. You’re probably thinking why did I almost get pneumonia? To which I say that I was stalking bands. Don’t take the word stalking to literally, as all […] "'Pin It")
BRISTOL BIG JEFF: CUTTING FROM THE EDGE (MARCH 2011)
February came sweeping in with some of the gloomiest weather this year, but it did kick start with a bit of a bang (namely me almost getting pneumonia). You’re probably thinking why did I almost get pneumonia? To which I say that I was stalking bands. Don’t take the word stalking to literally, as all I pretty much do is sit and wait outside of the venue for hours on end, preying (sic) I can get into X, Y, Z show even without any money. First up was the lovely Joy Formidable, who are one of a few bands who can make loud noises about being in love without sounding patronising. That was followed by the dull thud of Chapel Club and the riotous joys of noise from the duel headliners of Thought Forms and Mugstar.
Picking out highlights from a month like February is a bit like picking out sesame seeds from one of those sesame bars, you just don’t know what to include or leave out as there was so much going on. I managed to see both Phantom Band and Group Love on the same night. If you haven’t heard either band then I really urge you to do so as they are both stunning bands. Phantom Band have some of the best voices in Britain and there is something quite beautiful in the way they mix folk rock and electronica together. Group Love sound like all the great American early nineties indie bands put together – Lemonheads, Pavement, early Flaming Lips, Wilco and a pinch of Sleater Kinney all mixed up with a bit of Neil Young. Their single, Colours, is one of the most joyous things to come out this year so far and I have been playing it most mornings to put me in a positive mood.
I felt like a bit of a male groupie at the front of The Smoke Faeries. You see there’s a fine line between male and female groupies. Female groupies tend to be a bit more forthcoming where as their male counterparts, like myself, tend to be more nerdy and awkward. I almost fainted through nerves. I have a previous history of fainting in front of female performers or getting a little over excited. Then Valentine’s Day came around and produced the usual downward spiral of self-loathing, but it wasn’t quite as bad as usual thanks to the distraction that was Wolf People and Lift Men unleashing walls of guitars and messing around with distortions. The following night I headed down to the Croft for some crazy turbo charged homoerotic punk rock courtesy of Gay for Johnny Depp, a band bought together by their sexual obsession for Johnny Depp, very intense. I have never been to a gig where I have so quickly gone from feeling really scared to pissing myself in fits hysterics, as the extremely drunk lead singer performed his alternative version of Angels whilst collapsed in the middle of the floor and having the singer from the Computers ride about on my back.
Scarlet Rascal and The Trainwreck completely destroyed the Louisiana despite being interfered with by two infuriating supposedly drunk females, who had been annoying people all night. I think that The Lonely Tourist dealt with them in a very admirable fashion as they had been talking all the way through his set. There have been one or two occasions where I have come close to hitting people, especially when they are talking as the band try to play my favourite songs. For the same reason I have got to give plaudits to Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite for telling all the people who were talking all the way through the show to go do an extremely long shit whilst they played their last song.
March will bring more sleepless nights but with surefire musical highlights from the amazing Icelandic band Hjaltalin, Anna Calvi, Fujiya and Myagi, feminist metal stars My Ruin, innocent guitar pop of the Wombats, The Decemberists, 80’s indie band The Primitives, The Queers, Crystal stilts, Band of Skulls, Deadelus and the Thermals among others.
