1,383 RIALTO, Bristol Rough Trade Records, Sunday 27th April 2025

 

Rialto were one of the most welcome surprises of recent “Shiiine On” festivals, their stellar Saturday night set in 2023 (gig 1,304), allegedly their first in over 21 years, securing them Band of the Day and Top 3 weekend overall honours for me. I’d seen this lot just the once back in the day, as they’d emerged from the ashes of roustabout indie guitar pop combo Kinky Machine (whom I’d also enjoyed “live” a couple of times) into a post-Britpop musical landscape, their sound developing into a more widescreen and orchestral 60’s Scott Walker-esque vibe, coupled with Pulp/ Suede/ Carter USM-esque lyricism full of the kitchen-sink drama, mundane minutae and faded glamour of London (or anywhere, actually…) big city life. Their then-twin drum powered attack blew a sadly-fading Sleeper offstage at the Oasis in 1998 (gig 368), but shortly thereafter they themselves fell off my radar, happily returning with that “Shiiine On” appearance which demonstrated they’d not missed a beat in the intervening years. I’d rather hoped that would amount to something more, so news of a new album, “Neon And Ghost Signs”, and a record store tour promoting said release and kicking off at Bristol’s excellent Rough Trade Records was one not to miss…

Oddly, Brizzle was another lunchtime “do” like Bob Mould’s recent one, so I set off down a sunny M4 about 11.30ish, wandering into a quiet RT and picking up a signed Jesus and Mary Chain book before taking a spot down the front in the back room venue. Rialto themselves – or at least 3 of them, namely guitarist Adam Chetwood, bassist Julian Taylor, and main man and vocalist Louis Eliot, emerged fashionably late at 10 past 1 in front of two-score or so hardy punters, Louis thanking us for coming down “on such a sunny day,” before easing into the set with the slow burn, stripped-back late night torch song newie “Put You On Hold”, thereafter informing us before the hazy sun-dappled Velvet Underground “Sunday Morning” vibe of “Remembering To Forget”, of their previous night out in Glastonbury; “don’t buy tickets, just go on a Saturday night – it’s mental!” 

Thereafter, the Rialto front row boys regaled us with an understated, economically delivered and entirely charming set of mainly new album numbers albeit with a smattering of oldies, the acoustic setting as ever revealing different nuances and elements to the material. The usually widescreen “Untouchable” (“do any of you know the old stuff?” quipped Louis beforehand) took on a brooding, almost menacing bass-led air, Adam contributing hauntingly sparse guitar licks, then “Sandpaper Kisses” was a more typical Rialto-sounding newie, with a melancholic 50’s crooner feel. Louis diplomatically fielded some shout-outs for Kinky Machine songs with, “are my family here or something?” before stark and almost elegiac oldie “Summer’s Over”. Then “Monday Morning 5.19” was again the set highlight for me, losing none of its’ deliciously mournful pathos in this acoustic setting.

A plug for some forthcoming support slots (one with Sleeper again later in the year, tix already booked!) and their own headlining date (at the Scala in May with Desperate Journalist supporting – booked when I got home!) preceded the Bowie-esque intro and naggingly familiar undulating choral hook to new album title track “Neon And Ghost Signs”, then the urbane, affable Louis asked for some audience participation with the Kylie-esque (that’s how I heard it, so I’ve got to say it!) “la la la-la la-la”s for the funky yet sleazoid, mid-period (I’m going “My Legendary Girlfriend”-era here) Pulp-like set closer “No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive”. 

Fine stuff from the mini-Rialto, then, the new numbers happily not falling too far from that haunting and widescreen cinematic oeuvre. Grabbed Adam’s list, then joined the queue to meet Louis at the desk, chatting with some fellow punters before falling to the back of said queue in order to chat with Adam (at some length) and Julian mooching around the store! Louis himself was open and friendly; we discussed the double drum set-up (“an idea which should have stayed in the pub,” according to him!), my previous Kinky Machine and Rialto fandom, and this current “Act 2” for the band (“I was writing new material, and friends said it sounded more like Rialto than anything I’d written recently,” admitted Louis), before bidding farewell for a slightly eventful drive home (nearly blacking out on the M4 thanks to a coughing fit – yikes!), back in the ‘don for 4. So, a welcome back to Rialto, now seemingly on a more permanent footing, and I’m now looking forward to hearing the full-band renditions of the new album stuff… next up in May?

1,382 THE LOTTERY WINNERS, The Valla, Oxford Bullingdon Arms, Sunday 20th April 2025

 

A well deviated-from set-list, thanks to a fellow punter...

