Every day is just like starting over

I don’t seem to have been out much in the last couple of months. Not “out” out, as such. Haven’t seen any music since this, and although my corner of the UK is hardly a hotbed of social activity, I’ve still managed to miss this, this and also, the launch of my friend Richard’s own album, and the resulting party. I wish him all the best, and will try my best to bring some little morsel or other from his Men Diamler record.

So anyway, this week, I broke my 2008 duck and got along to see Art Brut at our fabulous old Guildhall, and what a cracking evening it was.

Support band A. Human were an earnest bunch but weren’t really up to much. Not even the presence of my new Skytec stealth mike, burning a hole in my pocket (well, collar) could induce me to record any of their set. Good effort, fellers, and all that, but it was a pretty dull affair in truth.

Art Brut

Art Brut came on not quite seeming how I imagined they would, and until Eddie Argos came on stage, I’d say they looked pretty much like every other NME cover band. He cut a chubby-faced friendly figure, and as my friend Martin pointed out, he bore more than a passing resemblance to Peter Kaye.

He came on in a slightly over-stretched brown suit and tie and rather endearingly declared that every item of clothing he was wearing, he’d bought in Gloucester the previous day. I enjoyed his between song banter and easy manner on stage – he looked like he was enjoying himself.

The songs were great, and the atmosphere got pretty rowdy on the dance floor at times (or so it looked from my safe vantage point at the back – not that I couldn’t, you understand…). To be honest the whole thing felt like a real bone-fide gig (I seem to go to more than my share of seated affairs these days…), and this impression was cemented when a real bone-fide fight broke out on the dance floor, during a spirited version of Emily Kane. Doormen rushed into the audience and dragged out the two scuffling miscreants. The years rolled back, I’ll tell you…

“Gloucester!” called a clearly bemused Argos from the stage, “Twinned with Altamont…”

The encore was particularly strong with a really wild version of Formed a Band, which took place completely on the dance floor, Argos nominating members of the audience to form bands with each other.

I did manage to record most of the gig, only spoiling three or four of the songs by talking over them. The new mike turned out to be pretty sensitive, and was on a few songs sensitive enough to pick up a number of shouted conversations between where we were stood and the stage (I ask you…) – I’ll know better next time.

Anyway, these were some of the best tracks on a really good evening:

Emily Kane

Post Soothing Out

My Little Brother

Lesson Learnt

(I do have a few more if people are interested…)