Go! Team 3 Strikes

After seeing the first team of the day lose 2-3 to Hornchurch who's goalie made a couple of fantastic saves Debbie and I make our way north to Chalk Farm for the 2nd time in 9 days. It's the Roundhouse again a venue I still dislike despite the great bands who play here. We arrive to see the last couple of numbers by Charif Megarbane & Inside The Wheel (I think that's right) who play what I guess are middle eastern north African tunes with traditional rock instruments (bass, guitar, drums x2, keyboard) leading to a very enjoyable and interesting set. Well what of it we saw. Will have to look out for them in the future. The interval is not too long considering how many instruments the roadies need to prepare and soon enough The Go! Team take the stage. They launch into a revisit of their first album Thunder, Lightning, Strike which is full of classics and simply a brilliant album which goes down with the crowd extremely well although to be honest there's not a lot of dancing going on but I think that's the venue. They are their usual boppy selves jumping around the stage and trying to get us to do the same. In a if you can't beat em join em moment the main female singer jumps into the crowd and is surfed to the back and then back to the stage. They do a few newer songs, as in newer than 2 decades old, with the energy never letting up. They are all talented multi instrumentalists and I love the mouth organ bits. We've seen them quite a few times going back to 2005 and it's been 3 times in less than 12 months for me. They still make us smile along with everyone else including an odd / cute (depending on me / Debbie) bloke who was short sighted and possibly older than me who kept on taking pictures then staring at his phone. Mind you he was bopping along too. We have a bit of audience participation and arm waving and generally helping the atmosphere which is always fun. So a great feel good gig, as ever with the Go! Team. Afterwards we sit outside the pub opposite and meet two women who were at the gig and we chat Wide Awake and End of the Road with a day festival vs weekend festival analysis. A slightly drunken analysis admittedly. From a lovely chat with slightly drunk people the tube carriage is invaded by a group of loud drunken wankers who obviously think that they are funny but look like a bunch of geeks. And not in the edgy geek way, just plain boring geeks. Ah well what do you expect on a Saturday night. The next day is rather pleasing with a 6 nil win over the bubble blowers. Had to put that in as it will make me smile when I read this in years to come. I won't mention the Hamlet score as that will bring me down. Wonder when we'll see the band again... I'm sure not too long.

