Another post Christmas outing to the Windmill with mates from around the country. Unfortunately in these lockdown days it's a virtual gig and so we're all staying at home and watching on laptops. At least we can socialise on Zoom as there's a main room and private rooms for just you and your mates which I've bought all proceeds to keeping the Windmill alive. Although due to technical difficulties some of our group are stuck outside waiting in the virtual queue to get in. There are other rooms available including the toilet and a sauna (is that the smoking room I wonder). Ash the compere is trying to gee people up but it's not quite the same being at home than in a small sweaty venue as is the Windmill. The gig starts by a great aerial shot of the Windmill imagined atop a mountain with Roof Dog RIP barking as he was wont to do. Ash seems to be in a virtual Windmill and introduces the first band...
Lobby are a slow beat start to the evening verging on shoe gazing but with a less heavy dirge-like guitar sound but the singing, male and female, makes up for that. They are a trio with drums and bass (from Goat Girl) keeping the tempo going and a fairly rock guitar at times. They often drift into a whimsical vibe which suits the vocals and although not a rollicking set it's not meant to be. A good start to the evening's entertainment. And they are in the Windmill itself unlike...
Sweat are on next and I saw them 4 years ago supporting Hinds I think it was. They've moved on musically going more psychedelic starting slowly and weirdly enhanced by being in a virtual CGI Windmill which means the video has musicians flashing in & out like on Zoom calls with a background and much meant to be as different musicians flash in and out as they are playing. The set ends with a great funky psychedelic middle eastern type tune off set by the vocals that go through a voice synth.
By this time everyone is in the venue and joined me in my private room. Everyone apart from Pete and Wendy who can't get Zoom on a Mac. I won't name everyone but Otley, Chester, Bath and London are all represented. It's a great idea to have this private room but to be honest I guess we could have set up a Zoom call for free. Ah well, as I said it's all in a good cause.
Next up Ash is in the virtual garden and introduces La Roux who serves up a very enjoyable slice of lo fi poppiness with her distinctive vocals live and direct virtually and recorded and superimposed on the Windmill stage. Only the one song from the singer who Ramsay and I saw many moons ago if my memory serves me right. Which it may not.
Ash is back in the main room and it's looking a lot cleaner than I remember. Maybe it's been given a once over during lockdown. Or maybe it's cos it's virtual. Anyways he's introducing Tiña who are in the Windmill in persons. Their set is a great combination of rocking tunes, bluesy breakdowns and sleazy country and western which goes with the pink cowboy hat. At times they drift into a 60s psychedelic vibe could be channelling early Pink Floyd. The singer has a brilliant falsetto voice that then jumps down into a deep bass. I saw them a couple of years ago here, see Tesco references, and back then they seemed to be comprised of the other bands as a Windmill supergroup and they still seem to have Pet Grotesque on keyboards and if him he's had a haircut. It's good to see them on the actual stage and all 5 of them pack it out. This band really make you wish that you were there instead of watching on a screen. Great lyrics too including that buses are all full, a fantasy bike ride and of course the memorable vaginas in my mind. And there's a dog bark in there too which may be the actual dog on the roof. Truth be told I didn't notice the bark on the night but as I have a luxury of watching a re-run I can notice those little things, I have decent photos and the last band isn't the usual "the band played a great post punk set but to be honest it's all a little hazy".
Next up is a very short poem by Kae Tempest about a bar maid but it's great nonetheless and their energy brings back memories of seeing Kate quiet a crowd of thousands late at night at Glastonbury so's you could hear a pin drop. Nice that they were behind the Windmill bar too.
After a bit more chat in the Zoom room Ash introduces the next post punk band, he's as lazy as me, which is Squid last seen by me in a basement in Leeds with most of the folk in my private room tonight. The five piece fill the stage with guitars, guitar / bass, drums, percussion / brass plus keyboard. They play an anarchic mix of hard beats funking rock and shouty vocals which is like LCD Soundsystem channelling Zappa or Beefheart which is probably what James Murphy did anyway. But they are not NYC punk funk more British hard edged funkiness. At times they get into a long slow groove bordering on improv jazz which is apt for the sleazy Windmill vibe before bringing us back up to euphoria. Unlike Zappa they sing about houseplants rather than catholic girls which gives our plants the chance to strut their stuff. But no doubt Zappa had something to say about houseplants too.
Instead of retiring to the garden or smoking room we gather together in my private room but soon enough it's time for the headliners, if the Windmill designates headliners, black midi who are in the Windmill itself. Starting off with a driving slice of indie rock with driving drums, running bass lines and twangy rocking guitar it's perfect for the end of the long night at the Windmill. This goes into about 10 minutes of improv guitar noodling which shows off all the instrumentalists but as Ramsay says is a bit 10 Years After (I can't vouch for that as I prejudicially refuse to listen to them). Then we're into a standard bit of blues rock by Willie Nelson and covered by BB King (thanks Google) with standard chord progressions and a bit more blues guitar nooddling so a fair bit different to when we (as in most of us in my room) saw them in Leeds earlier in the year which was funkytown. Another hard alt rock crashing around us which would have had the mosh pit jumping. Another cover is a great guitar heavy version of Hey Joe which was of course not written by Hendrix so don't get all precious about black midi playing it. Obviously blues night for black midi and after a shout out to save the Windmill as it's the best venue in the world and I won't argue with that they end with Jingle Bell Rock which is appropriate as it was my present to a few here. A seasonal and uplifting way to end the night.
Turns out I've seen all the bands before (well, a third of the first). After the excitement of the bands there's a disco in the main room and we're turfed out of our private room to mingle with the masses but then we're allowed back in but seems that others can gate crash. First to gate crash and a repeat offender is someone who won't show their face at first instead just showing Michael Jackson & a chimp. I feel that "Seth" is just trying to wind us up but we better him by trying to chat. He's shy. A nicer guy visits us and chats about bands turns out that he plays in a band that Jo and Ramsay nearly saw at some time but weren't allowed to gate crash. Ironic he's gate crashed our party. A typically random chat at the Windmill. And so it ends. So a few ciders, great bands and chats with random folk it's almost like going out, But without the cold cycle ride home with the risk of wrestling with discarded fir trees. Cheers guys. Same time same place next year. Hopefully not via pixels.
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