Well, that was odd.
First time at the buffalo bar in months. This time on my own. I stand at the end of the bar to watch Betty and the Werewolves set, clutching a £3.20 bottle of Tiger, feeling awkward. I've seen them play before a couple of times, and the Werewolves tracks on my ipod always sound good when they come up on shuffle.
The place is busy tonight. John the mohawk guy from every gig ever is at the front taking photies. The longhair photographer from every other gig is stood to his right. At the back of the room I catch a glimpse of Ria the Blogger. My beer runs out and I feel awkward.
The acoustics at that end of the bar are never good, but the view of the stage is great. I wish I'd stood further back.
Between bands I head outside to wander the streets of Highbury and Islington for a while, to escape my feeling of awkwardness inside.
I've been to plenty of gigs on my own before, easily hundreds, maybe 50% of my total. Did it feel this uncomfortable before?
Am I just getting old? I used to find myself in the middle of the moshpit at huge gigs at the Apollo and the Barrowlands. I broke my foot, got a black eye and a huge lump on my shin after Idlewild shows in the nineties.
I dunno why, but the last moshpit memory I have is two rows from the front during Suede at the Barrowlands, maybe six years ago. The memory of being jammed up again fellow man, at one with the throbbing of the crowd, that's the last I remember.
Back to the Buffalo, waving my stamped hand to sister Delia on the door, and then taking up a position behind tall people at the back to watch 14 Iced Bears and The Wolfhounds.
Dan from Pocketbooks is a yard or so to my right, sideburns all magnificent. Ian How Does It Feel mans the merchandise table behind me. Sean from Fortuna Pop arrives at my elbow, I migrate left, forfeiting my view of the stage.
I used to be a lot more comfortable feeling awkward at gigs, I used to rudely embrace it, cuntly so. Justifying it with my notebook, blurry photies and blog.
Time passes and I'm still writing this, now at the Lexington, two days later. I went to Currys, Staples and Maplin, earlier and was thoroughly underwealmed. Years ago I'd browse such shopped, brimming with ideas and creativity, with this printer I could make books, with this set up a record label, with this camera I could have a whole new career. But now I just think "meh", no point, tried that, failure or moderate success. Why try again.
I have become more cynic.
Do Betty and Teh Werewolves gaze at the icebears and Wolfhounds thinking the same thing? "That's what I wanna be in twenty years time"?
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Gronk and the Body Doubles - Fox and Duck
The missus and I were taking a pleasant drive in country, well, the banks of the mighty Thames down through Richmond. Its nice round there, big houses with high walls, winding roads, fields with cows. More like Cheshire than London.
Anyhoo, we stopped off at a pub called Duck and fox, it reminded me of the place I was a glass collect at in Manchester, 1995. Tonight we found there was a band playing, Gronk and The Body Doubles. A six-piece, three guitars, drums, bass and a trumpeter.
The bass player wore a cowboy hat, so I was wary. Some might say three guitars is two too many, but here it sounded okay.
Gronk, the lead singer, stood centre-stage, looked tiny, this was cos of his over-sized guitar and taller bandmates.
The songs are bluesy rock, at times a halfway house between Bruce Springsteen and Supergrass. There are nice friendly harmonies and some rather neat lead guitar noodles from at least two of the guitarists. The guitar especially gives them that FM Rick Rubin sound.
The audience seemed quite into them too, judging by the ages it was a friends and family sort of show, but folk were dancing and I was a little confused how people continued dancing even when they wandered outside for a smoke. That doesn't happen at the gigs I usually go to.
Not much on Songkick, just one of Gronk's gigs at The BarFly in Camden. From their website, they've played other gigs, but they're hardly the most prolific, or scenesterish, are they even part of a 'scene'?
Extra cheese points for using the line "Gonna take it down a little bit " before a slower number.
Ooh, trumpet takes it up to a whole nother level. I do like guitar bands with trumpets. More of that sort of thing.
Anyhoo, so Gronk is there centre stage, doing some fine blues, mincing a bit like he's practising in front of the mirror in his bedroom, but strangely he's relaxed as he's in front of a the crowd. Its a breath of fresh air, he's completely unaffected on stage, hardly up himself at all. I'll chalk that up as being another difference to the usual gigs I go to.
They ought to gig more.