Another one, like Inhaler last time out, where I wasn’t entirely sure what I was letting myself in for, in more ways than one! I’d finally taken notice of The Lottery Winners at their Frank Turner show 3,000 support slot (my gig 1,370) and been thoroughly entertained by some buoyant and affirmative Summery indie pop, delivered with an open-hearted enthusiasm by main man Tom Rylance and his cohorts. Said date bookended an Academy-level jaunt in advance of new, 4^th (!) album “Koko” so I just missed them in their own right; however they then announced a slew of much smaller “Chart Celebration Out-Store” dates, the closest being at Oxford’s snug Bullingdon Arms, so I pounced quickly before it sold out in short order.

After an afternoon at Rachel’s 50^th birthday gathering, I set off at 6.15, again not knowing what to expect (low key? Short set + meet and greet, or full-on gig?). What I definitely didn’t expect or want, though, was to join a full on ma-hoosive queue 15 minutes after doors, thereafter taking another half hour to get in, thanks to one bloke only on the door checking names off a ledger (and missing plenty, including the group in front of me who took 2 or 3 minutes to get sorted!) when we all had Dice electronic tix which should have taken a second to scan. Utterly fucking pathetic, and I was glad I’d stopped for a wee in a layby on the outskirts of Oxford! Anyway, once in I squirmed my way to the merch stand to claim my CD and grabbed a viewing spot house left, right behind Swindon gig friend Joanne! So, had a bit of company as support The Valla took the stage, late at 8 due to some tech issues. Led by a vocalist sporting an excellent suit bearing slogans of things that clearly piss him off (the likes of homophobia, sexism, landlords and his boss falling into his crosshairs), they were initially quite chameleonic stylistically (opener “Making Waves” a Bowie Ziggy-esque glam tune, the next a big brassy 70’s funk number complete with falsetto vocal) before settling down into a ringing and upbeat Britpoppy powerpop noise not a million miles removed from tonight’s headliners. “Make It Stop” (incidentally the slogan on the back of the vocalist’s jacket) was their best number, a protest plea against all the inequalities of the world – so plenty, then! Overall, eminently listenable if hardly original openers.

More tech issues meant an extended and uncomfortable wait in this utterly rammed venue; no meet and greet tonight then – no room! The Lottery Winners took the stage at 9.10 to a rapt reception, Rylance confessing in his effete Alan Carr tones, “oh, we’ve had a stressful time! We might have to do this gig Acapulco!” before suffering even more gremlins, forcing him to go off and come back on again before kicking into opener “Worry” and the huge chant-along chorus of a subsequent “Meaning Of Life”. Nice start!

The Lottery Winners operate in a Summery, upbeat Britpoppy sonic envelope, with infectiously catchy choral hooks recalling the likes of Boo Radleys, Wonder Stuff and most notably Lightning Seeds for me. Again, not pulling up any trees stylistically then, but two elements set them apart, particularly onstage. Firstly, their lyrical subject matter, centring around affirmative and inclusive messages such as managing mental health issues and anxiety (the aforementioned “Worry”), ADHD (the brilliant “Superpower”) and feeling different and finding your tribe (set highlight, the later “Letter To Myself”); and secondly, the sheer joyful scattergun spontaneity of their performance, case in point being a totally unplanned (and pretty reverential actually) go at Joy Division’s classic “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. Why? They just felt like it…

This approach felt like a leitmotif for the set overall, Tom and co regularly going off on wild tangents. Snow Patrol and their number one album tally got numerous mentions, Rylance giggling at the comparison (“he’s Gary Lightbody; I’m Tom Heavybody!”); some punters threw Canada caps onstage, Tom donning a spangly one and prompting bandmate Rob Lally to comment, “if Elton John was in Limp Bizkit…” and a heckler was invited onstage to sing lead vocals on another unplanned cover, this one the Madness version of “It Must Be Love” (a song I’ve never liked, and honestly could have done without that piece of vaudeville tonight). That aside, it was mostly entertaining, and there was always a cracking original with a positive message just around the corner (e.g. newie “UFO”, preceded by Tom’s comment of, “if you don’t fit into a building, it’s the building that has to change, not you!”). “Letter” finished the set proper, a couple of encores including the slightly throwaway “Turn Around” (“it’s so fucking stupid, I love it!” exclaiming Rylance), and the herky jerky “Burning House” rounding off a fun overall 1 hour 20, the band happily making no concessions to the small crowd and delivering a full-length set. Caught my breath before giving Joanne a lift home to the ‘don, home myself for 11.45. As I mentioned, I wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for with The Lottery Winners tonight; I’m still not entirely sure, but it was darn good fun overall, whatever it was!

