Molloy, The Kick Inside, Sparky's Magic Piano, Indurain - The Enterprise

I walk in two songs from the end of Molloy's set, they look and sound new wave, the stripped down sort with 80s legwarmers and glitter star facepaint. All jaggy guitar and excitment. I wish I'd come earlier.

I'm sat at the side, scribbling, the DJ has put on the Scaremongers, ooh, that was the last time I saw Sparky's and now there's this cute girl sat right next to me. My mind races, reaching for a reason not to start a conversation, there's got to be some reason, think, think, think. Bugger.

Luckily some other guy comes along and engages. Success!!

I went for a wander down Camden way between bands, and had a think, the best I could come up with was "she looked very young" and "she was probably praying I wouldn't try to chat her up".

Aw shit, she's stood right in front of me.

Ooh, there are people off of the internet here, real internet people, not indiepop folk, but the sort of people with @ before their names.

The next band on are a four piece from Bristol, The Kick Inside, pretty neat, very stripped down sound, few effects, a little ska, but the vocals have something of the Morrissey about them.

Hard to judge stand out tracks, apart from the Wedding Present cover, but I'll have to give their MySpace a listen.

There are other notebook scribbling folk here, I have competition.

Joy.

Feel strangely obliged to write more than the other person.

So yeah, last time I saw Sparky's Magic Piano, it was at the old Gresham Flyers show where my dramatic rise to fame as a presenter for The Culture Show started. Whatever happened to The Scaremongers? I knew it, I knew the whole TV thing was just a publicity stunt for Armitage's book.

Pretty shameless really. If you wanna make it in the indiepop scene you gotta play lots of gigs, and indietracks.

Sparky's Magic Piano on stage. From left to right:- microphone with guitarist / effects / synth, then a glass of wine, xylophone (possibly glockenspiel) and smiley singing girl.

I love the way she smiles when she sings. Other people smile when they sing, but here she looks like just really likes singing. Also it coms across in the warmth of their sound, and every so often there are little flashes of dimples. eeep!

Guitar with reverb that builds and builds, but even then mixed so that its the same level as the glock.

Its happy music for overcast days. One day I'll buy the album.

Between bands, when not avoiding the cute girl, I've been lurking in quiet corners, only to have really tall people stood in front of me, and then their friends join them and crowd me out of my quiet corner.

I know a couple of people in the crowd, but none of these folk, for these chaps are the headliners, Indurain, and they are from Sweden.

The spend about five minutes too long setting up their kit, laptops and a projector. The screen is a sheet taped to the usual backdrop curtains.

My friend Robbie would love these guys, they sounded a little like Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, but with less computer geek and more arthouse cinema. Best sound of any of the bands of the night, dancy and rousing.

They get a friend of the band from some other band, I fail to catch the name of, up to sing, in French.

Is it all trying too hard? I found myself getting lost in the backdrop films, and not listening to the music, getting distracted.

When they finish, I slip out quickly without saying goodbye to my friends.

Not sure why not sometimes.

Bands
Molloy
The Kick Inside
Sparky's Magic Piano
Indurain

Photies
mine
tomb242