The One to Watch?

It all began several months ago with one of those 'what are you doing on….' conversations, without a hint as to why you might want to know, for fear that your victim invents a prior engagement. So this episode begins.  

I had been approached on Twitter by 'Stu' who asked me to give his music a listen to and subsequently invited me along to his gig.  And thus on Friday, Janie and I found ourselves heading North to a new venue and a brand new band.  Lux Lisbon at the The Lexington, oh how we adore a little alliteration :)

The Lexington website sounded more than a little promising 

"Welcome to The Lexington, Islington's finest new music venue and lounge bar, here to tie it all together for you with a mix of riotous rock 'n' roll upstairs and a ground floor lounge that we kind of hope might just entice you in and seduce you in a slowburning glow of downbeat decadence and bluesy class - with perhaps just a dash of burlesque elegance thrown in for good measure."

In actuality it is….. a pub with a few sofas, and not enough seating, does this pass as burlesque elegance?  Luckily we have never had an issue with sharing and we found a table just crying out for our company. The food was good but this dance happy girl can't vouch for the alcohol, long story, but we had a jolly time catching up

At about 8pm we headed upstairs and into... The Bronze circa 1995. This analogy was lost on Janie, the girl with the Buffy-less past, but I was there. There was a certain dark, cheap dinginess to the room; the constant background chatter of folk who appeared to know each other, the stage at the end giving a sense of the band being 'in addition to' as opposed to the main event and the general effect aided and abetted by the support, Careless Sons.

One of these is a member of Careless Sons, the other, a werewolf called Oz.

Possibly taking the analogy too far but definitely a touch of  the vampire about Dickon
(I do hope that he's really called Dickon, I love it when posh boys go all rock 'n' roll)

I obviously mentally cast myself in the role of Willow, a redhead wearing sensible shoes, and besides - a Facebook quiz once told me so.  (I am also a vampire with a red aura who should be living in New York - apparently)

I liked Careless Sons - they cared, they performed and they can sing which for a band which is the support for an unknown band - well, that ticks all the boxes.  Definitely worth a listen.

Lux Lisbon were undeniably great!  This is a hard working, passionate working band.  I wondered how many of the 230 in the audience had come, as we had, as a result of a direct approach from Stu.  Stu is a consummate front man, working the audience and controlling every element of the sound.  But this is no one man band and a wonderful surprise was the fabulous Charlotte Austen on vocals and bass.  It isn't easy to be a woman in a band and Charlotte has found the holy grail in appealing to men and women alike.  She is very natural, smiley, jean and T-shirt clad, and somewhat self depreciating "Thanks relations". The guys in the audience wanted to take her home, the women wanted to be her friend.  Erm… Charlotte, my position of best friend is taken, but if you want a drinking partner and general buddy…'  A quick mention must go to the, apparently newly single, trumpeter Elliot Phelps who was looking for love with no age limit.  Let's hope Charlotte meant no UPPER age limit Elliot - you can go to jail for that kind of a thing ;)


The band played everything from their new EP and everyone was a winner.  I loved all of them; Get some Scars, The Devil got me Dancing and Demons You Show.  There were a couple of new numbers including 'Show me the Money' which Stu went to great pains to tell us was nothing to do with Jerry Maguire.  I think the man doth protest too much.

In an unusual turn of events this is a picture of  Janie and I taken by the band.  Can you find us?
It's a gigging 'Where'e Wally?'

Lux Lisbon, you were a revelation.  We can't wait to see you again in January and if I were a gambling woman I'd call you as the one to watch.

Picture this….

A Monday night in May at the Shepherds Bush Empire with your dance happy bestie and four lovely 'hangers-on' and your teenage girl crush.

Starting the week with a BLONDIE Bang!!!! (so to speak)

So, feeling terribly wicked being out on a Monday we made the rendezvous in the pub next door and spent so long catching up and getting the beers in that we only caught a few minutes of the very young and terribly sprightly support act.  I can't remember who they were and alas even google cannot spit out their name.   Sorry boys (I think they were boys)

The sticky floored downstairs was heaving and as we were greater in number than usual it was no mean feat to get to a position where we could actually see Blondie but we made it to a suitable vantage point; reasonable view, able to get to the bar, REALLY BAD for toilets.  (It would take every ounce of dance happy sass to get back to my homies after the one trip that I made.)

