killed it

Yep we've killed Fringey.

Killed it dead.

We've decided that life's too short to be writing blogs ... or even read them!

So go get your own to play with!

lots of love from

Luce and Jo

xx

So what is this Fringey of which you speak?

Welcome to the Fringey world of gigs and clubs.

But don't you go thinking that this is simply about reviewing the music oh no, no and thrice no. Fringey is about .....

• whether or not they give you ice and a slice (of lime naturally) at the bar.
• the haircuts, the hats, the shoes and cravats! (both crowd and band)
• the proportion of paying customers to liggers.
• spotting the famos lurking at the back or on the VIP balcony.
• the free merch, especially the badges (oh how we love the badges).
• the onstage banter.
• being brutally honest (when necessary... ok and sometimes when not) and not giving a damn.
• (usually) getting 2 reviews for the price of 1 - one by Jo & one by Luce .
  

If you want to know more you could send a SAE and a 2nd class stamp for a fact sheet or better still click on the profiles, have a little look see at the links and, most importantly read the posts - go on you know you want to.

Blondes in Belfast

Flippin eck - they aren’t half casual out here in the regions. The Long Blondes are about to hit the stage in the newly refurbished QSU Speakeasy and there are apparently still some tickets left on the door. Such a thing would never happen back in London!

But first up are the 1990s. Like a cult indie version of shiny Franz Ferdinand, they do a kind of new britpop, (more Supergrass than Pulp) and we do like em. The band dedicate a song to the overly keen kids down the front who make up the first row (and almost their entire audience). Bless the singing chaps big toothed grin, he's bringing the heroin geek chic look to a whole new generation.

So anyway, back to our regional audience, don’t these kids know how to dress out in the sticks? My god they almost look - gulp - normal. Yeah, ok, there are a couple of Top Shop Debbie Harrys kicking about, but where are the full on White Rose Movement rejects? the Klaxon inspired new cross new rave hooded top, white jean combos?? Christ, we’re all here to see the Long Blondes and I cannot believe I’m the only girl in the room who’s thought to wear a neck scarf. What will Blondes think off us?

Well they appear to think that playing the boonhicks means Kate can get away with going casual - and wear a teeshirt!! Well I’m sorry Ms Jackson, but what the hell kind of example is that to be setting these poor impressionable youths of Northern Ireland? I mean, most of them won't have been as far as Manchester, never mind London. To these children Shoreditch is but a fantasy, Hoxton a shiny never never land they’ve only ever read about in the Guardian style pages, and the Old Blue Last a mere rumour of boys wearing girls jeans.

Having said that the LB’s put on a damn fine show and they seem to enjoy themselves, banging out tune after indie pop tune, (so much better now that I know enough to hum along). They even manage to get the audience to have a bit of a bop. (An audience who, despite their lack of knowing about Old Street, were extremely arms foldy and ‘go on, impress me‘. Tough crowd!) I do believe that by the end of the evening there was even a bit of dancing about. But that may have just been me after drinking far too much gin.

Oh, didn't I mention a gin and tonic was only £2.60? Yep, two pounds and sixty pence. HA!

Cansei de escutar de Kasabian

I think that’s the correct translation - but you never can tell with babelfish.

Anyhow the knuckle dragging minions are out in force tonight to see their monkey leaders - Kasabian, here at the NME.com shindig in KOKO. Christ alone knows why we're here. (Oh yeah, it’s free and we have no social lives). And of course those lovely Brazilian poppets Cansei de ser Sexy are playing this evening. Hurrah.

Unfortunately for them they're playing in front of what appears to be a crowd of braying Neanderthals, howling at the giant glitterball and throwing glowsticks (provided by the NME lot, who have obviously overestimated the intelligence of their readership/Kasabian fans) at the, almost, all girl group. Lovefoxxx wants us to dance, but she's not having much luck. Poor the CSS. Bouncers go round confiscating glowsticks afterwards; it wouldn't look good to injure the headline act tonight - or their 'special guest'.

And my God they're bloody arrogant. Tom and Serge sneer and swagger their way around the stage rapidly becoming a parrody of themselves; the only respite is when Serge gets his chance to perform a quiet acoustic solo. This confuses the audience, who take the opportunity to have a chat and pretend it isn't happening, hopefully waiting for the next thumping anthem to come along.

