Breaking
a Covid 19-induced 169 day-long gig famine with this local one, but hey, it’s
some “live” music at last! Since my last gig, waaay back in March, the world
had gone into lockdown hibernation to contain the spread of the Coronavirus
pandemic, with my pre-arranged Spring “Dance Card” of scheduled gigs suffering
blanket postponements firstly into Autumn, then further postponements into
2021! Of late, he world has at least taken small steps towards a return to
normality (myself being back to work for 8 weeks now, for instance, after a
14-week furlough period from March to June), but there still exists
considerable uncertainty about when larger public gatherings such as gigs can
return. A very frustrating – and financially precarious – time for music fans,
artists and venues, then, leading to this, my second-longest break between gigs
– ever!
I
was actually expecting said break to be even longer, but local scene stalwarts
The Shudders announced an acoustic gig at The Manor pub, a stone’s throw from
our front door, and in the pub’s beer garden where the necessary dreaded Social
Distancing (an utter oxymoron in my eyes – surely being “social” is about
closeness and friendship, not staying away from folks!!) can take place. So we
arranged a family evening outing to the pub, wandering out just as a cloudy but
dry day had rather ominously morphed into a damp and chilly evening,
threatening drizzle for our outdoor event. Bugger! The Shudders, however, were
set up line abreast under a wooden gazebo next to the pub back door, so at
least they wouldn’t get wet! Caught up with Tim between periodic soundchecks,
and chatted with other punters “Paj” and Colin, before Danny called the band to
order, kicking off their first set in front of a small but hardy clutch of
onlookers.
An
“in between” band set-up, this, with Liam and Danny both wielding big acoustic
guitars, Tim plugged in with his electric bass, and drummer Jim playing a
percussion box, all huddled together under an ivy-bedecked wooden gazebo which
gave the impression of a weird nativity play! The opening set material delved
back to The Shudders’ embryonic first “Pirate folk” album, opener “Words Of A
Fool” seeing their second speaker – which had apparently stubbornly refused to
play ball all day – firing up midway through! Oldies “Dog You Can Kick” and the
trad-country sounding “River Song” followed, sounding a little understated and
hesitant, fragile even, which I guess was totally understandable given both the
long break and unusual nature of this performance. Danny’s vocals however
seemed more strident and upfront for the anti-war protest number “A Truce
Song”, and after that each number sounded better than the last, as the band
warmed to their task and shook off their understandable ring rust, Danny
admitting to be, “suffering from the lockdown fever of not playing,” before
“Standing In The Rain”. A subsequent “Long Way Down” was the best of this first
set, a galloping CSNY-like 70’s country rocker to take us to a break.
A
pause then, Rach electing to take the kids home as it was now less damp but increasingly
chilly, so I caught up with Tim before The Shudders’ second set. “By way of an
apology for the cold weather, this one’s called “Sorry”,” introduced Danny as
the number snuck in with its looped acoustic riff and groovy harmonic chorus.
“Thought I Saw You” was its usual fine, breezy if understated powerpop self,
then the boys tried a new number out on us before a lead vocal-swapping, meandering
yet haunting cover of Neil Young’s alt-country classic “Powderfinger”. “Two
more songs then you can go somewhere warm!” joked drummer Jim, but the
remaining hardy perennials (all 5 of us!) made our own warmth with an energetic
fun jig around the table to set closer “Lost And Broke”, the raucous fiddly-diddly
Irish reel number interspersed with some audience participation and a
mid-number “Box solo” from Jim! A fun way to end the set, after which we all
decamped to the bar for warmth!
A
quick chat with the boys afterwards before I headed off home. This one’s
admittedly not going to threaten the likes of Nada Surf or The Hold Steady in
my 2020 gig “Top Ten”, but after such a lengthy period of Covid 19 gig
hibernation, it was just nice to catch up with friends and hear “live” music
again. So thank you to The Shudders for providing that opportunity, and hopefully
it won’t be so long before the next one…
