The Publics, Artaca and the Pedals at the Grace, Sweet Unrest at the Good Mixer

A weekend of cheap gigs for me at small venues, starting with my first visit to the Grace, a pub venue next door to the Garage in Islington. 

Once we had actually got in, this was great. Getting in was slow, and distinctly unwelcoming. Security in the bar just barked at me as to why I was there. I though it was just me, but he did same to next bloke. Having satisfied him I had a ticket I then joined the queue now snaking along the bar which ever so slowly edged upstairs. And the reason for the slowness was not usual security checks or anything, but the one guy at the top of the stairs checking all the tickets and seemingly unable to get the card reader to work easily on any of them. Given how few people were attending, and that tickets were only £12.50, I think he could have been quite safe that there was no serious forgery going on. If he could see a ticket for the event I really don't think he needed to scan it!

Anyway, finally inside this was a really nice little venue. And at £12.50 probably best value gig of the year. Sound and lighting were both really good.

Openers were called the Pedals and by the look of things just starting out. But the lead vocalist had a really good voice (and was unfeasibly tall) and they were very listenable to, so I enjoyed the set.

The second band I have seen a couple of times before and they always impressed me. Artaca. They were down one guitarist, but still sounded very good. Would love to see them headline and play an hour's set rather than just half an hour. Really good lead guitarist, Omar (on left below) and very strong (and ridiculously cool and good looking) lead vocalist Oscar, they really should succeed. What they maybe lack is a strong song, something with a good hook. 

The main act were the Publics. And they certainly didn't disappoint. Rather they left me feeling "why haven't I heard of this lot before? They are from Mansfield, not perhaps known as a hot bed of rock talent. But the lead singer has a superb rock voice (even better than the two preceding bands who we very good indeed) while the audience interaction was left largely to the lead guitarist who has bags of personality and just felt throughout like a bloke you would really want to get to know. A complete natural. 

Nice punky songs - they even did a McFly cover - Five Colours in Her Hair. All the energy of new wave sound without silly preening of punks. Cannot recommend them highly enough. They deserved a much bigger audience. And to be much better known. You read about them here first!

Enough glitter balls?

So much for Saturday night. On Sunday I went to the Good Mixer in Camden to see Sweet Unrest, the band I had seen supporting the Vapors the previous weekend. Now this was very big step down in terms of venue. It was a free gig and I immediately saw why. I entered the bar looking for a back room but there wasn't one - bands played effectively in the front window. The sole harassed barmaid looked thoroughly fed up. Such a contrast to my pub in Bowes Park.

There was a support, Handsome Waitress. Did their best, but I found the girl singer's voice really grated. Did a spirited souped up version of Wham!'s Last Christmas though I think she forgot the words in a couple of places.

Now While I said sound and lighting at the little Grace venue were really excellent, here they were the opposite. As you can see the lights were non existent. And as for the sound, well there was this one guy who spent a lot of the time hunched over his equipment as if asleep, and when awake his main occupation seemed to be rolling a cigarette. The bassist of Sweet Unrest tried to get him to put the sound up and got the reply, "I can't be bothered with this, just get on and play." Which didn't seem the best of customer service. Later the bloke popped out to smoke his fag so bassist moved in to have a twiddle, which when the bloke returned drew an angry enough reaction that they almost broke into a fight, being split up only by the lead singer.

So all in all not able to display the best of their talents. Chatting to one of the guitarists he said none of them were sure who booked this gig. But they have a residence at the Camden Eye next year, so will try and see them there. I have the lead singer texting me gig info!

 

Lightning Seeds at the Forum

In contrast to my gig the night before, this one had a sold out crowd of over 2000 and the act was far from a youthful indie band. Here were the Lightning Seeds celebrating 35 years in the business.

No support was advertised, but after about an hour an old bloke wandered on the the stage and unannounced. Perhaps he thought we should have recognised him, or that he simply didn't care. When someone made a request from the crowd he replied along the lines of " I reckon I can play whatever I like. Its only 30 minutes of your lives." As it happens I did recognise him as Wreckless Eric. A friend of mine at school liked him, back in the day - which is over 40 years ago.

I did feel this was wasted opportunity for some young indie band to be able to set out their stall before a larger crowd, albeit a distinctly older crowd. Clearly the Lightning Seeds haven't been picking up much of a youthful following to add to us old folk.

Anyway, I can't say I was impressed by his set.

By contrast the Lightning Seeds were everything I could have asked for. Great set of songs spanning their career, Ian Broudie totally affable and relaxed. Confident witty banter with his crowd

Half way into the set Ian called on Wreckless Eric and together they played the only Wreckless Eric song people might know, Whole Wide World.

On the far side of the stage from where I was stood, and so generally no more than a murky blur in the dry ice, was the youthful presence of Ian Broudie's son, Riley.

The show took in all their many fine tunes - Lightning Seeds have a lot of very distinctive songs that are much pillaged for background music and so may be familiar to people in bite size pieces, like Pure, Lucky You, You Showed Me. Plus the odd cover version like Be My Baby. They ended their set, to my surprise, with by far their best known track - Three Lions. I just felt that is such a worn football anthem they might have omitted it.

Then back for an encore, culminating in the brilliant Life of Riley, possibly most recognised as background loop for Match of the Day's Goal of the Month competition. Famously this was inspired by Ian's baby son Riley. Who now was playing guitar next to his dad on the song written about him as a babe, but now a young man his twenties. Sweet