Anyhoo, we stopped off at a pub called Duck and fox, it reminded me of the place I was a glass collect at in Manchester, 1995. Tonight we found there was a band playing, Gronk and The Body Doubles. A six-piece, three guitars, drums, bass and a trumpeter.
The bass player wore a cowboy hat, so I was wary. Some might say three guitars is two too many, but here it sounded okay.
Gronk, the lead singer, stood centre-stage, looked tiny, this was cos of his over-sized guitar and taller bandmates.
The songs are bluesy rock, at times a halfway house between Bruce Springsteen and Supergrass. There are nice friendly harmonies and some rather neat lead guitar noodles from at least two of the guitarists. The guitar especially gives them that FM Rick Rubin sound.
The audience seemed quite into them too, judging by the ages it was a friends and family sort of show, but folk were dancing and I was a little confused how people continued dancing even when they wandered outside for a smoke. That doesn't happen at the gigs I usually go to.
Not much on Songkick, just one of Gronk's gigs at The BarFly in Camden. From their website, they've played other gigs, but they're hardly the most prolific, or scenesterish, are they even part of a 'scene'?
Extra cheese points for using the line "Gonna take it down a little bit " before a slower number.
Ooh, trumpet takes it up to a whole nother level. I do like guitar bands with trumpets. More of that sort of thing.
Anyhoo, so Gronk is there centre stage, doing some fine blues, mincing a bit like he's practising in front of the mirror in his bedroom, but strangely he's relaxed as he's in front of a the crowd. Its a breath of fresh air, he's completely unaffected on stage, hardly up himself at all. I'll chalk that up as being another difference to the usual gigs I go to.
They ought to gig more.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Keith TOTP - The Lamb
See, Keith TOTP on guitar is backed up by three indiepop guitarists and a really cool geeky girl playing a saw, to stop their sound drowning out his vocals he is positioned in front of them.
This one time I had Mouse Eat Mouse doing an acoustic session in my flat in Glasgow, their sax player was mighty loud so we had him playing away in the kitchen and the vocals chap was stood by my front door. You gotta work it out with unamplified stuff.
A song about about masturbation. The amassed ranks of guitars (four of them) blur together a wee bit, but the saw is over-arching warbling from the right.
The usual venue for Totally Acoustic has been refurbished a little, the walls plastered with pre-war photography and portraiture, more tables, the place seems quite full. I'm by the door, and more people are trying to cram in behind me.
Dominik Diamond is here, despite having emigrated to Canada in 2007.
The vast majority of Keith TOTP's songs are negative "We hate your band" and "Fuck the Manic Street Preachers", entertaining stuff nontheless.
The Bombadier tastes a bit funny this evening.
This one time I had Mouse Eat Mouse doing an acoustic session in my flat in Glasgow, their sax player was mighty loud so we had him playing away in the kitchen and the vocals chap was stood by my front door. You gotta work it out with unamplified stuff.
A song about about masturbation. The amassed ranks of guitars (four of them) blur together a wee bit, but the saw is over-arching warbling from the right.
The usual venue for Totally Acoustic has been refurbished a little, the walls plastered with pre-war photography and portraiture, more tables, the place seems quite full. I'm by the door, and more people are trying to cram in behind me.
Dominik Diamond is here, despite having emigrated to Canada in 2007.
The vast majority of Keith TOTP's songs are negative "We hate your band" and "Fuck the Manic Street Preachers", entertaining stuff nontheless.
The Bombadier tastes a bit funny this evening.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
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.
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.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Witness to the Beard - The Cavendish Arms
The Mighty Beard are mightily funked up tonight, with obligatory welcomes to friends and family who've travelled a long way to be hear tonight.
They're fast, they're urgent, they are storming. Tonight they are basement punk.
Less grunge than last time, more polished to, starting to come into their own, more confident. The sound of wearing wellies and jumping in muddy puddles.
"Come on strap, don't fail me now!"
The Beard Army in attendance whipped into their chant of "Witness! Witness! Witness!" Will one day Wembley echo with the same?
Aw man, Hayley, the drummer, singing a sultry cover of the Saved by the Bell theme tune, that's gotta go down in the history books of tv theme cover versions, with Clockwork Bear's cover of the Raccoons theme and The Red Bull Dozer's Littlest Hobo.
They're fast, they're urgent, they are storming. Tonight they are basement punk.
Less grunge than last time, more polished to, starting to come into their own, more confident. The sound of wearing wellies and jumping in muddy puddles.
