This
one was supposed to be number 2 of 4 gigs in 4 days but instead ended up being
the second part of a double-header; but more on that in my footnote... anyway,
as amply proved at the opening date of their tour at the Thekla last month (gig
1,205), Britain’s Best Band, spritely post-punkers Desperate Journalist, are
currently in dazzling form, more than worthy of a long trip to London such as
this. Good thing too, as this one was booked even before the Thekla date was announced!
And, if any were needed, further incentive was offered by the inclusion of
Manchester’s Liines as support… this all-girl 3-piece had also dazzled in
support of the bloody terrible Sleaford Mods in Bristol a couple of years back
(gig 1,130), a gig during which the girls were subject to some misogynistic
abuse from some Mods “fans”, and which earned me a bit of a slagging off from other
Mods fans when I posted my blog write-up on a Liines facebook fan page saying
so! Still, hopefully a smoother ride was due this time; or so I thought…!
My
solo status was due to DJ uber-fan Stuart, who was due to join me, sadly
suffering a family bereavement so being occupied elsewhere. So I hit the M4 at
3.30, an hour earlier than I’d initially planned due to reported closures
between Junctions 8 and 6. I’d decided to dump the motor in Osterley tube
station car park, under the Heathrow flight path, and take the lengthy but
direct Underground service over to Kings Cross, rather than brave the roads of
a Capital which had been particularly hit hard by yesterday’s Storm Eunice
(bits of the O2 Arena roofing being ripped off in the high winds like soggy old
tarpaulin, for instance…!), so hit the venue a half hour before doors. Part of
a new series of eateries and entertainment complexes at the ground floor level of
a number of new build office blocks, this was a weird one; the venue itself was
through a door off a small indoor central atrium surrounded by a few drinks and
food bars. However, both bars I attended had little interest in serving me (one
guy flatly refused, despite not doing anything else!) and, after the other one
had deigned to sell me a small can of cherry soda (which was both stupidly
priced at £3.50, and tasted disgustingly of chemicals!) then made a point of asking
the hovering waitress/ hostess, well within my earshot, to, “stop sending
people to the bar”. Fucking ignorant entitled twat!
The
venue – down a flight of stairs through said side-door into a new build but
small 2-tier brick-lined room that reminded me of an old engine shed –
eventually opened and I wandered down; ran into Liines drummer Leila and tried
to both thank and apologise to her for getting her involved in “that” row, only
she was dealing with some hassle of her own from the venue security staff and
my presence only seemed to make it worse, so I excused myself and took a spot
down the front, feeling uneasy and unwelcome in this venue and pretty much
already just wanting it to be over! A chat with a couple of fellow front row
punters brought me back into the room, as it were, so my head was on a little
straighter for Liines’ onstage arrival at 7.30. A new iteration, with former
Honeyblood touring bassist Anna replacing the departed Tamsin, they however
seemed already well practiced in this new unit, attacking the set from the
outset with the same glorious intensity and taut, wiry tension as before.
Liines’ sound is replete with agitated yet insistent pin-pricking guitar lines,
tough militaristic drumbeats and growling, Hooky-like bass, overlaid with a
strident, commanding yelp of a vocal from Zoe. Wire or Comsat Angels fronted by
Patti or Polly Jean, maybe, but more wide-reaching than that… “Find Something”
featured some alarm-bell Joy Divisionesque guitar work from Zoe, “Always The
Same” was a growling backbeat beast with a nagging, repetitive hook, and after
a refreshment break (“we’re such beer hounds, aren’t we?” quipped Anna whilst
Zoe guzzled) oldie “Cold” evoked an atmosphere of incipient tension, redolent
of both those early 80’s “Two Tribes” Cold War days and the teetering tension
of today’s Europe… “Shallow”’s skittering one note riffery wouldn’t have felt
out of place on “Pink Flag”, and after a tremendous, stark “Never There” and
thanks to us earlybirds for, “supporting the support,”, “These Days” ended
another taciturn yet taut, tense and thrilling set from this seriously
promising band.
More
chat with the front row boys to kill time, before the expansive Krautrock synth
preamble of “Themes For Great Cities” kicked in and Desperate Journalist took
the stage at 8.30, with bassist Simon right in front of me and seeming, Jim
Gilbert-like, about nine feel tall onstage, and vocalist Jo Bevan, black-clad
with cowgirl arm tassles swishing about, joining us last with an
uncharacteristic nervous, almost coquettish wave and hushed, “hello…” Opener
“Was It Worth It” quickly dispelled any nerves, though; Jo was “on it” immediately
with an imperious and commanding vocal, and an early “Cristina” was also tremendous,
getting me bopping as much as my knackered knee allows these days. A couple of
oldies followed, namely “Hollow” (“for anyone with a Gothic persuasion”), all
murky and gloomy before bursting into that strident chorus howl, and “Why Are
You So Boring” (“who doesn’t love a bit of spiteful doggerel?!”). racey, sneery
and deliciously snarky. Then the new material from last year’s “Maximum
Sorrow!” CD once again took centre stage, with a pastoral, Smiths-like “The
Victim”, a sinuous and meandering, Forbes-esque bass-riff powered “Everything
You Wanted”, and “Poison Pen”, which featured an almost Mould-like squalling,
discordant middle 8 overlaid by Jo aggressively shouting the odds, then a full-stop
pregnant pause (I love those!).
“Cedars”
was, as ever, majestic, glorious and widescreen, but of course you know that
already… suffice to say I’ve only got 2 things to say to anyone who questions
the sheer stellar magnificence of this band; 1. Go listen to “Cedars”, and 2.
Now shut up… The doom-laden funereal march of “Armageddon” finished the set but
thankfully not the night, with the tender, touching “Be Kind” added to the
hectic luge of “Control” and the soaring, joyous finale of “Satellite” for a
triple-threat encore to die for, rounding off a quite brilliant set from a
pretty faultless band, early but serious contenders for top “live” honours in
2022. Oh yes.
A
set-list too from a kind roadie, and a quick chat with the Liines line-up at
the merch stand, hopefully clearing the air with Leila… I do hope so, I bloody
love that band and would like to see them “live” over and over again! A delayed
tube back to the motor and those bloody M4 roadworks however turned a 10pm
venue departure into a bleary-eyed 12.30 home arrival. Yipe! So, roadworks,
crappy venue with ignorant staff… a lot about tonight sucked, but 2 utterly
stellar performances from Liines and Desperate Journalist saved the day. As DJ
themselves ask, “Was It Worth It?” Absolutely!
However,
the footnote was the following morning, when I did my back in after grocery
shopping, subsequently being referred to A&E and UTC at GWH the next day
and being diagnosed with a muscular spasm due to a trapped nerve, and therefore
missing the other 2 of the 4 in 4 (Echo And The Bunnymen on Sunday, and Bears
In Trees on Monday – luckily my daughter still went to BIT, with mum instead!).
Bollocks! Still I’m glad I spasmed after rather than before this one, at
least…
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