Cavetown and Hunny at Shepherds Bush Empire

I need to give some background to booking this gig. Usually my reviews are positive because I am going to see an act I like. But this one, as you will discover later, is not a positive review!

Young Luka sent me a clip of this American band called Hunny and it sounded fine. So I looked to see if they were playing live and yes they were in London and I could buy "Hunny tickets." Luka wanted to go so I duly booked. Only on getting tickets did I ascertain that Hunny were not the headline, but the support to an act called "Cavetown".

A little research showed Cavetown not to be a band but a young singer songwriter. A video on youtube didn't look promising. I could see where his appeal might lie - with teenage girls. A bit like Declan McKenna whom another friend persuaded me to see, which we both regretted. Anyway, I suggested to Luka that we might avoid going at doors open because my guess was there would be a queue of besotted girls who would be standing in line for ages before doors open. So we would leave it a little bit to let them pass through on opening, especially as the weather was inclement. Unfortunately a miscalculation on my part. We ended up still with a long queue but almost the entire audience was there ahead of us. Any normal indie gig and the crowd slowly comes in over a period with a lot just making it before the main act. But almost all the 2000 crowd had arrived by 6:30. And almost all teenage girls, plus a lot of parents.

Anyway, we duly saw Hunny. No chance of getting to the front so I watched from the back - with the parents. Hunny are from California and are perfectly passable. If  they were headlining I would have thought it a perfectly enjoyable performance. Decent guitar band of the sort you might get opening a festival.

 

Now one amusing feature of the concert I thought was that they had a young woman at the side of the stage signing the concert for the deaf. I am sorry, but I can't help feeling that if deaf a rock concert might not be the best form of entertainment for you. And the generally rather inane lyrics could probably be given a miss!

Anyway, then we had Cavetown. How can I describe him? If the Brits Awards had a category for "Drippiest Male" he would win. Every year. Hands down. Just really wimpy songs sung in a voice which most reminded me of Kermit the Frog during his brief music career. The audience seemed to know all the words and sing them; if you were down at the front I suspect the crowd would have largely drowned his own vocals.

He did a cover of Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me", introducing it as one for the parents who might like it, while patiently waiting to take their offspring home. Which made me feel he fully realised he was not a rock star but a children's entertainer.

Behind him was a drummer, who looked more bored than any person I have ever seen performing on stage. Think Brains from Thunderbirds but without the muscular development. (And presumably the brains.) Well you can see for yourself.

And then, to our amazement, he brings on stage his large teddy bear. Ozzy Osbourne would be turning in his grave (if he were dead). I mean just how little girl orientated can we get?

Someone threw a lettuce on stage. Because Cavetown is a vegan. Luka signalled I told you so as hard as he could. He didn't throw it back, presumably as a vegan he lacked the strength to do so.

We left somewhat before the end. Luka was leaning against a pillar and almost nodding off by this stage. (But then again so was the drummer.) The plus point was I got decent photos even though I was watching right at the back over the Bar. Cavetown was well lit and most importantly almost entirely static so no blurring of images. (Hunny were much tougher as they were a rock band and felt the need to show it!)

Of course the youngsters loved it, and the parents survived. But this was not for us.