We want MOR !

Simon buys this on the off chance and after listening to one song on-line (well, to be honest half a song as couldn't bear it) I wish he hadn't. Pete bails out with some lame excuse about a lack of electricity aboard his yacht. Didn't anyone tell you electricity and water don't mix - or rather they do only too well. So I find myself amongst some surprisingly trendy looking beardy types outside the "legendary" (one of the few times that's an accurate accolade) 100 Club. Simon rolls up (see B&W free EP for relevant riposte) and we go down to be ink stamped and into the subterranean club. The look is late 70s grebo with lank hair and hats. Soon the only band of the night Daniel Norgren takes the stage and rather than the wrist slashingly maudlin stuff I heard on-line our Scandinavian troubadour greets us with a yank accent that doesn't leave him whilst singing and jumps into some country rock. He looks like a mid west rocker with baseball cap and the others on double bass (fedora hat with waistcoat) and drummer (beanie hat) look like yanks too. All with longish hair of course. What with the mid west country style, yank accent and rock posturing I'm half expecting a mini Mount Rushmore to appear on stage in a Spinal Tap Stonehenge stylee. But this lot ain't that funny. Simon and I are looking at each other thinking WTF (as the kids would text) but the crowd go wild. this is weird as they are mainly young. This is like a Muppets Band copyband. I'm now not sure that all the beardy types are in fact trendies or 70s throwbacks? I've not seen women in cowboy boots with tassly jackets & leather shoulder bags for a long time. Last time out was probably that dodgy tavern pub in Birmingham (UK, not Alabama) in the early 80s. I mustn't be too harsh as following another bottle of Camden Pale the music does pick up with some proper blues rock one tune which is a very good copy of Tony Iommi early Sabbath guitar work (another Brum connection). So we have fun for one or two songs then our Danny jumps onto the piano (if only, he plays it) for some dreary rock. This is Eagles rather than Eagulls. Although latter's latest seems a bit rock rather than psychedelic punk. I'm beginning to long for the country blues. We have a bit of blues boogie and crowd are still going wild. What is going on? We'll be having Leo Sayer on as a special guest. As an aside I was anticipating ELO's "legends" (not so appropriately used) slot at Glastonbury this year and listened to an album I used to like a lot Out of the Blue (subsequently sold for punk vinyl funds) and realised how it's by no means as good as I thought it was back in late 70s and is in fact mild country blues rock very MOR. Danny Boy would love it. They're from Brum aren't they? Next the hero of the night takes a turn on accordian but not fast gypsy style. All very clever but SFW. Crowd still going mad. We stay for the encore wanting to get value for money and hoping things pick up and to be fair we get a fairly upbeat guitar blues tune. As he sits down at the piano again we make a hasty exit as do a lot of others. It's like a modern football stadium going into extra time and the crowd wanting to beat the rush. There's still a hard core whooping it up. I guess the bearded wonders of east London have gone through folk and country and are now discovering Middle of the Road rock. Next stop punk but given their penchant for looking smart trendy showing off their dosh they'll probably skip that and go straight through to New Romantics. Watch this space. You heard it here first.

Dan & drummer, sorry bassist

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