It's Only Rock and Roll

I mentioned in my hasty catch-up post that I'd been to a couple of gigs recently, then the week before last week I went to another one, and it was a total last-minute surprise, so I thought we'd have a little chat about music today, if you don't mind?  Since my fella's a musician (oh and by the way his album is finally out and you can listen to it and buy it HERE! Sorry, couldn't help myself) and therefore most of his friends are also musicians, I am lucky enough to get to see my friends play local gigs and open mic nights on a fairly regular basis, but since moving out of London and ceasing to work in the industry, I've been attending far fewer Proper Gigs - you know, where you actually have to buy a ticket and everything.  So, here's what I've actually been spending my money on recently:

The first gig was Pure Love at Moles, which is Bath's main gig venue and just so happens to be on the same block as my flat.  I do love being able to basically go downstairs and be at a gig!  Anyway, Frank Carter, the singer from Pure Love, used to be the singer in a tremendous punk/hardcore band called Gallows whom I had the pleasure of seeing and sweating along to at Reading festival one year.  Gallows were awesome, and Frank is one of the best frontmen I have ever seen.  Have a look-see:

Alas, I heard he'd left Gallows and formed a new band, so when my buddy Death (real name: John) informed me they were playing in Bath (or "downstairs" as I usually refer to Moles) we had to go and investigate.  They had only released two songs thus far, and as you can see they clearly had a lot more money to go around this time:

I must admit, I wasn't expecting much.  It sounded a little too slick, a little too over-produced, for my taste.  But you can't keep a good man down...they were outstanding live.  Despite clearly having matured somewhat since I last saw him, Frank retained every ounce of that greyhound-out-of-a-trap intensity that you can see in the Gallows video above: he owned the room.  They made a good noise.  My ears were ringing afterwards (but thankfully not the next day) reminding me once again that I need to invest in some good earplugs - safety first, kids!

The second gig was back on much more familiar turf: the Garage in London.  It used to be my second favorite London venue (the Astoria came first, always - alas, she is no more) but they've done it up since last time I was there and now I'm not so sure, but it's still a really good size.  My old roomie and I went to see We Are Scientists, as we have done every year since we've been friends, so it was a total nostalgia trip.  If you haven't heard of We Are Scientists, here is the first song from their first album, which I still love to bits:

I hate to say I think their newest album is lacking a little something, but they are still brilliant live, not least because they are hilarious.  The onstage banter at a We Are Scientist show is unparallelled, I can assure you.  Seeing them is like seeing old friends, especially when it's in an old favourite venue with an old favourite roomie.  Loved it.  Must also mention the support act: The Virginmarys.  Good, big noise.  Reminded me of AC/DC, of all things.  The Kerrang crowd will be all over this lot when the word gets out, you mark my words.

My final gig outing (for this post, at least!) came about due to a series of coincidences.  I'd heard my friend talking to her boyfriend about First Aid Kit the other week, and while the name sounded familiar it didn't really register.  Then on the Monday, Skunkboy Creatures did her usual Music Monday feature, and lo and behold, it was First Aid Kit again, and this was the song:

Isn't it dreamy?  I realised I'd heard it before, here and there, but the weird part is that they looked familiar - I knew I'd seen their picture somehwere recently.  It took me a minute, but I realised I'd seen it downstairs - they were playing at Moles!  Feeling sure I'd missed the gig, I checked the website, and it turned out they were playing that very evening, and there were still tickets available!  A round of texts and phonecalls later, and we ended up as a party of five.  It was packed - I could barely see their pretty little Swedish heads bobbing above the crowd, and I have no idea what they were wearing (although I'm sure it was something suitably bohemian and romantic) - but oh my, they are so talented.  It was really, really lovely.  Their dad is their sound man - how cute?!  Must get the album.

Oh, and that reminds me, I bought a new album!  By a current band!  This is definitely note-worthy: I hardly ever buy new music, because I hardly ever find new bands that I like (and it's not because I'm a music snob, it's because I'm set in my ways) but do you remember last year when I got all excited about Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros?  Well, I heard they'd made a new album, and I loved the first album so much that I went right online and bought the new one, without even hearing so much as half a song!  Such a leap of faith!  But it paid off.  I am smitten.  It's magical.

Where the first album made you want to take off your shoes and follow them, skipping, through the desert, this new one makes you want to dance in a garden with your sweetheart.  Barefoot, of course.  It's has arrived in my life at precisely the right moment to coincide with the end of summer, and I think it will forever transport me to this time of year, whenever and wherever I hear it.  Delicious.