Debbie Harry arrived on stage looking like a particularly sassy everton mint and Blondie started with 'One Way or Another' which was met with a roar of approval as these veterans of pop wrestled it effortlessly back from the adolescent mitts of One Direction.  And then it was hit after perfect hit.  Perhaps some of the missing hits are the only real indication of the fact that Debbie Harry herself is 69 (HOW???) and hasn't the full range that once she did but otherwise it was a superb set.

Could the real Debbie Harry please stand up?

SET LIST

• 1. One Way or Another 
  2. Rave 
  3. Hanging on the Telephone 
     (The Nerves cover)
  4. Good Boys 
  5. Mile High 
  6. Call Me 
  7. Maria 
  8. A Rose by Any Name 
  9. Rapture 
     ((with (You Gotta) Fight for … more)
  10. Atomic 
  11. Sugar on the Side 
  12. Heart of Glass 
  13. Encore:
  13. Picture This 
  14. Hollywood Babylon 
      (Misfits cover)
  15. Euphoria 
  16. Dreaming
      

Following the aforementioned toilet break and sassy return, convincing people that I did actually have a space nearish the front I had the surreal experience of bumping into friends that I hadn't seen for years.  But at the time it seemed OK because I was drunk and also so obviously a teenager because I was at a Blondie gig.  At least, I think that happened.  I certainly danced to Atomic with someone that I thought I knew.

During the encore I found myself watching Blondie through an iPad screen as an ardent fan decided to video 'Picture This' A curse on gig videoers and all who sail in her.

But, still in full on sass mode I asked him to send me a couple of the photos that he had taken, in recompense.  'If you give me your number.'  HAH  the lipstick on the arm technique still works a treat and voila the man hereby to be referred to as Paul (because that is his name) sent me some pics of the popstar pensioner herself.  Thanks Paul - all is forgiven.

May this be an example that people are good and people bound by a common experience are the 'goodest' of all.  Despite the salacious comments from my gig buddies the lovely Paul texted some photos the very next day, I texted my thanks and we have never made contact with each other again.  Gig goers are good people, except for the perv at the Adam Ant gig but he will burn in everlasting hell fire and be forced to listen to one direction for all eternity.

Wouldn't it be good

1. 
   
• Saturday 13th September, the dance happy, champagne fuelled, girls set off for a brand new venue so that one of us (ahem) could drool a little at the feet of the man she had once intended to marry.

I was 13 or 14 when Nik Kershaw first got picked up on my adolescent radar with 'I won't let the sun go down on me'  and it was true love.  This may well have also been the last time that I was the same size as Nik, he boldly claimed a 5'5 on Saturday night but that's not what he told The Guardian 

"I am not tall – I was 5ft 4in last time I measured myself, 

but I am probably smaller now: people start shrinking at 45." 

He is decidedly diddy but with a voice that can soar and stir.  It is the same voice and for awhile, sitting in a church (that's novel) with my bestie, I was 13 again and utterly lost.

• 
  
• Nik Kershaw an unlikely but self confessed love child of Leonard Cohen and Mr Tumble charmed us with talk of the past and the present and songs new and old.  He won me over with 'Wide Boy' and kept me in the palm of his hand for a long solo acoustic set.  

• I forgave him for not sharing with the audience that The Riddle had, in fact, been a coded love song to my teenaged self, after all his wife Sarah was in the house.  But I don't think anyone fell for the 'It was a load of bollocks really - tree, river….. just an impromptu play on a folk song'  YEAH RIGHT!  But the secret is safe with me Nik.

