FINALLY! I can go back to my happy place; down the front at a gig…!
I spoke too soon after The Shudders’ gig last August, hoping that it wouldn’t be as long before I rejoiced in the experience of “live” music again… an Autumn 2020 Covid-19 second wave saw increased civil restrictions and a subsequent post-Christmas second lockdown, with a welcome but too-tardy vaccine rollout finally promising a return to normality and “live” music over the last week or so. All in all, it’s been a long and arduous 313 days since I last experienced “live” music, and 482 days since my last paying gig!
So, no better way to get back to it than with The Best Band In Britain right now, spritely goth-tinged post punkers Desperate Journalist… Not only releasing a new album “Maximum Sorrow”, prima facie another set of deliciously dark, dramatic and gloomy numbers for vocalist Jo Bevan to recite excerpts from her angst-ridden teen diaries over, maybe, albeit this time with a slight sonic evolution which sees more emphasis on Caz’ big pounding drumbeats and Simon’s lugubriously meandering bass lines and for me recalling the Britpop Glam stomp of the excellent Slingbacks, no less (!), but also announcing an in-store set and signing sesh at London’s Rough Trade East. I paused briefly before taking the plunge, a deciding factor being my good friend and fellow gig-counter Stu’s offer of cheap train tickets!
So, we hit the rails at 10 past 4 for a good old catch up, tubing over to Aldgate and running the gamut of the Brick Lane Curry House barkers. Next time we might just set off earlier and avail ourselves of their wares…! Hit Rough Trade just as it was closing to prepare for the instore performance, nonetheless sneaking in for a taster of tonight’s entertainment as Desperate Journalist rounded off their clear-as-a-bell soundcheck. After a tough few months, I have to confess getting a bit of a lump in the old throatie on hearing rock music from a stage once more, and clapped when the soundcheck finished. Not sure if you’re supposed to do that; didn’t care! Grabbed a drink in the nearby terrace bar to kill time before 7 p.m. doors, then took a spot near the front of the stage, situated at the back of the shop, as the place slowly filled up and Stu had his ear talked off by a fellow punter, a Spanish lady with a Pete Doherty obsession!
A respectable but by no means full crowd of about 50 or so punters had gathered by 8 p.m., as Desperate Journalist took the stage to a deathly hush, resident Ice Queen Jo emerging last and snarkily remarking, “alright babies?” as she took the stage. Stu had been to see Wolf Alice the previous week, and reported that vocalist Ellie was in tears at the simple joy of being onstage again after so long; no danger of any of that malarkey from Jo, although we did get a couple of uncharacteristic face-cracking grins and a bit of mid-set banter (“I said, are you all having a lovely Wednesday? Showmanship!”) before she reverted to type, firing back a sharp, “fuck you!” to a punter who cheered when she introduced an old number!
As for the set… pretty much as I expected for the setting, a 7-song, half hour vignette, mainly showcasing new material, and as per the soundcheck sounding as refreshingly crystal clear as a spring lake after a downpour. Opener “Fault” was underpinned by Simon’s creepy bass-line and Caz’ strong-armed beats, guitarist Rob adding Sergeant/ McGeoch-like spooky textural embellishments; a poppier, almost Sleeper-esque “Personality Girlfriend” nonetheless featured a venomous snarling outro from Jo, intense and insouciant as ever; oldie and Parachute Men soundalike “Cristina” was an undulating and jagged delight and my set highlight; and sprawling set closer “Everything You Wanted” sounded almost widescreen and anthemic in nature. Performance-wise, in all honesty, it felt as though Desperate Journalist were reining it in a little (we’ll have to wait until January’s tour for the full-on in-your-face “live” experience), but that notwithstanding, it was just magical to hear “live” music, and this band in particular, once again.
A
few words afterwards with an affable band, doing the “meet and greet” thang (no
photos yet, but no surprise there…) before dodging more curry house waiters on
the way back to a 9.48 train which got us back to the ‘don in short order, Rach
picking me up from the Station and home before 11! Easing my way back in with
this one, maybe, but hey, “live” music is back at last, and I’m in my happy
place again!
