Uncle's dream adult DVD

Having been alerted by Jo as to the headliners gig in London Debbie and I round up the troops such as are in London. But first for me it's a trip to Champion Hill to see Dulwich Hamlet's last game of the season. It's as poor a result as most I've seen recently and with a 1 nil loss and Weymouth winning at Dover The Hamlet are relegated to the Isthmian League. A disappointing result but with sell out crowds surely I'll be celebrating a promotion this time next year. Debbie and I ride the Northern Line to Old Street then a short walk past the hordes around Shoreditch and try to avoid the many marauding hen parties. It weren't like this back in the 80s. Or 90s or 2000s to be honest. We find the Thai restaurant where we're meeting Eva who is fashionably late but no matter it's a lovely meal and when we leave there's a queue down the street. We meet Pete and Wendy in the bar of the venue which is a very trendy place with very trendy people and very trendily called Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes so called as those are the original shop signs above what is now the one premises. I assume they've left the signs up as a sign of quirkiness rather than tight fistedness but having looked downstairs in the cellar where the bands are on maybe it's the latter. Although very trendy the bar is quick to get served and we easily get a seat. Soon enough the strains of loud music reach us so we're downstairs to have our senses assaulted by a young trio who are thundering out a great selection of hard core punk. The drummer is leading the songs and holding it all together whilst the bassist plays around the steady beat and the guitaris meanders in and out but in a very hard punk way rather than a jazzy vibe. This is north of the river and so no south London post punk jazz here folks. Or folk for that matter. They are great and the youngsters love them jumping up and down, politely moshing (this is Hoxton after all) and doing some shaky dancing. Whilst the guitarist is sporting a tank top looking MES the sound is more GBH with a good dose of thrash and at times skirting with the goth of The Damned. Oh, they are called Uncle Junior and they are damned good. They occasionally venture into the audience (well, not the drummer) and at one time the bassist offers their guitar to the audience to strum. I think one of them ends up on the floor although despite being an extremely small venue it's difficult to tell with the throng around them. The differentiation between stage and dance floor is fluid indeed it's not far to the back of the room. What a great start to the evening and I wasn't expecting such a hard punk and great support band. No encore of course and we're upstairs again spending our hard earnt at the trendily expensive bar. After a bit of chatting and catching up and Eva properly meeting Pete and Wendy we're back down into the dank cellar. Debbie and I have seen the headliners Adult DVD recently at Ramsay's 60th in Otley and as this place is a lot smaller than Ramsay's venue the six piece are definitely making the stage / dance floor fluid as one of their keyboards have to be sited across the two. They make a great sound that starts with the New York scene from the punky new wave dance beats of Devo and Talking Heads through to the full on post disco of LCD Soundsystem. But never sounding derivative. They have influences on this side of the pond too with the indie dance vibe of Klaxons and their Madchester (terrible but apt description) predecessors. Of course whether the band have taken these as musical references is another matter and if you ever read this I apologise for implying that your sound is not unique. It's certainly not the same as any I've mentioned and I use the comparisons purely to inform others as to how you sound and also from my own laziness in not describing the sound in an original way. The crowd who were bouncing to hard punk rock 30 minutes ago are now grooving and shaking to an infectious set that we are all loving. The singer tells us how much he appreciates our enthusiasm and other chat which I don't catch due to poor hearing due to listening to too much loud punk such as the first band. The rest of the band are enjoying themselves and it's great to see such enthusiasm on stage. There's something for all our gang what with indie rock and banging dance. And Eva is enjoying the set too which somewhat makes up for me persuading her to go see Blurt a few weeks ago. I still maintain Blurt are fantastic but that's another blog. To end a varied set they end with a right banger of a tune which comes straight out of the hard core dance songbook more suited to an open field or a big club dancefloor than a dingy shoe shop cellar. It's a fantastic ending and despite shouts for one more song the band start unplugging their instruments. I may be a little harsh on the venue as it's atmospheric and has nice red stage lighting although not great for photos. We go back upstairs and again easy to get drinks and seats. Debbie has a quick chat with one of the band which is apparently confusing as referencing Ramsay's party which of course the band will know as Simon's but cotton on with the mention of Jo. Pete and Wendy take their leave and the three of us go across the road to the quirky Bridge pub which is surprisingly empty despite great decor, very friendly bar staff / manager and great cocktails. We then negotiate the even more raucous hen parties and the lines of hopeful punters queuing to get into the many bar clubs. The 333 which was the only dance club round here, bar a couple of very underground smaller places, and the scene of a few lost nights, is now a golfing cocktail bar. How times have changes. I hope our newly discovered bar doesn't become some awful ping pong venue. Shoreditch has a long serving sports place Bar Kick (I think) and surely that's enough. Northbound Northern line is ironically suspended but southbound is fine. Eva leaves us at Stockwell and Debbie and I journey back home for a well earned rest. A disappointing afternoon and a great night out. And the night was free. Well, the gig was, not so much the copious amount of drinks at Shoreditch pricing. Go see Adult DVD whilst they still play small venues. And for that matter Uncle Junior. 

