Blog: Chris T-T at The Flowerpot

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Last night myself and The Beer In My Pub made our way to Camden, to see a GRATE gig. Count that as SPOILERS! For LO! The story starts with me in a Slight GRUMP.

Part of this was due to the fact that it was in CAMDEN where you are never more than 5 seconds away from someone being Vaguely Annoying, usually looking like a Wazzock poncing around like they are The Bees Knees. Obviously these days this is MUCH more likely to happen in Shoreditch, but Camden still holds its own and I am happy to report that WEARING IDIOTIC HATS is very much the Wazzock Ideal at the moment. The Ridiculously Tiny Pork Pie Hat seems to have fallen out of favour now, to be replaced by THE TRILBY. Why anybody who exists in COLOUR and in THREE DIMENSIONS who is under the age of SEVENTY would want to wear such a thing I do not know, but then I guess the opinion of a plump gentlemen of World Years is hardly on the top of The Wazzock Wish List.

ANYWAY there was that, and also the nature of the gig itself. The Flowerpot, where we were headed, has been LOUDLY TRUMPETED of late for its policy of doing Free Gigs, where the venue pays the acts themselves, in the hope that it will attract an audience to drink their beer. Now, you or I might think "Yes, that is a pretty standard way of doing gigs, it has happened as long as there have BEEN gigs" but you wouldn't believe it if you read some of the PRESS it has attracted, where the venue has been LAUDED as MIRACULOUS IDEA MONGERS doing something NEVER ATTEMPTED BEFORE. I mean, maybe not in THAT EXACT PUB, but still - we played at Jamm last week doing the exact same thing, and I've done (not literally) LITERALLY MILLIONS of gigs where this has been the case.

HOWEVER my GRUMP receded almost as soon as we entered the venue, when I realised it was one I'd played at before which had been MASSIVELY improved. I asked the nice young man behind the bar, who told me it had previously been The Verge - AAH! The Verge, OF COURSE, when I supported the Lovely Brothers, sang 'Stan' with Captain Disco, got a call from my Mum halfway through the set, and made my legs go wonky by standing up. It was a right sticky-floored stinky old DIVE back then and it's MUCH nicer now, and I IMMEDIATELY felt UNCOUTH for thinking uncharitable thoughts about their gig policy. It's not different to DO it, but it IS new-ish to do these sort of free gigs for the SIZE of acts they're booking to play there. Come on Hibbett, be a bit more charitable!

Any remaining grump was DISSIPATED by going and having a chat with the Act Of The Evening Mr Chris T-T, who was on fine form, especially considering he has been ON THE ROAD for so long. Everything sounds VERY exciting in the world of T-T with not one, not even two, but THREE albums to come next year. I don't want to show off... Well, OK, I do, but I have HEARD one of them, "Love Is Not Rescue", his solo-ish album that's out apparently in March, and it is BLOODY BRILLIANT. Really really REALLY good stuff throughout, I think it may even top "9 Red Songs" as my favourite. YES THAT GOOD.

Also, rather brilliantly, he asked ME about the recently discussed possibility of him being in Dinosaur Planet. This was EXTREMELY PLEASING because I'd printed him out a copy of the SCRIPT but didn't know whether to RAISE the matter - I really want him to be in it, as I think he's be BRILLIANT, but wasn't sure if he'd just been being polite earlier. Fantastically we BOTH seemed very excited at the prospect. HOORAH!

We then had a lovely chap with Types, Various, who were in attendance before it was time to settle in for The Main Event, which was BLOODY GRATE. As anyone who's ever seen Chris will know he give AMAZING gig - it's like going to see Billy Bragg about 15 years ago, for INSPIRATION and EXHILERATION, also TUNES, and this time he was Excellent - The Words In My Song even went so far as to say it was the Second Best Time Ever (the first being the INCREDIBLE time we saw him at The 12 Bar which was one of the BEST GIGS OF ALL TIME), and I think she might be right. He moved between electric guitar, acoustic and PIANO for different songs and COMMANDED a room full of people, including several Talkative Camden Types who were STILLED by the power of his MIGHT. Well, most of them - rather bizarrely someone did walk up to the front of the stage and engage him in a two minute conversation, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was Actually Doing A Gig.

So yes, it was GRATE especially when he dedicated "Giraffes" to US, largely due i think to The Strings On My Guitar telling him how much she LOVES that song. Which she does - LOTS! He did over an hour EASILY and it all seemed to end far too soon, and we left with huge GRINS on our faces singing the songs - especially the new ones which, AS MENTIONED, are GRATE.

What a brilliant gig! What a STAR!

posted 29/10/2009 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

It was a GRATE gig. Thank you for reassuring me that pop isn't about to end.

chap = chat, I think
posted 30/10/2009 by jamboshoeshine

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