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.

Totally Acoustic: The Lime Chalks - The Lamb

One of the chaps at the front is called Duncan, I follow his twitter feed. I'm not sure which chap is Duncan. They both look it, the tall one and the short one, they both have Duncannish hair.

I think they're nice and dreamy. Ukelele, guitar, melodica, glockenspiel and cello. The same sort of droney sound as Wintergreen.

Okay, not droney, just the way the cello goes with 'Duncan's' vocal harmonies. I guess droney is close enough.

A little serious and musical. I love the occasionally noodley uke, it reminds me of Trumpton.

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Totally Acoustic: The Fighting Cocks - The Lamb

So aye, years ago there was a thread on the old Jockrock messageboard about The Fighting Cocks, debating whether they were a real band or just taking the piss, some kind of spoof. I never clicked on the link, I think I was in an internet cafe and couldn't hear owt. Anyhoo, that was years ago, and now here I am in the presense of The Fighting Cocks.

Almost 'crimping'. Kind of a bit like playground rhymes. Nineties Manda Rin write it?

Lots of giggling.

Played the first song again at the end, which was nice.

Its the combination of dyed hair and undercut that makes me think 'Troll'.

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Totally Acoustic: MJ Hibbett - The Lamb

Who is Black Bolt? Some sulky comic hero, I think.

In 'Lesson of The Smiths', I've always wondered, isn't it pronounced 'eh pit oh me' instead of 'eh pit oam'.

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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

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

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

Pete Green, MJ Hibbett - The Lamb

Early doors shows tonight, I didn't even have time for me dinner before heading out and I'm Hank Marvin.

Too early for my London gig companion, Fiona, who was tied up until eight, but hey ho, I'll be able to get home and get my write up online quicker this way.

Pete Green's playing tomorrow night an'all, would it be overkill to see him then too?

At first it wasn't clear where the show was, so I crammed in with a bunch of businessmen supping pints until Pete and Mark passed by and pointed me the way.

Oh to the smoking ban, this place would be so much better if it were smokey, all green carpets, red walls and wood panelling. You may not be allowed to light up, but surely someone could inent tobacco fragranced air-freshener, there'd be a captive market for thousands of sales. Can Silk Cut no do it?

There's no stage here, just a dozen tables and chairs. I rather selfishly took a corner table, three chairs and one me, my lack of eye-contact guards them.

Christ, why did I have to single out Waz in the 'Flyer review? He's everywhere and I have no gripe with him. Just briefly during 'Tracks this overpowering sense of alienation, when folk chatted about the weekend later, I wouldn't be party to the banter.

Pete Green picks a spot in front of thr middle window and dons his guitar. Two adventurous souls join my table, and Crystalball hands out flyers for tomorrow's show. Shit, I just made contact with a chap I thought was Lars Frodo, but wasn't. The place is filling up.

Hi, my name's Chris, I work for a company making hi-fis. With any piece of hi-fi equipment affects the audio signal in someway. Assuming that a CD has been recorded and produced perfectly as the artist and engineer wants it it has a flat frequency response and if on your hi-fi system you turn the bass up or the treble down, you're essentially distorting the way the artist intended it to be heard. Now, with acoustic music, played live, there's isn't so much means to distort the sound. The artist can sing louder or play quieter, as is their perogative, but out of their control is the acoustics of the room. MJ Hibbett introduced Pete Green saying that he last saw him playing in a train carriage at IndieTracks and it was great, now tonight, I'm sat at the back and the frequency response of the room sounds a little different.

He asks is we can hear him okay, well, yeah, its okay, not perfect, but there's little he can do about it.

The weirdest thing, I was just drawing thems graphs abstractly, wondering about when I'd ever heard Pete Green recorded when suddenly I realised the song he was playing was on the Not Quite Rocket Science: Podcast #8 which is almost all I've been listening to for the last week, new computer with no MP3s.

He's very good playing live and acoustic, on his own, which admittedly is how I usually see him. One of his best acoustic shows according to the girl next to me, no chance of technical difficulties.

Comfortable, confident, knowledgable songs but still understated, kind of kneegazery. I bought a single on my way out, no record player though.

Short break between acts for drinks, cigarettes, the loo etc, I texted the missus and may have only just caught the start of MJ Hibbett's set.

He projects more, louder and more animated. The first song The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B) reminds me of the songs passing troubadours would sing round campfires at early nineties scout camps. Do they still do that?

When he played the slow song, It only works because you're here, my eyes all welled up and it was only by scribbling in my notebook that I didn't greet. It catches me right here, inside, as it did when I first heard it so far away.

The Lesson of the Smiths is still a life philosophy rather than just a song. Gay Train just reminds me of going to Clapham. New songs went down well, with the handful of people at the show seeing Hibbett of the first time, the looks of wonder on their faces. For the finale his Fresh Prince cover was the most joyous I've ever heard ir. MJ had to open a window mid-song it was getting so exciting.

Underground ride home, desperate for a wee, would have gone at the gig but I was holding a record.

Photies
here