Emergency Break and CVC at Oslo

No I haven't started to travel abroad for gigs. This was not Oslo Norway, but Oslo Hackney. Its a nice venue and really quite close to where I live as the crow flies. But not so good for real transport.

Anyway, this gig gave me a chance to finally track down a band I had wanted to see liv for ages, Emergency Break. And they didn't disappoint. Sort of post punk band, full of energy with a brilliantly entertaining front man, Leo. Look forward to seeing them headline in due course. Real force of nature stuff. They gave this their all, especially Leo, as if they were playing Wembley rather than a small and slightly ageing gathering in Hackney. But I suspect they made a few converts. Leo is a vey engaging young man (the rest of the band seem a lot more introverted but he has personality to spare. Hope they get much bigger.

During the interval before the main act I met up with a new colleague of mine who is a big fan of the main act, because they are from Cardiff where he went to university. Obviously I was very chuffed that a young man finds me at a trendy venue in Hackney. How cool! 

CVC have obviously been around for a while, but I don't know why I hadn't heard of them before. Everyone around me in the crowd to whom I got chatting swore I would be impressed. And I was. Thoroughly. Everything. Songs were great, vocals and harmonies superb, friendly jocular personae.

I left the venue very entertained and with two CVC cds!

 

Overpass and Balancing Act at the Scala

I found I had a Thursday night free in my diary and so had a little scout around for gigs in London, and saw a band that I had read good reviews about playing at the Scala. Only problem was that the gig was sold out. But I added myself to the waiting list and lo and behold a ticket came up just before I was due to leave for the office party the night before. I hastily bought the ticket and felt quite pleased with myself for trying.

I felt even more pleased when I went to the gig. The Scala is a great venue for me as just by Kings Cross. Its also not too small, capacity is a few hundred, but its small enough that I could take up a place on one of the balconies, giving me a perfect unobstructed view, although a little too far back to take photos on my phone (my camera being out of action).

So the opening act were called Balancing Act, and they were really pretty good, and clearly had brought their own following. Unfortunately this included an incredibly over excited blond girl who had clearly got there super early in order to bag a spot right in front of the band. She was whooping and waving a sign, and jumping up and down. And I am all for kids enjoying themselves. However. She was properly over hyped and suspect was either drunk or on some drugs. Because halfway through the main act she collapsed, the gig had to stop, the band go off stage and she had to be carried out. All rather a dampener.

As I say, Balancing Act were, for a support at small venue, good.

But then came on Overpass. And we stepped up a league. I was going to call them a poor man's The Sherlocks, and they do sound very much like them, both musically and in the voice of the lead vocalist. But "poor man's" is a slightly unfair description (except maybe in ticket price) because there was nothing poor about the performance nor their repertoire. They are the equal of their better known fellow northerners. The audience was very young - I would say average age about 20 - and they had great time. A prodigious mosh pit got going, and the crowd sung along lustily. Very enjoyable evening and well worth my persistence in getting a ticket. I felt handsomely rewarded.