1,381 INHALER, Permanent Joy, Bristol O2 Academy, Thursday 17th April 2025

 

This one seemed a bit of a puzzler beforehand… young Irish post-punk bucks Inhaler had announced a Spring 2025 tour in support of new, 3rd album “Open Wide”, unfortunately venturing nowhere near the ‘don, but then blue-tacked a trio of “Album Shows” on, post-tour, one being at Bristol O2 Academy, scene of the last “proper” Inhaler Brizzle gig a couple of years ago (gig 1,264)! Given the size of the venue, then, this was never going to be a Rough Trade-style “meet and greet” do (shame!), but tix (which predictably flew out) were very competitively priced (about a tenner less than usual O2 gigs) and included a copy of the new album, posted out beforehand! Nice! But what does this mean for the show itself? An unsupported short set? “Open Wide” new album only set-list? Stripped-back and acoustic, even? Who the fuck knows?

“Open Wide” itself is another set of big, brain-hugging crescendo-led oven-ready stadium anthemic tuneage and soaring choral infectiousness, delivered in vocalist Elijah’s predictably naggingly familiar yearning vocal style. Them apples continuing to fall close to the tree then, in more ways than one, but repeated plays also revealing hints of an introspective maturity; again, unsurprisingly, given that at their age (all mid-20’s now, the Inhaler boys), Eli’s dad’s lot delivered their more contemplative 4^th album “The Unforgettable Fire”, and stepped up to stadium level with their “Longest Day” 1985 Milton Keynes Bowl headlining slot (gig 29!).

Anyhoops, a frustrating work day saw me and Logan turn around quickly for a 5.15 getaway, hoping to arrive well before doors; however, Easter getaway traffic forced us off the M4 at J18 (good thing too, as 18-19 was at a standstill!), tooling along country lanes behind Polzeath boy on his way to surf in Cornwall, and parking up at 6.30 door-time. Both queues (normal and O2 priority) were utterly ma-hoosive but luckily moved quickly, and we grabbed a spot half a dozen rows back, house right on the floor, surrounded by the Inhaler massive of (again) very excitable young females. An uncomfortable wait, then, before support act (yes, there was one!) Permanent Joy, on at 8. Opener “Save My Life” had an upbeat 90’s pseudo-countrified Gin Blossoms vibe with some nice 2-part harmonies but very understated, almost polite vocals, and the set thereafter delved into an introspective melancholy that occasionally sounded a bit bored. A band that clearly have never met a major chord in their lives, I quite liked the morose musical sandbox they were playing in; it just sounded like they themselves weren’t having much fun playing in it…! “Josephine” (no, not that one, much to Logan’s chagrin) was a warbly stadium weepie, but at least they picked it up for set closer “I Wanna Go Home”, an urgent U2-like rocker with some duelling guitar work. Verdict? Not sure, but not bad…

Logan was getting hyped up for a mosh, eyeing up potential routes in, as anticipation grew; then the lights smashed to black at 9 prompt to screams from the jam-packed crowd and Inhaler took the stage, Eli giving a soft, “hello,” before the dubby backbeat opening to a dramatic, building “Open Wide”. The soaring chimes of 2^nd album “oldie” “Dublin In Ecstasy” followed up in short order, initiating a jumpalong moshpit that practically filled the whole floor. So no, not a stripped-back, low-key acoustic set then, this…! 

Nope, this ultimately turned out a slightly shorter set than the tour, focussing majorly on the new album (10 of its’ 13 tracks getting an airing tonight in this 12-song set!), and just tipping the hour mark overall. So, pretty much like last time then… and the time before…! What it lacked slightly in length, however, it made up in passion, conviction and inclusivity, much of the new material gaining extra depth and power “live”. “Little Things” was a regimented Strokes-like jaunt; “Concrete” was a hyped-up superfast Smiths-esque “Charming Man” jangle; and “All I Got Is You” (“we’ve not done this before – go easy on us!” pleaded an otherwise taciturn Eli beforehand) was my favourite of the new stuff, a robust yet contemplative rocker.

