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Blog: Lovely Lovelies

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Me and the Kettle Lead To My Amplifier went to delightful KENTISH TOWN on Saturday night to see The Lovely Brothers ROCK the Bull & Gate. It was UTTERLY GRATE.

I was a little NERVOUS to start with as a week or so before I'd asked if i could get a copy of the NEW MATERIAL they are working on, with an EYE to maybe AAS releasing it - i'd heard nothing since, so naturally i assumed they all HATED me and wanted only my grim death, but everyone seemed perfectly friendly and un-ninja like when we saw them, and it turned out all was WELL - they had DISCUSSED it like a proper grown-up band, and had agreed that it might be an LARF. HOORAH!

We went and watched the first band for a bit, and they were actually Quite Sweet in a This Is Very Obviously Only Their Second Or Third Gig kind of way - the DRAMATIC INTRO to one song rather had the ANGST drained from it by the fact they couldn't pay in time with each other, for instance, and the FRAUGHT FACIAL EXPRESSIONS and SHAPES THROWN were STRAIGHT out of the practice room - and probably a practice room with a big mirror too. A couple of songs were ENOUGH tho, especially when one played close attention to the WORDS - sometimes a GRATE sound system like the one at the B&G is NOT such a good idea.

After a gentle PINT in the ante room the Lovely Brothers took the stage, and they did so with STYLE and GRACE - Half the band played a sombre tune REMINISCENT of a New Romantic tune about the Cold War while singing about COMMUNISM, whilst Scott and the two LADIES of the band walked solemnly on, before they all BURST into "Karl Marx", another song about COMMUNISM and possibly the catchiest one i have ever heard. This was the start of a (REALLY SHORT) half hour of WIT, TUNES, BRAINS, LARFS, and general ACENESS. I tell you this, this band are PERFORMERS, i watched with GLEE, my BRANE a-tingle with JOY wandering what would come next, and me and the aforesaid Jack In My Socket spent most of our time turning round and GRINNING at each other. It was ACE - you see so many bands devoid of imagination who want to sound EXACTLY like everyone else and sing about EXACTLY the same subjects as everyone else (1. I like girls 2. I like drugs/beer/to rock 3. Er... that's it) that it's almost TOO MUCH to see a band who are SO VERY DIFFERENT.

There's also always much talk of bands having "Ambition" which usually means they want EITHER to Shift Units OR hire a string section, when the only AMBITION that means anything is the desire to DO MORE and REALISE the Sounds Inside Your Head. The other GRATE thing about the Lovelies is that they DO this - all their songs are RAM PACKED with IDEAS and they REALISE them - i tell you, these kids can PLAY, and what they PLAY is a thing of wonder and JOY to behold.

Also their drummer has DRUMMER FACE - when we played the Bull & Gate Emma was able to utilise the video to point out Tim's DRUMMER FACE i.e. he looks INSANELY yet COLDLY ANGRY throughout, and it was nice to note that the Drummer in The Lovely Brothers also has this. It was interesting to NOTE, and that's not something OFTEN said about Looking At Drummers...

ANYWAY, we RATHER enjoyed it, and tripped home with big silly GRINS on our faces singing their songs and BATHING in the afterglow of a GRATE GIG. I hope we do get to put their CD out, they were ACE.

posted 22/3/2005 by MJ Hibbett

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