1,366 MIKI BERENYI TRIO, Shoun Shoun, KEELEY, Bristol Golden Lion, Thursday 30th January 2025

 

A fine double-header for me, this, albeit one which took a late call to get me to… I’d already booked tix for the April CD release show at Rough Trade for “My Shoegaze Queen”, Miki Berenyi, formerly of late 80’s jagged Muses acolytes turned 90’s shimmering pioneers and proponents of the aforementioned genre, Lush, having been intrigued and entertained both by previous sightings of her new Trio, plus the first single from said new CD, the bubbling cauldron of “8^th Deadly Sin”. Plus I’d of course seen striking Irish chanteuse Keeley Moss’ eponymous pretenders to said Shoegaze throne last time out with Desperate Journalist, and will be doing so again next month on the Boo Radleys tour! However, old gig buddy Beef texted me asking if I was up for it, so I thought, slow January, good night out pretty much guaranteed, why the heck not?! 

A slight spanner was thrown in the works with Rachel’s brief hospitalisation to fight a lung infection, however the promise of a Chinese takeaway quelled any objections from my kids, so Beef picked me up at 5.45 for a trip up Bristol’s Gloucester Road for the first time since the 80’s Tropic days (!), to a new (to me) yet old-school pub back-room venue. Compact and bijou, this; no wonder it sold out! Wouldn’t take much! Keeley’s affable bassist Lukey wandered through for a chat, then we grabbed some words with Miki on the merch stand, as well as the Keelster, plus Guy, a fellow punter who claimed to have read a lot of my blog! Nice! Eventually headed into the already well-packed venue, squirming into a spot near the front for Keeley, on at 8.15. Apparently, tech issues had prompted a late rejig to the planned set, and certainly Keeley’s usually rich, strident and determined vocals were lower in the mix than at The Exchange (Keeley asking for more mic reverb), but the sound was generally good for a small, packed and sweaty back room. The dramatic sweep of “Inga Hauser” opened, with newie “Trains And Daydreams” a hazier 60’s jangle and the excellent “Hungry For The Prize” a more overt hooky number with some strident glam guitar. The penultimate “Arrive Alive” was my set highlight, a soaring indie banger with a late 80’s Popguns feel, before the slow burn intro of the rarely played “Echo Everywhere” built to a lugubrious and absorbing reverb/ feedback-drenched outro to close out a brief, slightly different but still intriguing set from Keeley and the boys.

A brief chat with Keeley plus her friend Una, who’d travelled from Cork for the gig. Beats our little shlep down the M4 from the ‘don, hands down! Shoehorned my way back in for Shoun Shoun, next up; I recalled quite enjoying them before (gig 1,205), and initially some eerie, pseudo Gothy stripped back stuff and angular rhythm changes, recalling Siouxsie and Polly Jean’s early works, held my attention. However, a distinct lack of discernible tuneage, some violin-related tech issues, the stuffiness of the venue and the general craziness of my day (I’d had a gym PT session as well as being up the hospital with Rach) saw me head back to the bar for sanctuary. The sound eventually got sorted out for Shoun Shoun, but by then they’d lost their momentum for me, so out I stayed. Not their day today. Overlong, too… 

Beef eventually emerged for a breather, and we then wandered back in for Miki and her troops just after 10, unfortunately having to make do with a spot near the back as the place was so packed. She opened with a tale of woe, their booking agency having gone into liquidation owing them a shedload for gigs, but thanked the crowd, “for coming and buying merch” before fulsome, New Order-esque and drum-machine propelled opener “Hurricane”, followed by the touching gossamer weave of Lush oldie “For Love”, Miki’s high register vocals leading the way over a fine-sounding layered mix. The slower, more elegiac “Vertigo” was an early highlight, and the angular rhythms of newie “Gango” was overlaid with some strident jagged guitar riffs. “8^th Deadly Sin” continued it’s pulsating promise, however by then I was feeling very tired and the new material was weaving a hazy, comforting yet soporific blanket of sound around me, which coupled with the heat in the room and rigours of my day left me feeling a bit faint, so I took refuge in the bar and a chat with/ vent to a sympathetic ear belonging to esteemed Keeley drummer Andrew Paresi. Wandered back in for early Lush classic, the angular and dissonant “Baby Talk”, plus an unplanned and slightly drum-machine submerged yet welcome snarky Britpop-era “Ladykillers”, because, “you’re all fucking great!” according to our Shoegaze Queen. The feeling’ mutual, Miki, shame I couldn’t do the set full justice tonight…

Quick farewells with Keeley and her boys before we hit the road, back just after midnight after an easy run home. A slight trial of endurance for me then, this one, but despite needing to take a couple of breaks, I’m glad I squeezed this one in. Hopefully though, I’ll pay more attention to both Keeley and Miki next time!