Lovely afternoon weather wise. Awful results wise. Full crowd at 2.30.

Uncle Junior

Junior

Uncle

Adult DVD

Adult

DVD

(c) Debbie

Note to self, pout when being photoed rather than looking surprised

Open cans in time to the music

A second gig with Eva in less than a week. Whereas Blurt were an unknown for Eva Waxahatchee are a band that she's wanted to see for a while. Eva arrives at Earth Hackney before me and is sitting on the hard wooden seats (not exactly seats though) listening to the warmup act who is Indigo Sparke (real name, 2nd time in 2 weeks I've been told that) who is an Aussie (as is Eva) and a solo guitar singer. The music is likeable enough folk and therefore not really my cup of tea. To be honest I'm not sure why I like Waxahatchee so much given it's country folk. Well, I do. It's because Katie Crutchfield has such a great voice but more of that later. So Indigo is entertaining enough but not enough sparke to set the room alight. The room is amazing as it's an old music hall which was boarded up for decades and has been done up. Well, done up as in the stage renovated, seating (wood) put in and a few old school speakers hung from the ceiling. There's still detail on the roof which is art deco but the walls as still "distressed" and could do with a lick of paint. I didn't realise that it was a seated venue so everyone is dead quite for the acts. In fact Indigo says that if we're pulling can rings can we do it in time to her music otherwise it's distracting. Not sure if it's a witty remark with her having read the notice (see pics) or whether she's having a go at us. As I say, it's dead quiet. The other thing I didn't realise is that Katie is giving a solo performance rather than with her band so I'm intrigued to see if she comes over as well especially as she's on a very big stage playing to a cavernous hall. I think it was a bit intimidating for Indigo who to be fair gave a strong performance. So to Waxahatchee aka Katie C. She's not been in the UK for 5 years so it's great to see her back. I first saw her 10 years ago on a whim and was so impressed seen her a few times since including a solo set (with guest singer for a few songs). KC looks a bit lost as she takes the stage as it's just her, a guitar stand and two small monitors on a huge stage the same as IS. Although Katie does have a stool with her drink on it. Once she starts playing there is an awed hush and her strong voice fills the void with that great country guitar filling the spaces between her vocals. That's what I love about her... sublime voice and lyrics delivered with so much emotion and energy. With a great guitar which I'd love to be able to emulate but I don't think it's particularly brilliantly technical. What is brilliant is her timing of strumming with the odd separate note. Both together they are magnificent and in some ways it's great to be watching a solo acoustic set to get the full strength of her music. By this time our arses have had enough of solid wood and with no back rest mine is complaining so for the last bit of the set and encore Eva and I watch from the back of the hall. Katie's new stuff sounds good so she's obviously meaning to go on in the same groove which is fine by me. Fairly early the encore ends and we're turfed out into the cool air of Dalston. On the way home I tell Eva that tonight was hilarious with the don't open cans when it's quiet sign as I'm just reading a book about a punk rocker fell runner (thanks Rams) who has just been to Christmas on Earth (nice connection to tonight's venue) that legendary punk rock festival in Leeds in the winter of 1981. With the place awash with melted snow and piss from the broken toilets and non stop hard core punk rock with associated non stop drinking and a perpetually seething mosh pit I wonder if my music tastes have changed over time. No, not really. Well, possibly now includes a bit of country folk and dare I say it psychedelic indie jazz. Anyways, a great night and don't leave it another 5 years Katie. 