But then out pops a Gallagher and there is much rejoicing as the assembled throng hail their ape leader. He plays along to a couple of tunes before disappearing back whence he came.

Goodness - am a bit tired out by the displays of manly testosterone going on - thank Christy for the lovely CSS who single handedly saved it from being a celebration of loud lad rock and who really are worth listening to.

I came. I went. I jawed. I saw ...

Tapes 'n Tapes @ Dingwalls, Camden

Well I did say I wanted more Tapes n Tapes after I last saw em at the Barf, and they don’t disappoint.

Banging out the album in the sold out Dingwalls they are having a fantastic time, they know they’re on their way to rock and roll glory and they’re gonna enjoy every minute of it. Unfortunately this time round Josh isn't too bothered with chatting up and charming the audience, but then Lock 17 is a good bit bigger than the barfly. Anyhoo, the tunes no longer need any introduction, we all have the album and can yell along to “Cowbell” and “Insistor” if we feel like it. Many people feel like it. They end on “Jakov’s Suite” and for a moment (as always) I think they’re going to launch into a bizarre cover of Art Bruts “Good Weekend”. (I can’t be the only one who hears it??) But they don’t.

They don’t need no gimmicks to win us over. (FYI - french horns, sleigh bells and cowbells are not gimmicks, but genuine precussion instruments!). They just need to get on that there stage and play!

Support was from the retro electro two piece To My Boy, whose futuristic synth stylings were quite fabulous and strange, kinda like Clor, but more quirky. If thats possible.

Our only complaint is that there is a chronic lack of free badges and stickers this time round, which is a bit disappointing, but you can’t have everything.

Till next time then.

The Vines & the View at the Forum

Oh The Vines are back in town. They've been gone ages - and at one point we thought they'd never be coming back. So what are they like now?

Well, they played all the hits – the shouty screamy ones, the swirly whirly ones (although less swirly now without the lush production) and the inbetweeny ones. But I found the entire show ever so slightly underwhelming. Possibly proving that there is a time and a place for everything and for the Vines that time was 2002. Oh dear.

They finally hit bottom with an outstandingly poor rendition of the lovely "Autumn Shades" (cats drowning in a sack). I was even thinking about leaving, when suddenly they whip out "Ride" - and the audience finally find their moshing shoes. (not me tho, I’m in heels). By the time they get to the encore the entire night is turned on its head and they bang out the quite fantastic "Get Free" and then an unexpected cover of "Miss Jackson", before closing on "Feck the World" and trashing of guitars and drum kit (for old times sake). Thank goodness. Was almost a bit worried there.

I could mention that yes Craig is no longer mental, has obviously been at the pies, and yes, does desperately need to get his hair sorted, but there was also really nice matey directness between him and the audience and you could tell he wasn’t entirely sure of himself (or off us for that matter) which made for a different – if less exciting – experience.

The less said about tonights support - The View - the better. I really tried to like em, honest guv, but they don’t make it easy do they. A bit of focus, maybe an original guitar riff or a completely new musical direction might help.

G&T with Jamie T in the Ginglik

So, I’ve managed to talk a friend with T-Mobile to take me to a ‘street gig’ with Jamie T – at the rather intimate (boiling hot!) Ginglik Club (formerly a Victorian public convenience!) - Hurrah! She’s never even heard of Mr T or his minimalist, no frills approach to the performance ethic, but is happy enough to come see what I’ve been banging on about.

Tonight a cheeky, chatty Jamie is without his backing band (The Selfish Sons). Its just him on his stool at the front of the room, his music a hybrid of lo fi hip hop and folk (without samples or backing tapes). He, literally, lets his words do the talking* and leaves the articulate observant lyrics to cut their own way through the tiny claustrophobic room, painting rough verbal sketches of life lived at the edges. Or in Putney, as the case may be. A compelling combination of spoken songs (or is it sung poetry?) with a barely there backing of bass guitar, the verses practically trip over each other in an effort to get out and tell their bleak urban tales. All the while, deceptively cheerful rhyming couplets lend themselves to singalong choruses. The crowd holler along at appropriate moments.

He ends with biggest single so far, ‘Sheila’, and some more audience participation.

Altogether now:

“LAANDAHN!!!”



*I think the kids call it ‘flow’.