The brooding widescreen build of “Still Young” gave an obvious nod to Eli’s dad’s lot’s “With Or Without You”, and “Eddie In The Darkness”’ understated verse burst into life with a very 80’s, almost goth-tinged off kilter hook; however closer, oldie “Your Honest Face” was predictably tonight’s highlight, a full-on moshpit catnip euphoric and soaring air-puncher, bringing the hour up and the set to a slightly abrupt end, much of this young crowd hoping for (and expecting) more. Patience and politeness was rewarded with a list, a couple of girls taking pix and enquiring about my list technique; then Logan bade adieu to Grace, an old school friend he’d bumped into, before we hit the road for 11 home. So, shame we missed the tour, but at least we were treated to an entertaining Inhaler vignette tonight, Eli and co. continuing their upwards trajectory!

1,380 MIKI BERENYI TRIO, Bristol Rough Trade Records, Sunday 6th April 2025

 

Another Rough Trade early evening shindig, this one, and a chance to rectify a recent wrong by actually paying (more) attention this time… I’d very recently encountered “My Shoegaze Queen”, ethereal-voiced yet sweary sailor-mouthed former Lush frontperson Miki Berenyi, fronting her new atmospheric trio in Bristol on a late call at the end of January (gig 1,366), but the circumstances of the day had meant my head wasn’t fully in the game, and I actually dipped out of the Golden Lion’s busy back room venue for half of their nonetheless fine and resonant set. No such excuses this time, though, as this was another “meet and greet” with the band, celebrating the release of their debut full-length, “Tripla”, which by all accounts not only is a pretty decent piece of work according to early reviews, but would also likely be played in full tonight…

So, an early evening drive down a sunny M4 got me parked up about 7, to join a smattering of folk in for a relatively quiet Sunday evening event. Joined recent gig buddy Guy from Bournemouth (!) down the front for a chat about last weekend’s Wedding Present gig, whilst Miki and her back-up boys set up. Miki then announced the reason for her tardiness onstage, saying to Guy, “I remembered, I forgot your brownies! Fuck, the brownies!”, to which guitarist and partner Moose replied, “fuck the brownies!” Punctuation is so important…

Anyhoops, on to the music… this early evening, Miki Berenyi and her trio delivered another understated but beguiling and dreamy performance, those familiar aspects of Lush such as shimmering, dreamlike pedal effects, pulsing, often off-kilter beats (supplied of course by backing loops) and of course Miki’s own perfectly enunciated, high register vocals in full force and effect, weaving a heavy, intoxicating and almost trancey atmosphere. It’s not quite rock’n’roll but I still like it… “Vertigo”s slow pitter patter and moody, “breathe out, breathe in,” hook was a dreamy note of meandering melancholy; “Gango”’s backbeat percussive pattern and herky-jerky beat recalled early Talking Heads (not the only number to do so tonight) and required a more assertive and strident vocal from Miki, eliciting a remark of, “that’s my exercise for the day, I need a fucking sit down now!”; and “Kinch” featured a lovely minor chord choral descent. Throughout all this, our Shoegaze Queen was her usual affable and sardonic self, offering an over-emphasised, “thank yewwww!” after every number, bantering with the front rows about their Sunday night drinking (Miki’s remark of, “I wasn’t going to [drink] today… not because of god…” eliciting a murmured, “sounds a bit goddy to me…” from bassist Oliver) and relating a tale of a previous night’s punter asking if a later “Manu” was called Man U (!), prompting a punter (a Leeds fan) to advocate for a punching for the offender! 

The robust New Order-esque synth beat and infectious undulating repetitive hook of “8^th Deadly Sin” was again my set highlight as well as an early candidate for my “Best of 2025” compo CD, although set “closer” “Big I Am” was a buoyant close runner up with its “ba ba ba” harmonies; then on top of the out-of-sequence full album run through, old Lush number “Undertow” (“we really enjoy playing this so we may record it…” commented Miki) fit snugly onto the end, demonstrating the apples haven’t really fallen far from the tree. 

I’d taken a late-set break but still managed to squirm forward to be in prime position for Miki’s list, provided by bassist Oliver, then joined the back of the queue with Guy, eventually greeting Miki with “my Queen!” to her amusement and having a brief chat about the returning My Bloody Valentine and their Wembley gig in November. “I think we’ll be able to hear it from our house!” she deadpanned to Moose at the prospect. Farewells to Guy and an economy drive home, back in the ‘don for half nine (!). Another successful Rough Trade evening, then, a promising new Miki album to listen to, and I’m glad I got to pay more attention this evening!