Now where's that E minor chord

Indigo all lonely

Waxahatchee

Christmas on Earth would have said "Be mindful to open your cans before throwing at the artists"

Hundred Club Sax Fiend

It's a rescheduled gig and I get a drink at the legendary 100 Club bar just as Eva joins me. As an Aussie in her mid 20s I'm not sure what she'll make of tonight. I've not seen Blurt since the 1980s, possibly the late 70s, and so also interested to see how the energy of Blurt will be kept up by Ted Milton who is now in his 80s. First up are Floating World Pictures who are apparently an ever shifting collective related to Snapped Ankles. Tonight we have a bassist (sitting on a high stool), drummer, saxophonist (the front man) and two on synths. They start with a strange ambient sound with the sax sort of breathing rather then playing notes, slow drum beat, slow bass and the sort of synth sound from the 70s or 80s when people built their own and were just happy to make a weird electronic fuzz sound. The whole thing has an eastern musical feel and is reminiscent of free festival type improv bands. This is a good thing as it pre-dates the ambient and club scene. The music meanders around always with that steady drum beat and the sax starts hitting the notes with a recorded delay in the mix presumably by one of the synth players. We have a couple of false crescendos and silences where they are obviously not finished then the drum gets heavier and the bass faster and the synth runs properly kick in with full on sax. From ambient to heavy psych just like a good band should. Although the rest of them are great the standout for me was the drumming. Whilst not a virtuoso "let's hit every cymbal fast" performance the drummer keeps her steady beat which is primal and spot on rhythm tight. I'd love to see them again outside in a field. At one point I realise that Ted is behind me peering at the sax player. Well, I assume he's checking out the competition or feeling great about a prodigy but either way his face is dead pan as he shuffles back to the dressing room. It's a shortish set but well worth getting along early for. We get another drink and find a couple of chairs. A great place to people watch with everyone from crusty old geezers to bright young things. I think the resurgent alt psych jazz scene has brought a new and younger audience to Blurt who are the original post punk sax fronted psych jazzers. Some dodgy looking attire here including a few in dungarees (if only I'd kept my pair, if only I still fitted them) including someone who is dressed as Super Mario - whether by design or accident I'm unsure. We're treated to some great sounds by the colourful ghillie suit wearing DJ who is part of Snapped Ankles. Then the stage is approached (via the floor of course) by Blurt themselves. With Ted in a sharp suit and a guitarist and drummer not much younger than him they launch into their brand of post punk indeed I'm pretty sure that Ted's growling about post punk although I cannot be certain due to my hearing or his vocals. The drummer is tight, as you'd expect of someone of years, and the guitarist has a playful yet skillful style depending on whether the songs are a cheerful ditty or a bit darker. Ted himself alternates between his growly spoken word singing and sax switching between musical sax playing and his screaming blurts. The energy of the former is probably a little less than when I last saw Blurt but he still has enough puff to play a mean and violent blast on the sax. A great set the end of which I assume is indicated by the music sheet which Ted has on a music stand although rarely viewed. They come off stage to stand in a huddle at the side (no back stage here) before grinning sheepishly at the absurdity of it and come back on for a few more songs as an encore. There's a fair bit of grooving going on especially to the punkier side of post punk jazz. Then they are off for sure with a fair bit of back slapping from the audience as they make for the dressing room. Eva espies the first band saxophonist who apparently is rather handsome and leaving me as a literal wall flower chats him up and extracts his next gig (Roundhouse Wednesday) and phone number (not relayed to me). We then depart to Oxford Circus. Eva liked the first band better maybe as her musical references are more ambient than pre post punk noise merchants. Both agree it was a very interesting night out.