1. 1st Half
1. Fiction 
2. Somebody Loves You 
3. Wide Boy 
4. Wounded 
5. Red Strand 
6. Q&A 
7. Don Quixote 
8. Have a Nice Life 
9. Live Aid Memories 
10. Die Laughing 
11. Drive-In Saturday 
    (David Bowie cover)
12. Q&A 
13. The Riddle 

• This was a set of two halves (literally) so I feel that we can take a brief intermission to talk about the union chapel itself.  Hmmmm.
• The union chapel is a beautiful working church in the heart of Islington.  A stunning building and if I were God (why hasn't that happened yet by the way?) then I am sure that I would like to hang out there.  
• 
  

• It's highly atmospheric and the lighting is stunning - for some numbers I just watched Nik's shadow (bigger than he is) playing against the domed ceiling like a kind of cool guitar playing Peter Pan.  

1. 
   
2. But, and it's a big but, it is very….. proper.  Alcohol is served in an upstairs bar and you cannot bring it down into the chapel hidden in your large jacket pockets, no sireeee, no way, don't even think about it.  You sit in the pews and sit and sit and sit.  The dance happy girls don't sit and it feels sort of wrong.  To be fair an acoustic gig of this nature with a lot of talk does kind of lend itself to sitting but it felt enforced!  If you stand no one else will be able to see and some of the audience clearly needed to be sitting.  It is not sweaty and sticky - it is possibly the gig venue for people who do not like gigs, if only I knew of such a person…

The second half was as strong as the first with pauses for questions from the audience ranging from 'Why didn't you marry me?' (or perhaps that was just in my head) to 'What do you really think about Howard Jones?' all answered with a grin and a twinkle, a likeable self depreciation and a minor rant about us paying more for our babysitters than for our tickets.

The audience had warmed up a bit - I hope they weren't guilty of  secreting alcohol about their person in the house of the lord.  And there was a very jolly sing along to The One and Only.  I'm guessing Nik had heard about my dance with Chesney and was just asserting his position AS the one and only.

The One and Only

You can definitely hear Janie and I here - we were the ones who knew the second line :)  And we were not doing the community clapping thing.  The dance happy girls do NOT clap on demand!

1. 2nd Half
14. Oh You Beautiful Thing 
15. Dancing Girls 
16. The Bell 
17. Q&A 
18. The One and Only 
    (Chesney Hawkes cover)
19. Fools and Lovers 
20. Wouldn't it Be Good 
21. The Sky's the Limit 
22. Q&A 
23. Billy 
24. I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me 
25. Encore:
25. Human Racing 
26. I Wish 
    (Stevie Wonder cover)
    
    
    It was a well rounded set, finishing with I won't let the sun go down on me was a must and the encore of Human Racing was just gorgeous.  He did a good Stevie Wonder but to be fair I would rather he had finished with one of his own - I always want to leave singing along to the main man.
    
    
    Wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes?  Well, I fear that they would be rather small Nik - but it was good to get up close and personal.  You sang the hell out of Saturday night.
    
    

• 
  
• 
  

OI OI

Saturday 31st May took us to Kingsmeadow - home of the mighty, mighty Wombles (AFC Wimbledon) to see The Blockheads - minus of course the inimitable Ian Dury, what a waste!  I think any hope of Ian Dury RIP-ing is scant, if there is an after life he will be creating merry hell.

Arriving at 8pm was like arriving at your second cousins wedding circa 1985.  The venue was a large room carpeted, aside from a square 'dance floor' in front of a stage.  Chairs were placed around the sides of the room for elderly relatives to catch up and there was a slight whiff of stale beer.  In fact all that was missing was a table laden with vol-a-vents and a drunken uncle giving it all to 'Hi-Ho Silver Lining.'  (Never fear - he made his presence felt later on)

The dance happy girls were accompanied by my gig-widow husband Guy and long time friend and gig rediscoverer Jerry, and I am somewhat ashamed to say we grabbed our seats around the edge to catch up.  I'm glad that we did - we were in for a long wait!   A great range of 'tunes' were played to keep our toes tapping; The Clash, The Jam, Buddy Holly, Souxie….. but as Gorgeous George were in our sight lines happily imbibing many beers - we knew that nothing was going to happen very quickly.