1,379 OCTOBER DRIFT, The Youthplay, Coast, Southampton Joiner's Arms, Tuesday 1st April 2025

 

After a very promising band of pretenders to the throne of current post-punk last night in Thus Love, tonight here’s the real deal in Taunton’s brilliant October Drift. Not only had this lot lain waste to The Thekla last time out in October 2024 (gig 1,353), their performance nailing down a spot in my Top 5 “live” acts of the year (in a pretty darn high-quality field…), but they’d also restored my appetite for “live” music after a fraught month dealing with the news of my wife Rachel’s cancer diagnosis. So, I’d eagerly booked for this, the opening night of a seeming continuation of their tour pushing their third album, “Blame The Young”, not only to immerse myself in another potentially incendiary post-punk night out, but also to share with the boys the news that things are now generally going well with Rachel’s treatment, and prognosis seems hopeful.

A busy school parent’s evening still saw me setting off down a sun-kissed M4/ A34 route down South, parking around the corner from the excellent Joiners and hitting the scuzzy back-room venue just after 7.30. Painfully young openers Coast were already rounding off a rocking opening number in front of a busy early-doors turnout of evident friends and family. The follow-up was more slower-burn, yet “This Time”, next up, really nailed their influences to the mast with some intricate Edge-like guitar licks either side of a big yearning chorus, and the subsequent “Outside On A Friday”, an aspiring proto stadium anthem, even had a bit of an early singalong! Clearly earnest and ambitious, then, this lot (plugging their forthcoming Heartbreakers headline slot with some enthusiasm), but nowt wrong in dreaming big, I guess… Main support The Youth Play were older, more practised and accomplished, with some galloping textural mood music giving obvious nods to dour post-punk and morose shoegaze; their amphetamine-fast opener recalled My Vitriol, and more atmospheric later material touched on recent finds Soft Kill. “After A Moment” was a moody, early Ride like number and probably the best of a promising, intriguing and idea-filled set, delivered with confidence and a resonant low baritone from the vocalist.

By then, I’d once again encountered Liz from Chandlers Ford, greeted OD soundman James from Indoor Pets as he disappeared upstairs, and also enjoyed a Bunnymen-centric chat with Jonathan and Faith from Fareham, in my spot down the front, house right. At 9.20, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” swaggered out of the pa, and white-clad vocalist Kiron Roy led the band onstage, the huge swelling hook of the swayalong “Waltzer” igniting a mass singalong and getting the party started proper. “Southampton, we’re October Drift… let’s do this!” announced Kiron, already bent double and sawing away on this guitar nineteen to the dozen for the subsequent jagged and ragged “Demons”. Blowing the cobwebs away, and no mistake… 

I seem to be on a run of opening nights of October Drift tours; like that Thekla gig, last time out, they were once again “on it” from note one, delivering the kind of scarily committed and rocket-fuelled full-on energetic performance that has now become their trademark. “Hollow”’s massive anthemic hook ceded to a Bob Mould-esque squalling outro; “Blame The Young”, thrown casually in mid-set, accelerated into a hurtling, inexorable climactic build; and Kiron, who’d gestured and exhorted the crowd to get more involved from the off, had his first foray into the audience during the brooding, drum-dominated “Bleed”. A later “Airborne Panic Attack” also accelerated from a dead stop start into a thunderous intro, then dropped right back for an almost mumbled hushed verse before the massive roaring Nirvana-esque chorus, but the subsequent “Cherry Red” was the cheery on the cake and set highlight for me; this time it was wild-eyed and wild-haired guitarist Dan Young who ploughed into the centre of the mosh, initially coaxing squalling noise from his instrument as a punter fanned him, but thereafter leading the bounce-along to the dark gothy chorus.

After a fist-pumping “Oh The Silence”, Kiron again took floor central, dedicating the final number “Not Running” to his recently-lost grandmother, calling the elegiac yet soaring finale a “song for solidarity”, and ending another tremendous, incendiary October Drift set on a desolate yet triumphant note. Drummer Chris happily heard my shouts for his list, then after a short wait I caught up with the man in the bar, filling him in on our current family news. Again, Chris provided an understanding ear, typical of this band’s deep connection and genuine care for its’ audience. Pondered this on my swift drive home, back in the ‘don for 12.30. Why October Drift aren’t stadium massive already is a mystery for the ages; they absolutely deserve it not just because their canon is now chock-full of humungous oven-ready stadium bangers, but because they’re just about the nicest guys in rock’n’roll today. Indeed, October Drift are very much the Real Deal!