Sorry drummer - eclipsed by the bass head

A Snapped Ankle & tyroneisaacstuart

Steve Eagles & Ted Milton

Steve, Blurt legend, Dave Aylward

Bedford Balham

 Having stood up Owen a few weeks ago with a fair excuse of having had a tooth extracted we decide on an evening at the Bedford music night with pizza. First up is Carley Varley (real name) who is a singer songwriter with an angsty voice and guitar. Mostly fairly depressing lyrics but I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. Not so much to Owen's liking. Next up are Rooftalk who are a German 3 piece (guitar, drums, bass / keyboard) who start off harmonising then get a bit rock then go a bit Kraut rock until they go into a couple of long numbers reminiscent of early Pink Floyd or psychedelic Beatles and turn out to be very good indeed. Difficult to know if they would be great if you could dance (we're all seated at tables) or whether they would seem a bit so so. I would give them the benefit of the doubt. They are enthusiastic and came all the way from Germany to play here so kudos for that. The bassist says that it's the first time they've played to a sitting audience and he's glad that it doesn't seem at all awkward. Which of course it does. His deadpan delivery of that line is perfect. Nevertheless he goes into an animated bass line which is great to hear and see. Last up is Tom from Broken Fires who plays acoustic and electric guitar and sings up beat and thoroughly enjoyable songs. Not sure whether his 7 piece band was meant to be here tonight but he is entertaining and a good musician. So a very enjoyable evening and for free. The MC is entertaining too. Owen and I retire to the main bar where mid way through an intellectual discussion about Artificial Intelligence we are accosted by a fairly drunk girl (well, mid 30s we find out) who harangues us about the hideous two 40 year old blokes who were trying to chat up a 16 year old who was with her boyfriend. She walks past as is no way just 16 and seemed quite happy. Anyway we have a meandering and at times incomprehensible chat with our friend who I'm sure said Hello Jim when she came up to us. Eventually Owen leaves for his taxi and I exit with him but not before he's suddenly smothered in kisses by our acquaintance. Ironic that she's been banging on about men taking advantage of women and how they come on to them inappropriately and then kisses Owen without even asking. Extricating her we say our goodbyes and get home safely (we are worried about her - the bar staff refused to serve her) and after wondering if AI could ever mimic the antics and haphazard conversation of a drunk Owen jumps in the taxi and I walk home. An interesting evening.

Go! Team 18 years on

Debbie and I meet Becky and Simon at the pub in St Pancras on a windy and very wet night and having received card and generous present we walk up to the Lafayette which is the 2nd time in 2 weeks for me. See last blog. We buy drinks in the salubrious upper bar and then go down to the main dance floor to wait for the band. It's a wide stage and dance floor and doesn't go far back at all so not ideal for bands to be honest. When Go! Team come on Debbie and Becky push towards the front but as Simon and I have lost sight of them already as we've been chatting we stay out of harms way a little way back and to the side. We get a decent enough view and the sound seems to be pretty good wherever you are standing. The band fill the stage and run through a great set of bouncy happy dance tunes that just have to bring a smile to your face. The main singer is good and chatty at one point brining her very young kids on stage appropriately fitted out with ear defenders. Which is probably why they don't say hello to us when their mum tells them to as they can't hear her. And probably freaked out looking over a few hundred sweaty herberts which we on the ageing side of years to be honest. They play their classics, at least the ones I know and love, and a few I don't audience participation is encouraged including a cheeky "you can sing along to this one if you know the words". Of course that one's and instrumental and the singer laughs at us after the song ends saying we were singing along with no words to the tune. They are that sort of band though. Debbie and I saw them at Bestival 18 years ago and they've lost none of their energy despite obviously getting a fair bit older and having kids. On that, they tell us they are making a documentary about what it's like to go on the road being parents which should be interesting. Being old school of course they come back for an encore and after a great finale they say their thanks, we shout ours and the punters stream out into the damp Kings Cross air. Us 4 stop at a table for a fair while chatting away, it's been a while, occasionally shouting a "thanks and you were great" at band members as they pass. The bar's closed but they don't kick us out but eventually we decide to leave and wander back to the tube. A great evening and lovely to catch up with Becky and Simon. Hopefully to meet again soon, maybe at one of the festivals we told each other about in the bar.

Videos and kid courtesy of Debbie. Sorry I managed to miss both drummers (I think there were two). Some similar shots so I got all the rest of the band in.

Not the Go! Team but amazing graffiti not too far away alongside the canal at Angel