At 09.05 two of Gorgeous George (Charlie and Tom?) took to the stage and gave us a Horrible Historiesesque ode to Julius Caesar and a number of rants set to music.  They were well played (Tom on bass was class) and performed with passion and volume.  They dealt with hecklers with consummate good humour and potty mouthed comebacks and seemed genuinely thrilled to be on the same stage as the Blockheads.  Complaining that they were being paid in beer that night they suggested we all chip in £1 for the set - they were amused and bemused in equal measure when Janie found them later that night and paid her contribution :)

Having hugged the edges of the 'dance floor' for Gorgeous George, we led the move to the front and took our places in touching distance of the stage for the arrival of The Blockheads at 10pm


And how can such an odd assortment of men make such a bloody great sound?  On stage before me appeared to be Griphook the Goblin, an out of work Santa and a man wearing crocs 

n


















Otherwise known as; Norman Watt-Roy, Derek the Draw, and Chaz Jankel (You'll have to take my word about the crocs)  But the sound was unmistakable Blockheads and singing and dancing were the order of the night.  

Janie and I and a petite blonde 'blockette' held court at the front of the stage and were forced to hold firm when the 'drunken uncle' descended.  Waiting for songs he recognised 'sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll' or 'reasons to be cheerful'  He swooped down forcing his way to the front with his proud beer baby (looked almost full term to me) swinging with abandon and destroying anything in his path. He hadn't reckoned with the dance happy girls who might look soft and fluffy but don't spend three hours on our feet to relinquish our spot to a fair weather fan, no matter how great his bulk!!!  OI OI

Norman Watt-Roy is bloody marvellous - so entirely into the music he played with the most extraordinary skill and passion, sweating his own body weight into his dapper goblin suit.  Derek the Drew is no Ian Dury - he secreted a crib sheet into his hand for the newer material and could have done with a sound boost as some of the lyrics were a little lost in drum and base but it was a credible performance and the audience were happy to add a little bulk to the lyrics.  

It was a joyous set from start to finish and the audience got what they came for.  A bloody good time.  Well done Blockheads - a reason to be cheerful :)

Hard to say Hoosiers without smiling :)

Pain that has become so much a part of my life it is too monotonous to talk about - but it is still there and impacting upon my enjoyment of the gigs that I can get to.  However the trend is my friend and I will attempt to record without becoming bitter and twisted about feeling 100 years old.

So, Thursday 29th May saw the hobble happy - oops sorry DANCE happy girls (Janie is not hobbling in the slightest I might add - although her shoulder….) head North to Angel - the Islington O2 to be the oldest swingers in town at a Hoosiers gig.  We kid you not, these tickets bore a reminder that children under the age of 8 would not be permitted!!!

Doors opened at 7.30 - we arrived by 8 to find the support well underway.  A sweet but distinctly underwhelming man in an alice band, who invited us to buy or steal his CD.  Neither option appealed although a sneaky peak at the flier declared him to be Mike Dignam.

He has a tour coming up - tickets are £9 (pocket money prices) and are already sold out in Norwich!  Catch him quickly - his Mum said that he has to be home before August.





There was a great deal of waiting around after young Mike before the second support of the evening - Ariana and the Rose.  Forget small boys with floppy hair, this was girl crush territory as a diminutive and utterly gorgeous Ariana sang her heart out with a series of melodic and spunky songs she had penned herself.  There was a bad moment for Janie when they performed a cover of The Eurythmics 'Sweet dreams' but the girl did good.  She's no Annie Lennox but had the benefit of performing to an audience too young to know who Annie Lennox was!


'
'In your Bed' loved it!

After Ariana there were endless sound checks, many many guitars to be strummed by gawky roadies prompting a  "They're not the f***ing Rolling Stones' from a slightly disgruntled Janie.  I was in full agreement - didn't they realise that it was after 9.30!  Luckily it wasn't a school night - most of this audience were up past their bedtime ;)

However, from the moment a grinning Alan Sharland clasping a pint of something that wasn't evian took to the drum kit the audience were willing to forgive them anything.  Monochrome Set take note - these guys are BORN to perform and they took us with them through a jolly wheeze of a set which had even doubters like me bopping and singing and grinning from ear to ear.

