Is it a tradition if it’s only happened 2 years on the trot? Um, let’s say yes, it is… flippant 90’s Indie rock legends and “live” staples of mine, The Wonder Stuff, were again sadly absent from last month’s “Shiiine On” bill, main-man Miles Hunt instead flying solo at the Festy he’s largely made his own. If I were to get my Stuffies “live” fix in 2025, then, it would mean a repeat of last year (gig 1,364) and another Xmas Getaway Friday trip up the Smoke to Shepherd’s Bush Empire, the nearest a small 3-date Stuffies “live” Chrimbo jaunt came to the ‘don. So I sorted tix for this one, being joined by wingmen Rich and Tim, Tim’s company tonight being largely secured due to Miles announcement that Vent 414, his post-Stuffies edgier and shoutier 90’s US alt-rock inspired project, would support, in advance of new Vent material next year!
Given last year’s 3 hour+ journey plus
horror stories of 26 million extra cars expected on UK roads today, we set
off just after 4. However, our journey was instead astonishingly quick, getting
street parked up near Bush Hall at 6.15! After a wait until parking
restrictions lifted and a KFC tea for the boys, we hit the quiet early doors
venue at 7.20, with Milo leading his Vent 414 comrades – old Senseless Things
bassist Morgan Nicholls and Pete Howard, ex-Clash/ Eat man and current
incumbent of the Stuffies drum stool – on at 8.05, remarking, “it’s been 29
years since the 3 of us were on stage together!” I wasn’t much of a fan of Vent
back then, which was a little harsh… they weren’t the Wonder Stuff and never
purported to be, so it was a bit unfair of me to compare! I was therefore more
receptive to the Stuffies “evil twin” this time around, enjoying the hard-hitting
rock beats of opener “Laying Down With”, and particularly the off-kilter,
almost Eastern flavoured intro and yearning, pseudo-anthemic hook of “flop”
single “Fixer”, which was actually rather tremendous. The newer numbers in this
7-song vignette mined the same vein; drum-dominated, darker, more aggressive
and propulsive, with sinister and dramatic bass flourishes from the
accomplished Nicholls. That said, I wasn’t a fan of the dour and repetitive
closer “Lucinda Comes In Many Colours”, but overall Vent were better than I’d
anticipated and (slightly) feared. Tim loved them though, so that worked!
The floor was suddenly rammed after Vent, though, feeling more like the “sold out” gig it was, with “quick” loo trips somewhat of an oxymoron, although not as bad as Stereolab last week… Still, we were glad for 9.10 to roll around and The Stuffies to take the stage, bounding into a boisterous “Red Berry Joy Town” but hitting some feedback at its’ conclusion, Miles murmuring, “looks like we’ve got a technical problem already; Erica, we might be back on the acoustic circuit!” Nonetheless, “On The Ropes”, next up, got me breaking my pre-gig no-mosh assertion and joining the ebullient yet largely good-natured singalong mosh, particularly with Miles requesting “a little extra [singing along] as we’re recording this for a live album!”
So this was once again an inclusive, immersive set of largely familiar singalong indie bangers from the canon of this beloved band, delivered with accomplished ease (once the techy gremlins were quickly chased!) by this excellent current line-up. That said, after a brilliant early set section including a poignant “Piece Of Sky”, a rampaging “No For The 13th Time” (which even prompted Miles to comment, “fucking ridiculous!”) and an evocative “Caught In My Shadow”, the set, for me at least, hit an ever-so slight lull in the middle, the touching tears-in-the-Guiness folky Irish lament “Sing The Absurd” notwithstanding. However, I’m being really nit-picky here, judging them against their own recent stratospheric “live” standards, and honestly, by the tremendous virtuoso fiddle-led “Here Come Everyone” (Miles announcing “we’re onto the home straight – it’s going to get very messy from here!”) normal service was restored and I was back in the beaming mosh for this set highlight, Miles remarking, “you fucking beauties!” at its’ conclusion.
“Size Of A Cow”, “Don’t Let Me Down” and
“Unbearable” were inclusive raucous anthemic singalongs, leading to set closer
“Give Give Give”, Miles conducting the audience in the hook singalong as the
band left the stage. A 3 song encore of a rollicking “Can’t Shape Up”, the
unexpected hurtling luge ride of “Poison” and the usual thunderous stomp of
“Ten Trenches Deep” closed proceedings; a quick list then we hit the road,
grabbing a Tesco meal deal on the way. However we weren’t as fortunate on the
journey home; if a circuitous SatNav route through 20 mph-restricted Chiswick
wasn’t enough, a 7 mile “Convoy Vehicle – Do Not Pass” blockade travelling at
10 mph between Maidenhead and Reading added much frustration and 45 minutes to
our journey home, my eventually dropping Rich off at 1.15. Bah! Still, that was
pretty much the only real blot on another excellent Stuffies night out. Same
time again next year? Then it will be a tradition!
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