Yeah, this website co-promoted this gig. There’s no place for impartiality in music writing, so ner. All three bands could have sucked megalithically, and played in front of zero people. In the event this, er, halfway happened, but what a blast. Only 20 people may have seen Bird Names, but all who did went on to form long term relationships with the people standing next to them. Here are the fractured, vaguely chronological thoughts of the two Joy Collective bulbs hamfistedly manning the DJ booth…
The man onstage has a hoof… Where’s Eynon?… Ben Frost’s only eight minutes long, and really depressing… It’s calypso, not reggae… Can we borrow your guitar?… “He’ll be here in 20 minutes, Casey can play tape noise over the DJing until he gets here” “Great”… Can I play Squarepusher?… Man in fingerless gloves makes noise like a doll with its string pulled out… Chris Eynon enters building to a round of applause and sits with borrowed guitar. Tonight this is The Spines… Gel with sand in it… Nicely picked out notes, gentle interference, in love… “Will, you’re never allowed to pick supports again”… Broken Leaf thinks we don’t have any Broken Leaf. You should see his face… Good suits… “Are all these songs about sex?”… Liz wants to do more gigs with us. Why?… Joy Of Sex sexy sharks… “Why can’t I fancy the drummer?”… Impressive rolling bleak rock moves, now more impressive… December month of plenty always… Everyone’s awkward tonight… “Got any Abba or Leonard Cohen?”… There’s Bird Names soap on the merch stall… Excellent cardigan… “Is ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’ too indie disco?”… You’ve got glowstick fluid in your hair… This first song is like a carny carousel… They’ve got proper songs!… Someone’s trying to arrange an indie disco after the gig via text… Is this a waltz?… Funny little noises stop, start and get jammed out… Group of noisy ladies arrive at front, talk, sneer at band, audience, get asked by audience member to “fuck off to the back”, they do… Huggable crayon pop… I am buying that soap… Tunes triumph… Bluetones get yanked after 30 seconds by many hands… Clean up, scour future listings…
