Bullet Proof

As will be evident from this Blog I am one of life eternal fanboys. So when I heard that This is the Kit were doing an in-store in Rise Records Bristol I jumped at it. This is the Kit is the music alias of Kate Stables. I've seen her a few times, loved her last album - 'Bashed Out' and liked the two tracks which have been on heavy rotation on 6 Music. Entry to the in-store was dependent on buying the album, which is fair enough and I was pretty sure to like it.

Her stuff is sorta folk rock indie, I dunno, call it what you like but I love it, and it's very 6 Music, which was reflected in the audience at Rise. It was good being back in Bristol (especially as Coldplay were doing the second of two dates in Cardiff, getting out of Dodge was a good idea), any excuse to visit really, and I took my bike on the train cause it's a fair old steep trek to Rise from Temple Meads. I met my mate Tom Rawlings before hand for a natter which was lovely. It was also great to see Bristol/Big Jeff at the in-store, right down the front of course. The place was absolutely packed. There must have been around 150 people in there which is big for a in-store, in my experience.

The five piece This is the Kit were great, warming up with some tracks from 'Bashed Out' before moving on to the new album which already has a warm, familiar feeling to it. Kate dressed in a Jeremy Corbyn t-shirt (as was her bassist) was mostly on banjo but swapped to electric guitar for some songs. As you'd expect the audience was full of love and attentive, some little kids were ushered to the front under the watchful eye of Jeff. The nippers were yappy, but in a charming way.  Kate asked us to pretend to sit so group love could be given to the director of her new video who was in attendance. There was also someone sketching the gig. It was very Guardian and QuInoa, which is fine because that's 75% of what makes me up. 

Kate said before her penultimate song that she'd be signing, and checking my watch I thought that I wasn't going to get the next train back so I might as well hang about and be a fanboy. Having said that I still edged my way to the back of the audience so I could be close to the front of the signing queue, cause I is a douche bag.

I got chatting to a lovely old bloke about Public Service Broadcasting who'd also done a recent in-store at Rise. The bloke took awhile to get that I lived in Cardiff:

Bloke: "Are you going to see Public Service Broadcasting?"

Me: "Yeah, I was thinking of going to see them when they play Cardiff."

Bloke: "Did you see them in Ebbw Vale?"

Me: "No." 

Bloke: "Are you going to see them in Colston Hall?"

Me: "No, I might go and see them in Cardiff."

Bloke: "Where do you live."

Me: "Cardiff."

Bloke: "Oh, so it's local."

Me: "Yep."

I asked Kate to sign the album and one of the free posters which were knocking about. She liked my default Touché Turtle gig t-shirt

Bloke: "He's come from Cardiff!" 

Kate: "Oh we're playing Cardiff!"

Me: "Yes, The Globe, it's just round the corner from me, I'm going." (I haven't bought tickets yet).

Kate: "This is terrible, but does Cardiff have one or two f's?"

So a lovely in-store and I cycled back to Temple Meads I bid a cheerful goodbye to Jeff, until the next time.