Hands up

Support

Go! Team

Back from crowd surfing

Dinner Party and Soul Food

Debbie and I make our way to Chalk Farm to meet Becky and Mary (one of the few fans of this blog, or so she says) and various kith and kin at the Enterprise. The queue for the Roundhouse is long so we loiter around for a couple of drinks at least those of us who are. We're here to see the magnificent Last Dinner Party of which we have various connections some closer than others but first we have to join the queue. It's a sell out and they've come on a way since I saw them at the Brudenell a couple of years ago where I accosted Abigail in the car park as she was hoiking kit into their van. I doubt she's doing that tonight as they have guitar technicians on hand which Zounds could have done with last week but I digress. Having missed them in the Autumn I'm keen to see how they've progressed live having only seen Abigail do a duet at the Windmill since. Once in the cavernous Roundhouse we sidle round to the side to get a view of Heartworms who are halfway through a set. We're a way from the stage as it's packed in there. Heartworms are decent enough with a lot of energy with a rockier vibe than when I had a sneak preview on-line. A good start to the evening and gets everyone in the mood for what's to come as it's obviously greatly anticipated for this sell out crowd which is a strange brew from the young and beautiful to the old and gnarly. And everything in between. Soon enough the lights go down and The Last Dinner Party take the stage to rapturous applause. They start off quietly with a mesmerising song that quietens the crowd so we can listen properly to Abigail's wonderful voice which soars aloft filling the vast roof space of the Roundhouse. Backed by piano and the rest of the band being low key it's a hypnotic start with Abigail channelling Siouxsie which is praise indeed. It's the strong vocals that switch seamlessly from strong almost harsh to that sweet melodic wail that reminds me of the Banshees singer (the band were well named) and with this laid back song could almost be The Creatures. So a great start and then we are full on into into an energetic set of post punk, what isn't these days, south London gritty vibe theatricals. I mean that in the best sense as the band are obviously loving it up there and tell us so. The music moves between melodic indie to harder rock with the theatrics of Queen both in the stage presence and the near pomp of the music. The band are all great keeping the music on track driving along where needed and holding back when the tempo changes. The lead guitarist plays a mean solo which I guess is what makes me think of the more serious side of mid 70s glam rock. We're carried along on a wave of great tunes and with an adoring crowd this does feel like a special gig as they will most likely kick on and not play places like this again. The band are five main members being piano, guitars, bass and vocals plus a drummer that I assume is a session musician and a percussionist on tamborine and a range of others. The sound is great and they wind down a bit for their last song before leaving the stage. Of course they'll come back on and do so with a few other musicians on violins and cellos (I think) to start the encore with an orchestral piece. Then they crank up the energy and launch into their brilliant blues rock number which gives Abigail full rein to channel Janis Joplin's more rockier vocals. The rest of the band are rocking out and of course there's a good helping of full fat guitar soloing. A little bird told me that this isn't their favourite song but if not they give a damn good show of enjoying every moment and getting into the rock band stances. With a typically big finish. Just showing off how versatile they are? The extra musicians are still on stage to fill out the sound and to add a great bit of bluesy sax which I always enjoy. After that we're into a quirky south London post FWFB vibe with racy lyrics that have been tempered for TV. I won't repeat the lyrics in this family oriented blog but if you really want to know check out the title of Big Black's second studio album. Or just listen to LDP's Nothing Matters which I guess will be easier although I strongly advise that you check out Big Black dear reader. After another great guitar solo, which I'm not usually a great fan of unless it really does add to the song which these do, we come to a crescendo with a fittingly theatrical pumping of confetti into the audience as if the band had just won the Premier League. Hmm, maybe, just maybe. Debbie, Becky and myself, who have mainly stayed together, shuffle off (sell out x narrow stairs) to leave seeing Mary and others on the way. We enthuse about the gig then shuffle outside where Becky kindly walks us to the tube, Debs and I aren't used to north London no more and could easily get lost or accosted, then it's back south for a whiskey at home to toast a great evening.

Next evening is a bit more intimate as I meet Simon and Jules at the Albany on Great Portland Street for a night at the Soul Stompers Northern Soul disco in a small and very crowded basement but at least it has a wooden dance floor. I'm slightly intimidated at first as those on the dance floor seem to have their moves straight out of Wigan Casino without the jumps and splits (too crowded here) and I include Simon & Jules in that who honed their moves at Blackpool Tower Ballroom last Autumn. After a couple of pints I'm feeling the vibe and get into the bobbing around dance groove maybe not quite as northern as some but I like to think I have more of a southern freestyle style. Or maybe I should practice my moves. A great night dancing to tunes I don't recognise, OK, maybe a couple, and I'm still grooving mostly with people of a similar age before Simon says time for bed and we get the party tube home. I think he peaked too early and got a bit tired bless him. On the tube I show off my white "Post Milk Generation" socks that I got from Blue Dot and Simon reveals that he is wearing his too and Jules has her white Geoffrey Butler cycle socks that I gave her. So all in all a very interesting end to the night as I leave my buddies at Stockwell. And no, I resisted asking people on the Northern Line to show me their socks. That's something you should only ask a friend. Especially at 1.30 Saturday morning. For those who are interested (possibly Simon if reading this) I spend Saturday fixing various bikes replacing a back wheel, replacing brake blocks, fettling gears and removing a bottom bracket. Ah the exciting life of a post punk punk rocker.

A few snaps...

Last Dinner Party

Heartworms

Last Dinner Party and friends

Murder on the dance floor (a blurry Simon and Jules)

I seldom include videos but these from Debbie give a great taste of dinner...