Fireworks Night, My Sad Captains - Hoxton Kitchen Bar and Grill

Missed the first band, having dinner with pa and driving over from the otherside of town. Why is Hoxton so difficult to get to? And parking, don't get me started, well, wasn't so bad really. Parked for free outside The MacBeth, haven't been there in a while.



So, the first band, I caught, the second on stage, sounded like the more bombastic Divine Comedy, and the same lilt as Ink Wilson's How To Swim, but with half as many people on stage. Two violins mind, which gave a rare depth. There was a banjo chap too, he switched to playing the wood saw for the final song.

Nice haunting wig out at the end, if I can find the name of the band, I'd check out their Myspace later.



Oh, Tom SoundsXP and Trev Lost in the crowd and that chap with the moustache from White Heat, three sets of bonus points.

I don't think I've been here since Architecture In Helsinki, its still got that annoying lighting where you can't see where you're going, and save the indiekids, its a bit too Shoreditchy in the crowd, all stubble and the Mighty Boosh.



My Sad Captains, getting into my top three favourite bands right now. Still like last time, when they play live, they sound different what's on my iPod, more stadiummy, epic even, extended play versions, with more depth and flourish. It caught me off guard, I thought it was just where I was standing that sounded different, but no, they're on fire tonight.



I like them in the same way, with the same passion I loved Ash in '95/'96, the way the set flows, not so much with hits, but with the ones I know, all neatly slotting in. Couple of new songs, a little different from their more familiar stuff, remember the difference between Trailer and 1977. Its a step change in the more commercial mainstream direction.

New single out at the end of March on White Heat Records. I hope they have some festival dates lined up.

Bands
My Sad Captains
Fireworks Night

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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

Twee as Fuck: The Bridal Shop, My Sad Captains, Connan and the Mockasins - Buffalo

"He's taking his cardigan off, he means business"







Bands
The Bridal Shop
My Sad Captains
Connan and the Mockasins

Arctic Circle, My Sad Captains, The Lodger - The Windmill

I figured I could just get the underground to Clapham North and ander across the fields rather than change at Stockwell for Brixton. So it was a bit later than planned when I wandered into The Windmill halfway through some geeky looking twelve piece.

The place is pretty crowded and the music is pleasantly melodica drenched. There's a guy in the middle of the stage, halfway bacl, who seems to be using a left-handed egg-shaker, one of only 60 ever made by Stagg Music, these guys music take sickly sweet indiepop seriously.

Boy and girl singing and backing vocals too, but the lead bloke singing is a little fuzzy. I would have had the bloke on the right doing lead vocals instead.

For the last the song the wee girl singer straps on what appears to be a 4/3 sized bass guitar and rocks out.

If it wasn't the weekend before pay day, I'd buy the CD.

So what brings me to a How Does It Feel promotion, so soon after resolving to never again back in February? A friend off of the internet suggested it and besides, tonight I have no ticket for Joanna Newsom at the Albert Hall.

My Sad Captains on next. I thought it was going to be Brave Captain, alas.

A five piece with Tim Wheeler on bass, Fish from Ally McBeal on purepop lead guitar, Stephen Merchant on guitar and vocals and Felicity Fey on keyboard, violin and girl "bar bar" backing vocals. At first I had them pegged as a Lightning Seeds style pure pop band with neat keyboards and a sound that probly comes across as warm and rich on the recordings, but here despite the soundmans' best efforts, its a little rough.

The bestest songs come in the middle and are available on 7" vinyl (damned poorly planned pay day)

By the end of the set I'm of the mind that they're tonight's answer to The Great Money Trick. I wonder if Ian HDIF would be interested in having them on.

The final act of the night, The Lodger, looks either like John Waz with floppy hair, or Leeds's answer to Martin from QuestionableContent, but seemed vocally remarkably like Ian Brodie from The Lightning Seeds, but a little more guitary though.

Not quite interesting enough to stick around for, so I head into the beer garden to smoke and chat.

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