Spitfire

I have made my views on school night gigs well known, and so I girded my loins for two back to back ones.  First up in the Fleece in Bristol were the Besnard Lakes. Their brilliant album/awful title Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO is one of my favorite of the year. Despite an awful first support band (is there a rule in Bristol that you have to have a local band support in addition to the 'proper' support?) and an inoffensive second I knew that it was going to be a good gig when they kicked off with my favorite song  'Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent'. The Besnard Lakes trade in swirling, ethereal epics which I'm a real sucker for and I can't remember the last gig which used so much dry ice, which is no bad thing, and the lead singer bears an uncanny resemblance to Ian Hunter out of Mott the Hoople.

There was a little bit of fuckwittery on the drive back to Cardiff when the turning to the M4 West was closed, followed by a wrong turn which saw us driving to Bath, and finally having to stop on the hrad shoulder to put some oil in the car. After we'd re-enacted 'The Chuckle Brothers Road Movie', we took an exciting trip around surprising Filton before heading back to Wales.

Last night was an entirely different proposition, my gig hombre Gareth and I went to see Public Service Broadcasting at Clwb Ifor in Cardiff. PSB sample old War movies and public information films and play over them. Didn't know quite how this would work live, but I'd heard a lot of people saying that they were great live. In practice they came across as a very English Kraftwerk, resplendent in Matt Smith bow ties and jackets. It was a very engaging live show and the retro feel extended to the stage set with old TVs bookending the stage, the future has never felt so nostalgic.

Two great gigs which has left me wanting to go to another gig very soon, but nothing much on the horizon…