1,365 DESPERATE JOURNALIST, Keeley, Bristol Exchange, Wednesday 15th January 2025

 

Not mine! thanks to gig buddy Julian for the pic..

Another gigging year kicks off, with familiar faces for the 9^th time of asking in goth-tinged post-punkers Desperate Journalist! Family issues had precluded my attending their Jericho Tavern one-off last October, but by then we’d already booked for this, the opening night of the tour promoting new, 5^th album “No Hero”. Another worthy addition to a pretty stellar canon, this, albeit a bit harder work initially, denser and more brooding at first listen with increased usage of textural keyboard embellishments and off-kilter rhythms, the real songcraft nonetheless shining through with repeated listens. Just as you’d expect really, from pretty much the consistently best band these shores have had to offer over the last decade or so!

Stu’s turn to drive for this one, so he picked me up about 6.15 with Andy already in situ (Mr. Fenton being a late replacement for the sadly poorly Mrs. L), then a foggy drive down saw us grind to a halt for 20 minutes at J19 thanks to a (doubtless fog-induced) prang, getting us parked in the loading bay space opposite the venue for 7.30! Yikes! However, still in good time to grab a central spot a couple of rows back for the support. And a proper bonus biscuit too, this one, as recent finds Keeley were our openers; yay! So, tall and striking vocalist (and, apparently, Bristol domiciled, as, “it’s my favourite city in the world!”) Keeley Moss led her troops on at 8, moody opener “Last Words” setting the tone for the set, inasmuch as the more layered textural shoegazey guitar effects on record were largely eschewed in the stage mix, a slight bit of echo the only overlay for Keeley to properly go to town on those intricate and undulating riffs. And so she did, her sterling fretwork, determined strident vocals and expansive Townsend-esque whirling arm gestures driving the performance along; didn’t hear a bum note all set! “Forever Froze”’s squalling intro tumbled into a Britpoppy bounce and glam-Bowie riffery; two new numbers (again referencing Keeley’s muse, murdered backpacker Inga Hauser) impressed, particularly the later “Hungry For The Prize”; and after ebullient bassist Lukey plugged their merch (“we’ll peddle our wares out there; just the sartorial and sonic kind!”), the absorbing and metronomic closer “Trans Europe 18” closed out a fine set from an increasing fave of mine.

Caught up with Matt, who’d been delayed by the fog and arrived as Keeley kicked off, then I grabbed a chat with Keeley and Lukey on the merch stand, both happily remembering me from “Shiiine On” last year, before I retook my spot in an increasingly busy front few rows. Desperate Journalist themselves were on in short order at 9, again to the industrial beat of Simple Minds’ “Theme For Great Cities”, the taped gentle drumbeat intro of new album opener “Adah” properly launching into its slightly Eastern-tinged swirling air of mystery and menace, once drummer Caz joined in with her economical yet strident style, However this initially brooding mood was well and truly skewered with a bullish and swaggering “Why Are You So Boring”, vocalist Jo already delivering the lead with forceful and impassioned authority. 

“Can I get a bit less of myself in the mix?” asked Jo after a resonant, haunting “Hollow”, deadpanning, “the ego is fragile,” before then delivering a quite astonishing vocal performance for the galloping “No Hero”, particularly the soaring choral line, thereafter asking for more of herself in the mix! The bubbling “7” was another mid-set highlight, the off-kilter rhythm ceding to a huge chorus, then “Cedars” actually got an intro from the hitherto taciturn Jo. A bit of banter then ensued (Jo asking, “it’s Wednesday, what’s it like for you?”, some wag down the front – OK, me – replying, “great, we’re seeing Desperate Journalist!” eliciting a, “right answer!” response from the singer) prior to a lengthy and meandering “Everything You Wanted”. The comment of, “stay tuned for more existential despair,” served as intro to newie “Unsympathetic”, the “live” rendition adding more bite for me, then a widescreen and affecting “Be Kind” my highlight of the night, a swaggering if sloppy “Personality Girlfriend” rounding off an as-ever swift 1 hour 15 set.

“I thought I heard someone say, enough of this macabre charade!” announced Jo, before a 3-song encore culminating in indie banger “Satellite” ended matters. Another great performance from DJ; not their best by any means, some first night bum notes prevalent, and again it felt on occasion that the band were playing within themselves, easing into the tour. But when you set your standards so high, even an average DJ gig knocks spots off most everyone else! Struck out on the list this time – I’m not about to climb onstage uninvited, that’s not how it’s done – then bade farewell to Matt and hit the road after another quick chat with Keeley and Lukey, roadworks delaying our exit from Brizzle onto the still-pea souper-clad M4. Maybe not at their absolute stellar best tonight, but any Desperate Journalist gig is still a great way to kick off the year!