I'm audibly berating myself for having got to Camden Town early to meet my daughter Maya when I know she's bound to be late. Grumpy old men mumbling about life outside CT tube don't attract a lot of attention and I find myself competing with a passing lady who is pushing her worldly possessions before her in a shopping trolley. It must be one of the few parts of London that you assume people talking to themselves are doing just that rather than talking into a phone headset. Anyway my griping has stopped me getting hassled by the ticket touts and drug dealers. Bang on time, i.e. 20 minutes later than we agreed to meet, Maya arrives saying that she's sorry for being fashionably late. I smile in resignation. It's not the first time I've hung around tube stations and certainly won't be the last. We step over to the Electric Ballroom and in the 50 yards get accosted by some guy handing me a CD and asking for a small donation. He explains that it's a collection of London grime and drum and bass artists, more to Maya than myself, and realising that I'm probably the one with cash says it would be a great idea for me to buy it "for the kids". Obviously thinking I don't know my dubstep from my 2-step and that I'm more into quickstep. I only have notes anyway so decline but my daughter thinks it's hilarious that he has asked me to buy "for the kids" which hardly makes me confident about my age going into the gig. Ah yes, to the gig. Having seen Courtney Barnett supporting Metronomy last year at Ally Pally with Maya we decide to see her headlining a smaller venue. This is the first night of two having been sold out, another added and sold out again. On the way in the bouncer yawns and I observe that he's only just begun his shift. He laughs and says his bed is missing him. Obviously don't expect a riot tonight. Once in I realise I needn't have worried about my age as the EB has it's fair share of folk that are hardly in the first flush of youth. It's pretty quiet and having got drinks I suggest we go up to the gallery for the first artist as it's nice up there but not as good as being downstairs for more energetic acts.
Fraser A. Gorman is up on stage and on his tod. He's a very likeable chap who likes a bit of chat with the audience and plays us some very competence folksy blues in a Bob Dylan sort of style complete with harp (that's a mouth organ or harmonica for those of my daughters age who thought a harp was a big stringed instrument). Now I've never been a Dylan fan but FAG isn't as drony as Dylan so dare I say it more enjoyable to watch. Maya likes him but I guess that folk is the new rock and roll. Not someone I'd go out of my way to see again but hey, on a sunny afternoon at a festival when you want to chill out with a pint and lay in the grass you could do worse. It's good to hear a bit of chat with the audience too as it's sadly lacking these days. Hooray for charisma! FAG's soon off and Maya makes me envious with tales of seeing the band defining gig by Wolf Alice last week in Shepherds Bush. I bore her with tales of the late 80s early 90s when this place used to be one of the few venues to play funk and disco. It was either here or the fabulous Gossips in the west end if memory serves me right. They have a couple of disco balls here but as Maya points out they are half spheres not full on balls. Anyway, solo artists make for quick turnarounds on stage and soon the next band are on and as they sound brash we decide to descend to the main floor.
Spring King are a four piece who deliver an energetic set of fast rock with indie tinges. If I close my eyes, which those of you who know me know I'm prone to do far too often at gigs, I'm transported back to a time when punk was fractioning into post punk power pop (Boomtown Rats) hard core (Crass, GBH) experimental (XTC, PIL) and experimental (Clash). And that ignores goth and new romantics. That bit of musical history is "for the kids" as I'd been discussing different musical genres and their tribal manifestations with Maya tonight. It's all more of a mix now - back in the day you could tell an anarcho socialist punk from a punks not dead punk just by their DMs or haircut. Sorry, got off piste regarding tonight. The SKs are in the post punk powerpop groove being good musicians with a tight sound with two big guitars and a pounding bass and are not your lightweight power popsters but serious hard edged whilst playful. The drummer is very impressive as well as keeping the songs in time with a wicked beat he's the lead singer. I've never understood how someone belting seven bells out of the drum kit can have any breath to sing which is hard enough when sat down anyway. After a few songs he says he's knackered already but he must be taking what Lance Armstrong was on as he goes on to bash and sing his way through another six or so numbers. As well as finding breath to chat with us punters and again it's well appreciated. By now the audience has swelled and there's even a bit of movement going on among us. Warming us up nicely for the main fare which considering that the drum kit isn't moved is taking a while to get on stage.
