Scarlet Sometimes, the Roves, Cape Orange and Jimmy and the Boonies at Paper Dress Vintage

I hadn't heard anything of Scarlet Sometimes in ages, but having enjoyed previous gigs, when I saw this one come up I decided to go for it. Never heard anything about any of the other bands listed, and Scarlet Sometimes weren't even the headline act, but always willing to give things a go.

Now Paper Dress Vintage isn't ideal for me as a venue as its in Hackney and not on the tube. Didn't help that the venue didn't open until well after the doors open time on the ticket. So time to kill in Hackney. Hackney is the sort of area that one might term "edgy" or "gritty". Gritty is a euphemism for grotty of course. It is also trendy. Like Brixton for example it was once a very smart middle class suburb. But has subsequently gone downhill. Deep down. But is on the rise because there is still a desirable Victorian housing stock. So, next to the venue is the tower of the old St Johns Church, the churchyard and the new St John's (started in 1790, "new" is a comparative term!) . Which were all pleasant to wander around on a warm summer evening with time to kill. Once one had got past the drunks and the druggies who were out in numbers. Its that sort of place.

So, finally in. Opening act the unpromising sounding Jimmy and the Boonies. In most ways I would say not up to much, except for the important thing - they actually sounded quite good. Post punk band and that is the sort of music I like. So made up for the lead vocalist's grumpiness at the small crowd (the place did fill totally later in the evening) - his less than inspiring vocals and the band's lack of stage presence. But the songs really sounded pretty good. So actually a decent start to the evening.

I wasn't sure if Cape Orange were an all girl band or not. I concluded that the long haired Asian guitarist at the back was a bloke, so maybe not. But they were good whatever. Unlike openers, the lead singer had an excellent voice and overall they sounded good, and had the stage presence the openers lacked. A good experience.

Third act were the ones I had come to see, Scarlet Sometimes. This is a band who should be bigger, but don't seem to have much of a presence on social media or the internet. But Lorcan Alexander has a great voice and rather winning personality, and they have good collection of songs. I also like their potpourri make-up (what might now be termed "diverse") with a Chinese drummer and female bassist who isn't there just to look pretty. You should check them out. If you can find them. It may not be easy!

The last act were the Roves. Third act in a row to have a lead vocalist with a really good voice. You might take that for granted, but honestly, when it comes to indie rock or punk, you cannot. Sometimes this matters less than others. There are a lot of bands I like whose lead singer has just a passable voice. That is fine. But its nice sometimes to have a perfect voice, someone who can hold a note, has power and a good vocal range. The guy from the Roves had all that. Not otherwise a pop singer's appearance. Well on the way to having a triple chin let alone a double one, and with a slightly unnerving stare into the middle of the audience.  This was a sort of cross between rock n roll and country. But a good end to the evening with a happy if modest sized crowd.