Blog: Flying The Nest

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I did have a blog already written and ready to go today, but on closer inspection it turned out to be mostly a DERANGED, EXTENDED RANT about the PPL (who collect "Mechanical Royalties" i.e. for the actual recording of a song that gets played on the radio, rather than the writing of the song) followed by a surprisingly SADDENED peroration on the fact that we'd been passed up - AGANE - for The Mercury Prize. It can all be summed up thus: the PPL website is very poor, which was frustrating, and I somehow managed to convince myself we COULD get on the Mercury Shortlist, even though I knew we wouldn't. Hence: MILD GLOOM.

Instead of that though, let us look at BRIGHTER Aspects Of Rock, for LO! last night The Fields In My Form and I met with The Hewitts to go and see Allo Darlin'. We met at Edgar Wallace, a LOVELY pub that I've not been to before, but sort of felt like I HAVE as it's packed with Beer Memorabilia. There's old EQUIPMENT all over the place and ancient posters on every wall, it is a Wonderland Of Pubs!

Soon it was time to head to the gig, arriving just in time for Martha, who were ACE. We'd been informed beforehand that they were "punk, poppy" which usually just means "LOUD, No Songs". My expectations were half right - they were VERY LOUD INDEED. In fact, the whole evening seemed to be, as do all gigs in recent times. ARE gigs getting louder? Usually i'd assume it was just me getting old/grumpy, but with the simultaneous increase in The Entire Audience Talking Loudly At All Gigs I wonder if maybe venues are HAVING too? That may ALSO be me being old/grumpy tho!

Anyway, Martha were LOUD but also full of TUNE and ROCK and were really rather excellent. The room was pretty full by the time they'd finished, and continued to get MORE full with loads of people that I DID NOT KNOW! We saw various familiar faces through the THRONG, but everyone said the same thing "Who ARE all these people?"

It all feels a bit strange - I've always heard of bands you love getting bigger and bigger until NOT just you and yr friends like them, but it's never really happened with a band _I_ like before! Mind you, I've never had a Favourite Band before where it was SO OBVIOUS that they would be MASSIVE. Crikey! As soon as The Allo Darlins took to the stage it was HIT after HIT after HIT and they sounded AMAZING - on the one hand like a Proper Band who LIVE on that size of stage at LEAST, but on the other still with the same fantastic songs and JOY that made old twits like me love them in the first place. They were, and are, INCREDIBLE - best of all they did The New Song again, "The Kings And Queens Of Love", I think, which not only sounded fab but also A Bit Different. It's not a JAZZ DIRECTION or anything, it's still THEM, but it sounded like a New Kind Of Song. Elizabeth from them is, as far as I'm concerned, a GENIUS at The Songs, and the fact that she's reeled out a whole different TYPE is testament to this FACT.

So yes - I liked it! I thought it best to LEAVE as the encore got started, as there was only two lifts down to the ground floor, I'd put a bag into lost property, and there were HUNDREDS of people there, so wandered out with the sounds of them returning to the stage ringing in my ears. It felt slightly sad to think that I might not get to see them ever again in the sort of venues i LIKE going to (i.e. SMALL ones!) but it's fantastic to think that one of OUR bands is flying the nest and going on to take a walloping great slab of Actual Proper Indie to the wider world. I approve!

posted 14/9/2012 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

I've been using earplugs at gigs for years ... my eardrums just can't take the volume otherwise and all I hear is static :/
posted 14/9/2012 by MarkP

Randomly I was also at this gig last night and I can confirm all 3 bands were cracking - especially Allo Darlin who I can only describe as being so sweet its like jumping into a swimming pool full of coca cola, they made it look easy to rock out with a ukulele Oh, and it was a loud gig - though you neglected to mention the amazing view from the window!
posted 14/9/2012 by Dan Whicker

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