Until fairly recently, I’d not heard of the Split Squad.
But, when I’d heard that Clem Burke was their drummer, and they had a gig around the corner in the Central Bar, I bought a couple of tickets right away.
In the days leading up to the gig, I played their stuff in the bar. Some of it sounded a little dated at first, like US indie music from the early 90s. But it really grew on me.
The band were genuinely good too, it was a great gig.
And Clem Burke was a lovely guy.
I might have inflicted the Dead South on customers in the bar over the past couple of weeks.
I’d wanted to see them when they last toured the UK, but somehow it never happened. Despite a virus that’s been hanging on for weeks, I wasn’t going to miss them last night.
And I’m so glad I made the effort. They were just brilliant.
A few days ago, with a rather nice bunch of people, I spent the day in York, ending with Paul Carrack at the Barbican.
Even though I’ve spent a lot of time in York, often walking past the Barbican, I’d never been there for a gig.
And it was a good one – such a talented guy.
So, last week, it was Fat Freddy’s Drop. In Durham.
And, the week before, Belle & Sebastian. Wonderful.
Another week, another gig. I’ve not been to many in recent times; Covid, then the bar, got in the way. In the last year, I’ve even felt the need to miss a couple of gigs because I was too busy.
Now that the bar’s stable, and I’m working less hours, there’s more time to fit things in.
The other day, I saw the Beat at the Boilershop. Of course, there are two versions of the band. I did see the Ranking Roger-led version a decade or so ago. They were pretty good, but lacked the original lead vocal sound.
This time, Dave Wakeling led this version of the band. While he was the only original band member this time around, and his Birmingham accent is no more, the band worked really well.
One of my favourite bands of the early 80s, I never actually got to see them at the time. And their time together was relatively short.
A good night though, with Bow Wow Wow, another 80s band that disappeared a long time ago.
So, I’ve been to three gigs in three weeks; something I’ve not done in a long time. Only because I don’t get a lot of time away from the bar right now.
Anyway, all three were great. There’s nothing more to say really.
CMAT, the Rescue Rooms, Nottingham.
Kip Moore, the Sage, Gateshead.
Interpol, O2 Academy, Edinburgh.
So, a few days ago, we set off for Nottingham in the van.
Needless to say, it broke down. Maybe that’s a little harsh. It wasn’t exactly a breakdown. We stopped at Wetherby services for coffee.
And then the van wouldn’t start.
After 20 minutes, a twelve year old RAC guy turned up. And fixed it in five minutes. A wire had fallen off. We both made the obvious judgement that someone so young wouldn’t have a clue.
And we were so wrong.
And we made it to Nottingham and back.
While we were there, we visited (among a couple of other places) the Partizan Tavern; a lovely micropub. We’ll, they’d been to our bar a few months ago. If you ever find yourself in Nottingham, it’s worth a visit.
And Neon Raptor’s just around the corner.
Weirdly, a cool T3/25 (depending on which bit of the world you’re from) drove pass when we were there.
Oh yes, CMAT was brilliant.
We went to our first gig in a while the other night. The surprisingly good Kiefer Sutherland.
Surprisingly because I’d assumed that music was a bit of a hobby for him. Sometimes it’s good to be wrong.
We made a trip to Leeds the other day, for a gig; Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.
Unfortunately, the gig was cancelled at short notice due to illness.
With train tickets and a booked hotel, we decided that beer in Leeds was the best option. And at least that meant we didn’t need a dog sitter.
While we didn’t get to a gig, the evening was most pleasant. We even found a bar with a campervan.
The dog had a good time too.
A late decision to go to last night’s Divine Comedy gig proved troublesome when there wasn’t a working card machine at the City Hall. However, all ended well after a dash to a cash machine. And a discount for the hassle.
Unplanned gigs are the best.
