Another Day, Adult Cat and Any Fool at the Social

This was a wonderful night out, although would be on hardly anyone's radar. Small gig in an obscure venue. But it was truly enjoyable from start to finish.

Lets start with the venue - the Social in Little Portland Street. I didn't even know there was a Little Portland Street, but since there is a Great Portland Street maybe I should have realised there would be a comparator! Upstairs there is a long narrow bar. In the basement there is a small bar at the back, but still with a decent range of beers on tap, with the long music venue in front of it. Even that length of auditorium is split in two lengthwise with seating (with tables) along one side and room to stand at the other. With a decent sized stage at the end.

So I was happy to start with as I got a pint of a nice pale ale and the barman ran me through what beers they had on tap. Such a nice change from the big venues where you just get the sponsors standard low grade lager served as fast as possible by harassed bar staff.

I then wandered into the business end, found a bench seat on the right and saw Astile Doherty of the headline act scribbling away. I asked him if he was doing last minute poetry homework, but no, he was writing out a set list by hand. Anyway, had a nice little chat with the guy and then settled back to await the first act, Any Fool, without much in the way of expectation.

Frankly, if its the opening act in a small venue on a Thursday night, one can have little in the way of expectations. But Any Fool were really good - a four-piece guitar band. No stagecraft, they just played their songs, but the music was good and played well. Lead singer had a decent voice (although slightly odd facial expressions during songs that made him look like straining from constipation!). But would definitely be up for seeing them again

  

I had also never come across the main support, Adult Cat, before. Another four piece, and while Any Fool were surprisingly good, this outfit was even more so. Plus more audience interaction. All three guitarists took turns on vocals, and indeed swapped guitars. They felt a proper outfit. Really good set; will definitely look out for them again.

One thing that made it such a good evening for me was that all three bands were playing in a very similar style. If one is coming to see a band who play in a particular genre, it is a fair assumption that you are coming because you enjoy that style of music. So if I am coming to see one indie rock guitar band I am more likely going to enjoy some other unknown bands also playing in that genre, rather than radically different supports. Maybe its in a misguided attempt at diversity, or they feel that we should be given some sort of variety show, but I hate it when I come to see a guitar band and am then presented with, say, a rap act, or a solo singer songwriter on acoustic guitar, as supports. It happens too often.

Anyway, here we had three acts of a very similar ilk and I loved them all. I happened to bump into Another Day's lead guitarist on the way out (having a fag) and remarked on how good the supports were as well as Another Day. I said it was taking a risk having supports that were so good they might show them up. He said that listening to Adult Cat back stage he told his fellow band members they had better do a good show to avoid being upstaged, so I wasn't the only one thinking that!

Well as it happens they were not upstaged. This might be the fourth time I have seen Another Day and I felt it was the best. I would like to think that they are improving, and writing more songs of course, although it also helps that I have now heard the songs enough that I properly recognise them. But they really are good, and Louis Hillier does have his own distinctive vocal style.

And he and his brother on bass both also did their trademark backflips. Louis was measuring out the scope for this on stage - a wide enough stage, but a low ceiling which he patted a few times with understandable caution.  He managed it. His brother took a safer option later on - dropping down into the audience where there was a bit more height clearance.

Astile pops up for a stint on vocals

And then Astile returns centre stage to read his poem Velvet Stone. I actually rather like it, although not personally into poetry much. The bedraggled hair betrays both that its warm, but even more the vigour with which he adds percussion in the background!

It helps that they are a nice bunch of young chaps. Indeed I feel they should play on that a bit more - bit more chat with the audience during the gig would not go amiss. I might have been tempted by their forthcoming gig in Brighton, but it coincides with a tube strike. The Brighton trains are one thing but with no tube to get me to them, well its a stretch too far. But I will definitely catch them again, and being such a family band I hope there is little chance of them breaking up before they have had the opportunity to make some more waves.

 

Entitled Sons and Afterdrive at Shepherds Bush Empire

I approached this gig with both eager anticipation and trepidation in equal measures. Anticipation as the Entitled Sons are one of the best live bands I have seen. Trepidation because since I first started seeing them in the back of pub type venues that are my usual haunt, they have been "discovered" by a large contingent of teenage girls. And I wasn't looking forward to being the one unaccompanied old bloke in a queue of schoolgirls. Nor indeed of standing amongst them at the front as is my usual position at a gig.

However my queue anxiety was solved by two ladies from Sweden (yes they had flown from Sweden just for this gig) who were behind me and we got chatting very happily. I did point out that coming in towards the venue there are two queues, one for the stalls and one for the balcony. And it was fairly evident which was which by the age profile of the members. Stalls were teenagers, balcony largely older people. In fact I rather assume mostly the parents of the youngsters in the stalls.

