The Rizz, Sweet Unrest and Charlie Blitz at the Blues Kitchen Brixton

A rare foray south of the river for me, and a new venue, the Blues Kitchen Brixton. And a really nice venue too. This is the upstairs bar where the gig was - and its quite a large space, with a decent sized stage to boot. Even the two five piece bands didn't seem cramped, compared to many of the Camden venues where they are often elbow to elbow.

The downstairs bar is even cooler

So I came here mainly because I wanted to see Sweet Unrest again. Love these guys. But ironically never seem to get to see them on their home turf as although they have now returned to play the Camden Eye every fortnight on a Friday night, I always seem to have other things on - tomorrow Dara O'Briain, fortnight after dinner in Oxford, fortnight after that on holiday, fortnight after that a gig at Dingwalls....etc

Opening was Charlie Blitz, who a cursory look on internet suggested was a black reggae singer, but lo it turned out to be a white rapper from Bromley. Am afraid I just can't get beyond my total failure to get rap as an art form. Just not very good poetry spouted at speed and with monotonous tone. If I was going to like a rapper it might have been this engaging young man, who seemed genuinely stoked to be playing here. But, even with the introduction of his mate (inevitably "brother"), Blythe this just didn't capture my interest even fleetingly. Also felt an odd bit of casting - a rapper before two five piece rock bands. Like putting a concert pianist on as a support to a heavy metal band.

Charlie and Blythe below. Might take this opportunity to observe that the lighting was not great for taking photos even though I had got myself right to the front. Low lights and moving subjects equals blurring.

So onto Sweet Unrest. I mentioned to Tom that this was a new venue for me and he said it was the same for them. Jack also plugged their Camden shows because there were a "lot of new faces here tonight". I think there truly is a north/south London divide. We north Londoners were in a foreign realm. Which is obviously an opportunity to impress a new crowd. And without being packed this was a decent sized crowd who had turned up for the whole show, not just to see the headliners.

A good little set from the boys - no surprises as I have heard them all before. But rather than being bored by that, I like the familiarity. And genuinely think they are very good.

Jack didn't take too long before removing jacket and t-shirt

Marlon was right in front of where I was, but that didn't make it easy to take photos of him, or indeed his successor in the next band, because that was not where the lighting generally went!

And finally headliners the Rizz, who had been recommended to me. Indeed they are quite comparable to Sweet Unrest although I think Sweet Unrest are the better band. For a start they have better songs, although maybe that only reflects that I have heard all of Sweet Unrest's output multiple times and this was my first exposure to the Rizz repertoire. Sweet Unrest are undoubtedly a better looking bunch of guys. And also just more entertaining on stage, although the lead singer of the Rizz has some presence. Both have three guitarists and a drummer, play somewhere in a punk lite style, and have a lead vocalist who is untrammeled by a guitar and therefore can concentrate on being an entertainer.

And both bands played one old cover - Sweet Unrest their usual Play that Funky Music (by Wild Cherry), the Rizz playing the Clash's London Calling (and doing a very decent job of it).

Using my normal band quality test, would I go out of my way to see the Rizz again? No probably not. Would I be happy if they turned up on another bill? Yes very much so. Afraid I don't really see them breaking out of South London and conquering the country. But I may be proved wrong!

Prior to the gig I was drinking with colleagues (not a healthy night - three drinks, no food!) one of whom was commenting on how expensive gigs were now, and how you used to be able to just roll up and get a ticket on the door. Now you virtually need to put your name down at birth for tickets and re-mortgage the house to pay for them. Except no, you just have to hunt out these bands and these places. nearly all my gigs are around £10 and some of the venues are great. (This one even had nice loos. Not, I admit, always the case....).



 

Another Day, Bitter Pearl and Ina End at the Elephants Head

My second trip in a week to the Elephants Head in Camden. Friday I went to see a Welsh band called Lacross Club (not a spelling mistake, that's how they spell it They are Welsh). But tonight I was seeing a band that I had seen a few times before, Another Day.

Now I can't really complain about the venue given the gigs are free, but the place is really not ideal for live music. The stage is in the corner next to the main entrance to the pub. So anyone trying to enter while a band is playing has first to run the gauntlet of the band's audience (and if they are a punk band like the Lacross Club, that is a very "energetic" audience). And the acts are playing in the windows of the pub, which means we see all the passers by behind them.

And this is a particular issue when an act is as direly boring as tonight's opener, Ina End, who had come from Paris to play here (although she was American). Now to start with I really don't like solo singer songwriters - they almost always bore me. The exceptions are those with a terrific voice or who can play guitar with some aplomb. This young lady came in neither category and even switching from electric to acoustic and back did not relieve the tedium. She offered slightly yelping vocals over basic strumming with a pretty dead eyed stare. Which meant one was easily distracted into watching the passers by behind her, or even looking at the graffiti on the other side (it's Camden; there is a lot of graffiti). Anything was more interesting than her.

I assumed the second act would be an improvement  - 4 piece indie guitar band is more my style. But Bitter Pearl were a bitter disappointment. More interesting to watch than the opener - at least there were four of them. But I wouldn't describe any of what they did as songs. A collection of random playing with a less than adequate lead vocalist.

So finally to Another Day. I did ask the lead singer Louis why they were playing a place like this and he just said they fancied playing somewhere small. (A tour of proper venues is apparently to be announced shortly. But this place is literally too small for them. I don't mean too small for their potential audience; I mean too small to accommodate the five members of the band on stage. I suggested to Louis that he doesn't try his trademark backflip for fear of injury, but he said he intended to, but he and his brother only managed their party trick by asking the audience to make a space in front of the stage.

Anyway they started as usual with Astile (on percussion) reading one of his poems, below.

And then onto the band working through their set with gusto, if restricted movement. They aren't pulling up trees, but as a band they are quite appealing. I will certainly try and see them at a London date of their tour

 

Christ Church Meadow and Regents Park

An unusual combination. I took a young friend to Oxford for the day - took a look around the city centre, colleges, the Ashmolean Museum but in particular I fancied a walk around Christ Church Meadow to take some photos of the college across the partly flooded meadow. What I hadn't taken into account was that the paths would also be partially flooded - basically just a series of puddles. My young friend was not amused having worn smart clean trainers for a city walk. Anyway, I got some nice shots.

I also took him to my old college - me in Canterbury Quad

Anyway, the lad said he was under the weather a bit so we returned to London early afternoon. (He said he had enjoyed the time, just was not well, and I will take that as true. I am vain enough to want to believe it!)

So with an unexpected bit of afternoon and some sunshine to enjoy I popped into Regents Park.

I almost timed it perfectly. Almost. Nice weather in the park, but as I left it started to tip it down with a ten minute walk to Warren Street still ahead of me. Through some of the office blocks that have recently sprung up around Euston.

Then home to cook dinner and watch Coventry v Middlesbrough on ITV 4. 

Coventry 3 Middlesbrough 1. Great day!