"Come on strap, don't fail me now!"
The Beard Army in attendance whipped into their chant of "Witness! Witness! Witness!" Will one day Wembley echo with the same?
Aw man, Hayley, the drummer, singing a sultry cover of the Saved by the Bell theme tune, that's gotta go down in the history books of tv theme cover versions, with Clockwork Bear's cover of the Raccoons theme and The Red Bull Dozer's Littlest Hobo.
Kalorie - The Cavendish Arms
Aw man, this place is packed. Maybe picking a seat at the back to look moody and mysterious was a bad idea. Its a nice seat, but there's plenty of folk standing in front of me.
The band on stage look like Girls Aloud with guitars, sequins are in. They sound like commercial rock, raw but well designed. There's something a little disjointed about the first song, the way the guitar cuts out when the backing vocals kick in, or the quiet bits for the bass riffs, it leaves you hanging in mid-air.
I'm not sure if they actually sound like Sugarcoma or if its just my futile grasp of teengirl soft rock.
Surprised that they have a Myspace page and a busy Facebook group but there's no sign of them on Songkick. I'll soon sort that out... One show now and a couple blurrycam shots.
Well-informed howling guitar riffs, bits of soul in the vocals and mid-eighties epic soundtrack too. The mix is a little clunky, a bigger venue and more time sound checking could do them wonders.
They swiftly turn the crowd into converts.
They lose three points for using the cliche "Now we're gonna take it down a little bit".
I'm still wondering who they remind me of. Not The Sahara Hotnights, Kalorie are too commercial for that. Shakira? The one with the glasses? Anastasia?
Ooh, who were that bunch of teenage girls who played last year's Indietracks? Kalorie are better than them.
They lose another two points for a fast rock cover of 'Fever'. It probably seemed like a good idea in rehearsals, but really, even I've recorded my own version.
The band on stage look like Girls Aloud with guitars, sequins are in. They sound like commercial rock, raw but well designed. There's something a little disjointed about the first song, the way the guitar cuts out when the backing vocals kick in, or the quiet bits for the bass riffs, it leaves you hanging in mid-air.
I'm not sure if they actually sound like Sugarcoma or if its just my futile grasp of teengirl soft rock.
Surprised that they have a Myspace page and a busy Facebook group but there's no sign of them on Songkick. I'll soon sort that out... One show now and a couple blurrycam shots.
Well-informed howling guitar riffs, bits of soul in the vocals and mid-eighties epic soundtrack too. The mix is a little clunky, a bigger venue and more time sound checking could do them wonders.
They swiftly turn the crowd into converts.
They lose three points for using the cliche "Now we're gonna take it down a little bit".
I'm still wondering who they remind me of. Not The Sahara Hotnights, Kalorie are too commercial for that. Shakira? The one with the glasses? Anastasia?
Ooh, who were that bunch of teenage girls who played last year's Indietracks? Kalorie are better than them.
They lose another two points for a fast rock cover of 'Fever'. It probably seemed like a good idea in rehearsals, but really, even I've recorded my own version.
HDIF presents: White Town - Jamm
When I heard that White Town were playing, Jyoti Mishra's first gig in about ten years and, oddly, his first show in London, I jumped back in time to hearing 'Your Woman' on the school bus in the late nineties. It was raining and the folk on the back seat were making a racket, but the song cut through it, the trumpet sample easy to get, as we strained our ears to follow the story in the lyrics. Blonde girls trudge past wearily, the bus slowly pulls away from the stop outside the pub where I was to get my first glass collecting job a few months later. Someone far away making music on his own, in his bedroom on a laptop, wait, did they have laptops that long ago? Probably in black and white, in mono.
Tonight, Jyoti looks much like I remember seeing him in Smash Hits, he hasn't aged. He's sat centre stage with and acoustic guitar, I fear that the sample/loop/laptop original songs will be played in a stripped down acoustic MJ Hibbett style, but luckily he has backing tapes.
Its gentle friendly music, laid back and a little sleazy, but in and unthreatening way. The guitar's through handful of effect pedals and the vocals have a touch of reverb.
The songs all sound kind of familiar although I swear I've only heard two of his tracks before, Undressed and Your Woman which are saved until the end of the set. The crowd goes a little wild, cameras a videoing, singing along.
"Free gigs, you can always get your money back,"
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