The Enemy at Koko

I liked this gig far more than I expected. A bad start in that I couldn't find anyone to take up my spare ticket to join me.

But a better start was that I got there so early I got a pint in their happy hour and a place right at the front on the barrier. And I do love Koko as a venue. Small, and decorative and just a bit over the top. Here it is almost empty but with lights in full swing.

Two supports tonight. The first was a band called the Ends from Canvey Island. Loud and likeable, just not very good. Plenty of enthusiasm though. The drummer put so much in to it that he had whipped his T-shirt off after a couple of thrashes. But the lead singer basically had no voice, just an ability to shout.

But they did offer a good contrast to the Dexters. This is a band further on. They all looked older. they could play better. The lead singer may be a bit podgy and not exactly boy band material, but he could belt out numbers with a genuine singing, as opposed to shouting, voice. They obviously had a bit of a following in the crowd too. Competent.

 

Then the Enemy. Probably not the critics favourites, but I have seen them several times. They do reward a trip out. The thing is, this was a performance for the crowd, not a plug for their latest album. So most of the songs played were from their first, and only really good album, "We'll Live and Die in these Towns", a great punky set of anthems about growing up in a crap town. (Actually my one, Coventry, as this is a a Coventry band). And they didn't hesitate to play a few cover versions to add to their repertoire - Blur's "Tender" (unlikely as a bit of a ballad but neatly slowed down the pace), James' Sit Down (much more in their genre) and The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work" (just down to Tom with his guitar).

Now first thing to say is the Tom Clarke may look like a chav urchin, but for a little bloke he has a great belting voice that he needs to get over the wall of noise this three-piece produce. We aren't talking a sweet operatic tone, but its so much better than any of the punks of my generation could call upon.

Perhaps the other remark I should make is they come across as just a bunch of idiots out to have a laugh. And I say that in an affectionate way. Because just having a laugh and enjoying oneself in a non-intellectual way can be great. What's wrong with that? Although the bouncers at the front didn't look happy when the band encouraged the audience to "come over the top", changing the odd crowd surfer every song into a tidal wave of idiots. And at the end, bass guitarist Andy Hopkins, rather than just bowing and slipping off stage, instead just crowd surfed himself, diving into the audience.

 Tom Clarke

Andy Hopkins

Marcus Brigstocke

Saturday night isn't always for dancing. Certainly not for me. Instead I had a comedy night with a young friend. Although for him I was merely the early shift as he was going onto a ball, and so presumably dancing was on the card. Anyway, after an early Chinese meal we headed to the Soho Theatre to see Marcus Brigstocke.

Now Marcus has been around for some years and I have heard lots of his radio work, but not seen him live. And while he falls into that none too small group of very posh left wing comics, this routine was not at all (well except for a quick swipe at UKIP) political. And I really liked it. It was largely based on his own backstory, revealing two surprising details, the first that as a teenager he was hugely overweight, the second that having lost a lot of weight, he worked as a dancer. Which he proved by finishing the gig with an Eighties dance routine. Not many comics do that. Actually he was a good mover which one wouldn't expect to look at him. Its not so much because he is tall, but I think because he wears glasses. Have you ever seen anyone dancing in glasses?

He also did a neat routine about a genital examination. One can never go too far wrong with jokes about willies. And showed off his ability to imitate accents with a routine that covered just about everyone to show he wasn't racist, from Nigerian to West Country (which is where he hails from).

Arctic Monkeys at Finsbury Park

My first outdoor gig of the summer. And it was dry.

It has been years since I have been to a gig at Finsbury Park. They had an innovation of putting a wide ring of barriers around the stage and then only letting in a certain number to the inner sanctum. To help crowd control no doubt. Anyway it was fine.

First up on the bill were Royal Blood. Now there is a good reason why one rarely comes across duos of guitarist/singer and drummer. Only really the White Stripes who pulled this off. It doesn't really give you a sophisticated sound. It didn't for Royal Blood either. Bit crude.

My trainee having joined me from work, next up on the Friday evening bill was the great Leighton Baines lookalike, Miles Kane and his band. Have seen Miles a number of times and he ever disappoints. The crowd really liked him. An act that can get by without a set of hit songs behind him. Of course his mate, and co Last Shadow Puppeteer was yet to come.

Fortified by some chips and another beer, we returned to our compound to see the main support, Tame Impala. This was the first time I had seen this outfit, and the first time they had played such a big stage. It showed. The crowd were noticeably less enthusiastic for them than for Miles, although not necessarily less enthusiastic. They fall into the shoe-gazing category. They play for themselves more than the audience, and tended to form into a huddle as if for protection. They have a very decent sound, verging on prog rock without steeping over the boundary, but I have to say that if one heard them on cd one doesn't get anything more from seeing them live.

Not so from headliners the Arctic Monkeys. Alex Turner is getting too cool for skool. He frequently combed back his greased hair during the gg, and was wearing a cross between a jacket and a kimono with a bird-dropping pattern. But if you act cool enough and are a rock star you can get away with anything. And they did play a storming set with their now fine back catalogue of hits, although featuring more on AM, their latest album. But then again, unlike many bands, their latest is very good. They came on to AM's opening track, Do I wanna know?, which just has such a good intro to it that its just the perfect opener.

My trainee and I both went home happy, and with the extra bonus that we both live relatively nearby. For a gig that finishes at 10:30 I don't normally expect to get home just after 11. Good night all round.