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 “8th 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. “8th 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!
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