Courtney Barnett with her band eventually come on to rapturous applause from the by now packed hall and we're off on a roller coaster ride of angst ridden lyrics delivered in an understated coy way backed by a musical style that goes from singer songwriter rock ratched up to full on metal and then back down again. It's great! CB seems to have lost a guitarist who when I saw them added a lot of the power to the set so I'm wondering how loud tonight will be but CB amply fills in on all big guitar needs with a massive powerfulness and shes got a fuzzbox and she's gonna use it. The band are great and as Maya says it's a shame that the band name is just CB and not a band name. I guess cos she writes all the music but they certainly don't seem like simple session musicians. They play a mix of old and new having just brought out a new album. CB has loads of energy thrashing the guitar when needed and throwing shapes on stage in neo guitar hero poses even jumping up on the drummer's platform to give a very passable impression of a heavy rock guitarist lording it over their rhythm section. There's the obligatory guitaring away with the bassist all in all rock and roll not folk. Talking of which at one point she says they're about to do an AC/DC song which I don't recognise but I only ever listened to them at old school club nights and at the start of St Pauli matches. Not sure if it was AC/DC but CB was certainly channelling her compatriot Angus Young tonight all she needs is a pair of shorts and little cap. Maybe because of the expectation or that tonight was a heavier rock set but the only disappointment was Avant Gardner where the fantastic lyrics get overawed by the music. It's sort of half way between the recorded laid back track and tonight's rock theme. However, the audience love it and when she sings "The paramedic thinks I'm clever cos I play guitar. I think she’s clever cos she stops people dying." in her long drawl a massive cheer goes up - we love our NHS medics here Courtney. I don't usually quote verbatim but I just love these lines:
I take a hit from
An asthma puffer
I do it wrong
I was never good at smoking bongs.
I’m not that good at breathing in.
I’m not that good at breathing in.
Anyways the song goes down pretty well (this is now me writing again, it's not the last line of the verse). CB loves a bit of chat which seems to be mainly her unable to understand what the audience are yelling out to her and trying to guess what they've said. The bassist mumbles a few funny comments into his mic which makes CB laugh but not sure who else understood. She breaks cool rule #1 by telling us how wonderful we all are and how London feels like her second home. I bet she told that to Bristol and Norwich too. Possibly getting a bit too much like a rock star the spell is broken when she introduces the rest of the band. "I'm Courtney Barnett (cheers) and on bass is..." We know it's Bones cos she's talked to him during the set so he goes "I'm Courtney Barnett... and I'm... a bitch". Much hilarity and it seems pretty spontaneous. Of course the drummer introduces himself as Courtney Barnett too. After all, they are billed as CB3 tonight. We have a tumultuous ending before they go off stage for a bit and then back for a three song medley encore. Having finally rocked out completely CB leaves the stage by giving her guitar to someone the audience who twangs away badly. I head for the loo and it sounds like someone who can play has got hold of it. Still going when I get back to see Maya who tells me that CB herself jumped down into the audience to carry on playing. Eventually the music stops and the lights go up. Maya decides to join the loo queue and by the time she's back the place is pretty clear giving us a photo opportunity in the big "sits and thinks" chair. I walk Maya to the bus stop which has moved further up the road to service Sainsburys since I used to take the N29 back from the Electric Ballroom. On my way back to the tube I meet the lady with life in a supermarket trolley and have a quick chat and buy one of the books she's selling. I pick up a book of Jacobean Tragedy plays for all my change (£2.85) and then a black cab driver pulls up and asks me to hand a big tray of sarnies to the old girl. She's very pleased and twitters away about how good the book is and how I'll enjoy it and how lovely the sandwiches look especially the egg ones. By twitters I don't mean she's on social media @supermarkettrolleylady. I decline the geerous offer of a sandwich as not much looks vegan. Feeling optimistic about the human race I jump on the tube and attempt to make head and tail of my new purchase of Shakespearean era text. Not easy after a few red stripe but fittingly poetic after a night watching CB3.
Notes on the text.
The number of acronyms are in deference to the band now being called CB3. Not my usual style.
Fuzzbox references that fleetingly brilliant 80s brum band.
Photos in chronological order...
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| Fraser A viewed from the gallery courtesy of Maya out with the padre |
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| Spring Kings are go! |
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| SKs throwing moves |
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| Angsty CB |
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| CB3 in GB |
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| I waited ages for the ray of light to shine off her guitar like that. |
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| Lefties of the world unite you have nothing to lose but your upside down guitar strings |
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| London 2015 not Glastonbury 1975 (c) Maya |
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| Sometimes i sit and think... |
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| ... and sometimes i just pose |
