They’re tricky aren’t they. If you have a nine-fiver like me, you live for the weekends of course, along with all the rest of the drones, but when it comes to it, when it really gets down to brass tacks and darkened earth: do we really enjoy ourselves? Most people probably do. I don’t always. It’s as if there is some sort of pressure to have fun that makes you try so hard to attain it that you get a metaphorical feeling of nose bleed/ the bens.
BUT. I am happy to report that my weekend has not been one of those ones, thankfully:
I had the honour of watching ILLNESS play their last gig ever last night. The two of them are disappearing off in to separate sunsets on seperate motor beasts. But you know what, it was one of the nicest gigs I’d been to for a while. It was down the Cowley Club, cheap pints, nice vibe, slight whiff of petuli oil and vegans. Illness are a couple of chaps I have had the pleasure of spending a bit of time with and both have been gracious enough to endure Lazer Horse on occasion. Do please listen to their stuff. In a nut shell it’s frikkin fresh geetar and it’s frikkin fresh drums. That’s the top and bottom of it. And the sides.
Depakine Chrono were first off the bat, themselves a duo also. The drums were set up in the middle of the room so there was a 360 degree crowd. I like that set up, maybe due in large part to the fact that the crowd all seemed like like minded chaps and chapesses, so as you gazed past the blistering drum wallops and the megalomaniacal riffage you saw faces contorting in the same manner as yours: “Grimaces of pleasure and smiles of sadism.” DIRTY LOUD MATH SMASHING. But no mainstream, hardcore/emo effort, no Sir, an actual natural, gritty sounding effort, no bravado enterprise.
Next slot was dolled out to Dan, you know Dan Amos? Come on everyone knows Dan Amos? I have had the pleasure of meeting this man but only thrice or so times. He is world renound within his group of friends; and for good reason. His songs are like thinly sliced slabs of donner meat. Genuine, guilty, word ladened pleasures. No frills, just pure Songs, and that’s Songs with a capital “S” to give them their appropriate stature within the written word. His Songs are like a human/ alien hybrid’s brain splurge daintily strung over a firm wicker basket of comfort and then twice baked/ fermented for purity. He’s a proper Herne Bay hero and then some.
And then the fellows we’d been looking forward to seeing hit the stage, well the middle of the room, as stated previously. CORRECTION: And then the fellows we’d been looking forward to seeing hit the middle of the room and what a joyous occasion it was. Sad to see them go, but it was a send off in high regard with tails held high and forelocks nicely trimmed. Glossy flanks. Amelio giving his tres rapide and fully beefed drum show with Spencer allowing us to watch his fingers compete in the 2016 olympics of joy. Read their brain wee on their blog hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Good on the all these people. Remember: if you’re not bigging yourself up your smalling yourself down.
