A fitting start to 1996's gig haul, really, with the band we, The Top Table Posse, voted top live act for 1995 in our end of year polls! So, a carload went down for this one, getting there 1 1/2 numbers from the end of Bawl's poppy rock sounding set. Nice and bright, really, so I was sorry I missed the rest!
Main support Delicatessen were once again not bad but not good either; late night mood music, sub Grant Lee Buffalo meets Tindersticks. A bit dull actually...
The place seemed quiet for an alleged sell-out gig, but it filled up quickly when Echobelly arrived onstage. Sonya Madan, a spritely pop pixie, teased and taunted her way through the set ("do you want to see my tits?" was one such remark), which was a spunky mix of pop fizz and darker, slightly offputting right-on PC polemic. Nevertheless, "King Of The Kerb", a bona fide soaring pop classic, and "Insomniac" were both stunning from my vantage point in the moshpit. Uneven, but overall a good enough way to start the year!
