I’d not long finished my dinner and was doing the dishes. Standing at the sink I pondered what to do next and tried to think of reasons not to do any more chores, after all hoovering can always wait until tomorrow, right? We will ignore the fact that my hoovering was probably about a week past needing done, because hoovering is ALWAYS a job for tomorrow; just as dusting is a job for whenever someone is coming to visit, a lesson well learned from my dearest Mumsy.
So you can imagine my excitement when, moments after I’d set the last dish on the rack to dry, my watch vibrated on my wrist to notify me that a new message had arrived! Ohhh me oh my, perhaps an adventure lay within.
And, dearest reader, it did!
A spare ticket for a gig that very evening, to see a band called The Lovely Eggs who I’d heard of in name purely because the person who invited me had mentioned them a few weeks prior. Not only was there a spare ticket, there was also the offer of a lift to and from said gig, so who was I to say no, hoovering be damned!!
I wasn’t fully sure what to expect but the evening started well with the support acts; Mr Ben & The Bens offered some nice pop/rock tunes, Porky the Poet (aka Phil Jupitus) made us laugh, and then it was time for the headliners.
Having not heard much (if any) of their stuff I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but a few bars into the first song and I was pretty sure I was gonna enjoy it. The Lovely Eggs are a wife and husband duo, he drums and controls the samples, she shreds a guitar, screams, wails, groans, and serenades her way through every track. Described as ‘psychedlic post punk’ on at least one website, I loved every second of it.
It’s also a testament to the small gig thinking I posted about recently. The venue, Stereo, holds about 300 people in their basement and I was right at the very front (to one side as I’m 6’1) and lapped up the energy from the stage as Holly whirled and danced and goaded the crowd into reacting. Once again, the ability to turn a gig into a show that includes the audience is a talent and the passion and energy on display was infectious.
If you like punky thrashy guitars over simple melodic tunes, sprinkled with a dose of comedy, then check them out and if you get the chance to see them live, take the plunge.
So here’s to friends, here’s to saying yes on a random Monday evening, and here’s to small venue gigs by bands you’ve never heard of blowing your damn socks off.