Now don't assume the band has an entirely teenage girl following. There were quite a few teenage boys there too. Its just that the girls are, shall we say, keener. So in practice they are the ones prepared to queue for longest and get to the front. As I noticed when I got in, at the back and around the bar was where most of the lads were, and a lot of parents.

I said the band had been "discovered" by all these girls. In reality of course, the band went to get the teenagers. Apparently they go into schools and do "personal appearances" at them. And clearly it works. When I first saw them in the back of the Half Moon pub in Putney the audience was a hundred at most. And they had to cajole the sparse crowd to come to the front as most were hogging the bar at the back. Last time I saw them was at the O2 in Islington and they had sold it out so a crowd of 800. Now they were at the Shepherds Bush Empire with a capacity of 2000. Not sold out but it seemed pretty full. And when I got in, the front was already packed many people deep. No need to usher people to the front now.

But the nice thing about the fact that there is a crowd who had come early to get places at the front is that it offers a great opportunity to a support band. Who tonight were Afterdrive, an indie band from Ipswich. I guess they usually play to audiences of a hundred, if that, but tonight were in front a four figure audience. And went down well. But, I hate to say this, I don't think teenage girls who have come to see a boy band are the most discerning audience. They had come for a good time. But it did mean they were enthusiastic and so was a great experience for the band, who took delight in getting a selfie of themselves at the end with a large audience behind them.

I couldn't face the phalanx at the front so instead found a little mini balcony (wide enough for only two people, at the back between the bar and the stairs down to the floor. This gave me what I really wanted - not to be up close to the band, but at least able to see them without peering over people. So basically I had a very pleasant vantage point. I needn't have feared.

So what of Afterdrive? I do find it difficult giving a proper assessment of a band of whom I have never heard, and in particular none of whose songs I had ever heard. Quite possibly there were some good tunes out there, but with nothing familiar it tends to wash over one. There is a much used (and abused) term of "indie landfill". And I felt this lot fell into it. Nothing to dislike. Looked good, lead singer had a decent voice. No real negatives. But just nothing at all to make me want to invest more time in listening to them. Very standard four-piece; two guitarists vocalist and drummer.

I did a little research after the gig and found their website where they described themselves as " four best friends making big waves in the UK music scene with their contemporary, unique and exciting take on pop, rock and indie."

Of course, the problem is that they are absolutely nothing like unique: not even slightly uncommon!ue and exciting take on pop, rock and indie.

And so to Entitled Sons, who came on to the level of screaming I really don't want in my earholes. But they really are a great band to see live and would recommend them to anyone. They have built up a  very good catalogue of songs, and they look great on stage with the combination of Charlie on vocals and Raffey on lead guitar providing all the charisma one could ask for. Funnily enough the the claims made by Afterdrive that I quoted above would actually apply to the Entitled Sons.

The photo below will give you some idea of how far back I actually was. Needed a lot of zoom to get decent shots, plus a bit of luck in terms of lighting and stillness. I have deleted a lot of blurred images. Particularly hard to get shots of Billie on keyboards or dad Graham on bass as they stayed on each side of the stage and literally were not sufficiently in the limelight!

Laurie on drums was, on occasion, better illuminated. As his brother Charlie noted, here Laurie was headlining Shepherds Bush Empire at 16, not even having sat his first GCSE! He is also a very fine drummer. Guess he started at a very early age.

Couple of shots of dad Graham, but as I say difficult to get decent shots at distance without perfect lighting, hence still a bit blurry.

Charlie milking the adoration above. And below the best photo showing how far back I was taking photos from. As you can see, if not sold out it was certainly a big crowd

Billie on keyboards. He seems to go through a major image change each time I see him. Now short red dyed hair (he used to have long curly locks in slightly hippie mode). And that is quite a statement jacket

I do have to reiterate what a great singer Charlie is. His vocals are superb for the music they play. Very strong, just slightly gravelly, just the perfect rock voice. Very talented lad.

I like these shots of Raffey and Charlie

Then there comes the point where Charlie asks the audience if they would like a free t-shirt and the guys each throw a band t-shirt into the crowd. Except for Raffey who takes off his own t-shirt and chucks it into the audience to hysteric excitement from the girls. And then plays the rest of the gig like a proper rock guitarist, bare chested.

I like these shots too with Charlie in shadow

I think the best shot I managed of oldest brother Billie

And one of Graham at least with face not blurred even if the arms and guitar are.

In previous shows I have seen Raffey go crowd surfing. Here he managed to go along the side of the venue, and obviously not in the lighting so rather blurred. But he was having a great time, as was the audience 

Brothers in arms