Breaking the Yearlings

Published on Mon 9 Apr 2012

A few of us went to see Shearwater at The Scala last week. We went to a backstreet pub I'd not been to before (something about King Charles) for pre gig drinks/sheltering from the crazy rain and it was how pubs should be. Cramped, wooden, with stuffed animals everywhere, bar billiards and a toilet designed with the size of people in the 17th century in mind. They also served a beer called Bethnal Green Bitter which led to a series of jokes about German taxi drivers.

We got in about halfway through My Sad Captains, who I'm pretty sure I saw playing with The Broken Family Band once. They were pretty good then, and they are pretty good now. They did have their sound slightly shafted in that way that support bands at "proper" gigs always do. Boomy drums, overly intrusive bass. You'd think that society would've grown out of that kind of thing. I get that headline bands don't want to be upstaged, but there was never really much danger of that. I suppose they weren't to know.

The second act on was Julie Doiron, who I'd not heard of, but, based on the number of requests and reverential atmosphere, lots of other people had. She varied between charmingly ditsy and annoyingly ditsy. I can't remember much about the songs, but I do remember enjoying it, despite the crowd treating her (and her coming across) a bit like a child doing a party piece rather than someone who's been playing for 20 years.

I spent most of the Shearwater set trying to pretend that Jonathan Meiburg wasn't the only member of the lineup left who'd been playing when I saw them play at a tiny club in Gothenburg. A lot of what I love(d) about them is how obviously great at playing music the entire band are (were). And the variety of instruments. And how cool Thor Harris is. This line up was much more standard and the new guys mostly seemed to be trying too hard to show how into it they were (I think the drummer had the wrong end of the stick about the Animal in the album name) they and had an air of "oh look, we're in a real band suddenly, that makes us great". Especially the keyboard/guitar sideman who was mean to someone making a request.

"It's not about you!"

"Its not about you either mate - where's Thor?" 

They were very rocking to be fair, which was great for about half the set, especially on the new stuff (I think the new album is the first that's captured the intensity of the live show) but it got a bit wearing by the end. I think the rest of the band are only having a year off. I hope so anyway.

That all read a lot more negatively than it was meant to. It was a very enjoyable show. Just not quite everything I'd been expecting. Check out the new album "Animal Life" if you haven't - I really like it.

I finally made it to my first Cambridge game of the season, which was fun, but unusually relaxed as neither team had anything to play for (Cambridge are safe but too far from the playoffs, and Kettering are down). Cambridge won and the Kettering keeper got sent off for handling outside the area.

I've got two gigs next week! In real venues and everything! I'm not sure when that last happened. Please come!

I've put some more videos on the video page too - check em out.