First of all was Reflex records, a treasure trove of all things vinyl. The band set up behind the counter, so bearing in mind this shop isn't the biggest, it was certainly an 'intimate' gig! Considering that they had only had three hours sleep (they had been on German television the night before) the audience got a great performance of "Leave This Island" from their new "Too Much Information" album which was released last Monday. A synth driven track which was performed with equal pacy vigour live, Smith delivered strong vocals, only made better by the connection with the audience that grew quickly through only one song; there was no non-committal vague eye contact with the audience, much unlike many gigs in certainly larger venues. After the performance, the band offered to sign their records. When I stated "there isn't a lot of room for your names on the CD" Paul took it upon himself to draw round the random ink fingerprints that had appeared ("little footprints"), to which I thought "I could just tell everyone this is a special edition version" (Antiques Roadshow in 50 years here I come).
Next up was their gig at RPM, performing two songs from their new album - "Lydia, The Ink Will Never Dry" and "Her Name Was Audre" the latter of which; despite it obviously being different on the album, kept the raw and speed-driven feeling due to the impromptu nature of the performance (the band only decided to play it last minute). Once again, the performance was only enhanced by how close we are and the banter between the band and the crowd - most memorably, the (no-so) terrifying notion of being locked in when the door stopped opening and Smith's comments on a record with a somewhat questionable graphics team (Who would decide to put a fly on the front of a record sleeve?) After getting another CD signed (they were lovely), it was off to HMV for the final instore of the day...
Performing a longer set at HMV, the band also acquired a larger crowd than the other two performances. However, the banter remained as they played a rip roaring set of 6 tracks, from old favourites of "Signal And Sign" and "By The Monument" to new track like "Midnight On The Hill" and "Brain Cells".
Sipping a hot chocolate along the way ("Rock and roll") Smith claimed that if everyone bought the album, we could push Beyoncé "off her perch... Hopefully she'll have a soft landing." Cheeky swine.
After all that general rambling (makes a vast amount of difference from the norm doesn't it!?!?!) I better go and get some horrendous history essay of some description finished...
Lots of love, Paige x x x
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