1,378 THUS LOVE, Ain’t, Bristol Strange Brew, Monday 31st March 2025

 

First of a two-in-two of young bands harking back to that growling post-punk sonic template; familiar faces tomorrow, but first here’s new Vermont 4-piece Thus Love. A self-styled “queercore” post-punk lot, I’d discovered them earlier this year via the good offices of the new band-breaking “Revolt Into Style” Facebook page, a little too late for their sophomore 2024 release “All Pleasure” to inveigle its’ way onto my “Best of 2024” Compo CD, but in plenty of time to book for their subsequent UK jaunt. “All Pleasure” is an intriguing blend of moody, tuneful and hooky Joy Division-esque post-punk with strident overlays of glammy 70’s NYC New Wave, similar in mood to last year’s finds Been Stellar and Slow Fiction, albeit with a little less shoegazey introspection and a bit more dynamism. And by all accounts, the dynamism and swagger is ramped up a few more notches “live” too; OK then, let’s see… 

Left a little late for a jaunt down a sunny M4, but parked up about 7.30 and wandered into this arty storefront venue, running into Bristol gig face Louise, a Thus Love fan of a couple of years standing, and chatting Suede briefly with her and her Suede-obsessed friend. Took a central spot for openers Ain’t. A 5-piece fronted by a striking pre-Raphaelite dressed hippychick vocalist with (initially) bunny ears, with an intriguing sonic template blending metronomic post-punk and considered, mid-paced Pumpkins-like angsty slacker grunge, they unfortunately suffered with a bad sound mix, rendering a lot of their material (and particularly said singers rather understated, lilting tones) struggling against the fuzzed-out guitar noise and pounding drums, making this set heavy going on the ears. A shame, as there sounded as if there might have been some decent material under there, to go along with the vocalist’s entertaining moves…

A respectable crowd had gathered as Thus Love took the stage dead on 9, to pulsing disco feedback, easing into oldie (and thus “newie” to me!) “Repititioner”, the plangent opening riff and ascending bass building into a languid mid-song wall of sound, recalling my 2000’s NYC faves The Stills, no less. “On The Floor” the opening track of “All Pleasure” followed, the hypnotic pulse and upbeat Joy Division-esque guitar riff sounding clear and purposeful, setting the tone for a tough, road-tested, robust and fulsome performance of their intriguing, hooky and resonant US alt-rock. “You guys good?” offered wonderfully-named vocalist Echo Mars (yes, Echo Mars, I shit you not!), to which Some Wag Down The Front (OK, me…) countered with, “yeah, how are you?” “Fucking living the dream, bud…” came the languid, drawled reply… 

I’d be inclined to believe that, actually, as Mars proved a natural frontperson, laconic and relaxed yet also dynamic and committed, backed up ably by an excellent, intuitive band. “Were any of you here when we last played this room? I was climbing that [speaker stack] like a monkey…”, ventured Mars, this time remaining confined to the stage and their guitar, nonetheless throwing shapes with abandon. “Birthday Song”’s slow burn, moody intro built to a sweeping choral crescendo; “House On A Hill” kicked in with a herky-jerky new wave rhythm underpinned by a sleazy, sinister Pixies-esque bassline before the wolverine growl of its’ denouement, bassist Ally Juleen screaming the hook to the rafters; and oldie “Put On Dog” was absolutely superb, a careering hellride with green strobes augmenting the mood of mutant madness. The kind of number most bands save until the end, but Thus Love stick it casually in mid-set. Confident…

A merch plug (“we get to buy dinner at home if you buy shirts!” pleaded the drummer) and an anti-Trump rant from Juleen preceded the brooding gothic death march of “Centerfield”; then the dissonant building hook of “Show Me Patience” recalled aforementioned recent US finds Been Stellar, before the eerie and growling Pixies-esque plod of “Lost In Translation” ended a damn fine set punctuated by a 2-song encore culminating in funky closer “Family Man”, and Juleen happily throwing the drummer’s list my way. By this time my knees were barking a little, so I decided to head off, wandering alongside the crowd just leaving the nearby SWX and dropping in for a snack in Taka Taka on the corner. Had an entertaining conversation therein with Ain’t’s relatively new (7 gigs in tonight) bass player, who during a meandering conversation about the current state of rock, made the mistake of asking me what I thought of them! I think he appreciated my honesty – at least he didn’t hit me! He did persuade me to give Ain’t another chance, which tbf I would have done anyway… No such persuasion required for tonight’s headliners though, Thus Love showing promise “live” even beyond my expectations. A band to see again… and again…