The Hoosiers - set list

• 1. Somewhere In The Distance 
  2. Unlikely Hero 
  3. Make or Break 
  4. Fidget Brain 
  5. Worried About Ray 
  6. My Last Fight 
  7. Rocket Star 
  8. Cops And Robbers 
  9. Weirdo 
  10. To The Lions 
  11. Made To Measure 
  12. Encore:
  12. Choices 
  13. Handsome Girls and Pretty Boys 
  14. Goodbye Mr A 
      
      
      
      
      
      

Irwin Sparkes gives good frontman.  He fully engages with the audience - leaving the stage on occasion to wander amongst us.  But this is no one man band, the uninitiated such as myself were surprised to discover how often other members of the band took lead vocals.

I loved Fidget Brain from the New LP, a perfect anthem for the girl who never sleeps and of course you cannot hear 'Worried about Ray' without joining in.  This was a class act from a band who take themselves seriously without taking themselves too seriously.  I defy you to say 'The Hoosiers' without smiling. 

Punk for Gentleman

I had been out of gigging action for several weeks due to being struck down with back trouble, so Janie let me back in gently with a local gig at the Half Moon in Putney on 24th May.  It was my first time at the Half Moon but being a short bus ride away (The bus LITERALLY stops right outside my door) and a thoroughly cool place to hang out, it won't be my last.

We had time for a quick beer in a small but perfectly formed beer garden before heading in to the music venue, a fabulously intimate room which despite being a non-smoker myself, really should be full of cigarette smoke.

This was an entirely different crowd to our usual haunts, not the fat middle-aged bearded men of synth nor the jovial hatted and booted ska crowd but a different beast altogether.  This was a uniquely dapper audience; predominantly, but not entirely, male; well dressed in an elegantly edgy way; an undeniably loyal group of music minded folk!

The support were a revelation and I fell a little bit in love with The Fallen Leaves.

Rob Green, lead singer of The Fallen Leaves, proclaimed his music to be 'punk for gentlemen' and he is the consummate mixture of the two.
The perfect illustration being when he drew from his pocket a lit cigarette and proceeded to blow perfect smoke rings mid song.  Electronic of course - it's against the law to smoke in a public place!

Elegantly dressed in cravat and waistcoat Rob Green plays with the concept of the observer and the observed.  Disconcertingly his set included moments of staring out at the audience, reminding this primary school teacher  of Anthony Browne's 'Zoo'.

Who's watching who?

Whilst at other times pouring himself a 'nice cup of tea' from a thermos.

Intriguing man that Mr Green.
(Picture by Paul Hughes)

A taster of The Fallen Leaves.












Who are the Monochrome Set?

I still don't know and I really didn't know what to make of them.  The drummer arrived on stage with an air of joie de vivre and a fez perched jauntily upon his head a la Madness circa 1982.  He set off with an impressive, almost tribal beat and the rest of Monochrome set appeared on stage - a singularly miserable looking bunch who gave us the ubiquitous Monochrome Set as an opening number.  This was a number that even the uninitiated could chant along to.




Why not give it a try!

I don't know what to make of The Monochrome Set (I think it's worth saying twice)  I have an inkling that some of the lyrics are really clever in a dry sardonic way but I was utterly mesmerised by two key factors; the fabulous suit and f***ing miserable demeanour of Lester Square




and the antics of the two cuddly bunnies in the front row.  An woman of indeterminate age had brought two soft toys to the set, secured herself a spot right in front of the stage and proceeded to dance the bunnies from the first song to the last.  It was entrancing, not necessarily in a good way.  There was the distinct impression that this was not the first time the bunnies had been to a Monochrome Set gig and despite my desire to drown them in my pint, it probably won't be the last.



This was an interesting gig - I was left with a greater desire to see The Fallen Leaves again than I was The Monochrome Set, yet I will definitely go and listen to more music from The Monochrome Set.