Highstone, Monday's Child and Croithe at the George Tavern

I confess I only went to this bill to see the openers, Highstone. It was convenient as the George Tavern is pretty easy to get to from the office (being only one stop on the DLR from Bank) and I happen to work Wednesdays. It was nice having a chat with the guys. I warned them that they can expect me at most of their future gigs!

Now I have said in the past that with new bands there is a degree of the more you put in the more you get out. By which I mean the more often you see them, the more familiar you get with their songs and the more they therefore catch on in your head. But the lead singer did warn me that they had written a lot of new songs so it will be a very different set to the last time I had seen them. So much for increasing familiarity!

Nevertheless I enjoyed their set. As I have said before about this band, as much as anything else I like their potential as much as what they do. The lead singer's voice is really good, his mate on guitar adds very good backing and harmonies in quite a high register, they sound competent musicians and they are a good looking bunch of lads (albeit rather tall apart from the drummer - I get a crick in the neck chatting to them!) Like everyone else, they need good catchy songs. And possibly a bit more stage craft - something to make them draw you in. (My next entry will include Sweet Unrest and Stereo Cupid who both manage that!)

Another plus point compared to previous times I have seen them was that, for an opening act at a pub gig, they had a very decent audience. Place wasn't packed but they were by no means playing to a handful of punters. 

I pretty much got best shots after the gig as they were hastily re-hydrating and gathering their equipment. This was just because of the lighting. The George's specialty is for the bands to be in some gloomy coloured tone, but with small very bright lights at the back just below the ceiling. This means a lot of photos I discard simply because there is the equivalent of a Colditz searchlight right next to a singer's head, effectively obliterating their features!

And my comments about the lighting is the reason why I took no shots of the following two acts, as well as I didn't much like them. I could only really get anything vaguely usable by getting right to the front and I just couldn't be bothered as I had a seat towards the back with a table for my beer.

Monday's Child were a female Irish group (bar the bloke on drums) who would have been ok except that I found the leads singer's vocals really harsh on the ear (another reason I preferred not to be too close!). The headliners Croithe were also Irish. My main problem with them was consistency - some very soft stuff, some belting post punk. And I had had a long day....