Christ's Entry into Govan

I didn't intend to go to see Trembling Bells. It's been a spicy month and there's more coming up so I thought 'I can duck out of this gig.' but then 6 Music started to pummel me into submission. Thus listening to Marc Riley's listeners email in to say how good the band were on their current tour I caved and with a few taps of Dice I'd bought a ticket.

“ I didn’t think Trembling Bells were her kind of band. I was right. ”

I had a  further surprise when Sian took up my offer of coming along. I didn't think Trembling Bells were her kind of band. I was right. We got to Clwb Ifor just after 9 and they were already on which was a relief on a school night. I love Trembling Bells, they feel like a band from another era, and wouldn't sound amiss contributing songs to the original 'Wicker Man'. They're a bit Fairport while tipping a hat to the Haunted Generation sub-genre. I can appreciate that they're not everyone's cup of tea. I was one of the youngest members of the   audience which numbered roughly 40+ who were very 6 Music. On Saturday when I mentioned to my mate Jas that I was seeing the band his face crumpled up and he compared their music to the sound of fingernails being dragged down a black board, so yes definitely not everyone's cup of tea. Bugger it, I love them, I acknowledge their proggy folkely dokely leanings but I embrace that!

They did a fair amount from the new album including my favourite, the bonkers 'Christ's Entry into Govan' which led to a proper old Cockney wig out where I went down to the front. Sian said later that her favorite part of the gig was seeing being bopping along to the song.

I don't know how long the band have been on tour but they seemed a little fatigued. Not when they were actually playing but just with their slightly awkward stage banter. It was nice to hear about their adventures in the Forest of Dean that day on a pilgrimage to find Dennis Potter's birthplace. Alex Neilson the singing drummer (I'm a sucker for a singing drummer) and main song writer of the band started one song acapella for the encore, had a wobble, forgot the words and started another.

They didn't have a medium t-shirt which was a bugger and a large would have looked hideous so we started walking home. Yep, Sian didn't like the band and not unreasonably she asked if I knew she wouldn't like the band why I invited her out. Well she constantly surprises me, there was a outside possibility that she might enjoy them (unlikely) but it was just nice to have a night out with her, and a school night out at that.