonderful. Anyone who
has an objective opinion
of the Hector Collectors
Umnm, I
forget
Anyway. Think
I have a limited
time with you, my

Anyway. Ceyland + Co
were beautifill
That said beautful
Appologis for
the diary abuse
love.
Claire
xx

Franz Ferdinand, The Royal We - The Grand Ole Opry, 5th June 2007

I wasn't that fussed about this gig when it was announced. Franz Ferdinand, they're just sooo two years ago now, I didn't even download their last album FFS. It would've been quite cool to go to a new venue mind. Nah stuff it, seen these guys twice already and I need to save the pennies.

Then it happened. I sit idly surfing on a Sunday morning and hear the spdoink of a new email - more spam, how disappointing. Except that this spam is from TicketWeb, and they have a few tickets released at the last minute for the FF gig! A few credit card fraud scams later (what would I possibly want with an AK-47 in Korea??) and here we are, in a teeny-weeny venue to see the biggest band in Scotland strut their stuff close-up. The drink's cheap too. Result!

First up are The Royal We, a band I was fairly excited about seeing live given their excellent myspace track All the Rage and an acquaintance with Wee Patrick the guitaro-keyboardist. I have to say they were a little bit underwhelming. Very good an' all, excellent tunage and a good stage vibe...I just didn't feel anything listening to the music. My own fault for having that epidural in the Grapes Bar on the way there I suppose...live and learn.

A swift bottle of Newcy Brown is procured just in time for the 'nand taking to the stage. They rip right into one of the songs off the first album (I think it was Jacqueline, didn't take notes so don't go mad if I'm wrong) and soon as they started playing I realised I would've been a fool to miss this gig. The band are on fire, but health and safety remained unaffected as this was metaphorical fire, the best kind in a gig situation. Alex reminds everyone of just how good a frontman he is as he has the entire crowd eating out of his hand all night, one can only hope that he remembered to wash them when he came back from the obligatory pre-gig skitters. Bob does an admirable impression of a bored gigalo while his fingers glide effortlessly along the fretboard. Paul could probably have filled a plastic pint pot or two with the amount of sweat dripping off him. The other guy was good too.

CHAG-A-DANG! Oh, here it comes - that song. Sounded fucking ace too. Shopping for Blood was superb, augmented by a floppy-haired fella who appeared from backstage and pounded Paul's toms to create thunderously tribal rhythm. A few new songs pepper the set, one with a surprisingly sythesisey feel and another raising the roof during the encore. A rather poorly-received anecdode about partying until 6am in Berlin before giving 'an English goodbye' was the only low point, really. The crowd of 250-odd punters dance the evening away underneath the plastic cactii and confederate flags with gay abandon, and I wonder why more 'indie' bands don't play this place.

After just over an hour of playing like their time-ravaged future selves were dreaming about it in flashback form, FF exit the stage, tossing plectrums and setlists towards the grabby hands at the front. Shit, where did David leave his car again...it's scary out there.

Review
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here (in French)
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Video

Crap sound, mind