Blog: Finsbury Park

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A brilliantly easy trip to the gig last night, made all the nicer by the fact that i caught the tube from one of my favourite stations, Russell Square. It is the SELFRIDGES of tube stations, i reckon, it feels GENTEEL and full of confused tourists, looking for doorways and tops of stairs to read their maps on.

Finsbury Park itself is not the most salubrious of areas, although AMAZINGLY it does play host to an Actual Real CHIPPY, which is quite a rare thing in That London. Before i visited it, however, i went to the venue where all was in slight disarray. The Red Rose is a BIG room, it's pretty much exactly like a church hall, and of the same size, so immediately I was a little worried about how we were going to fill it. The Graham Parsnip chaps were there already, but the organiser (BEN from The Lovely Brothers) wasn't, he was stuck in a VAN in Brixton. We were meant to be getting set up by 6 o'clock but it was 7.30pm by the time they arrived, which meant we had half an hour to soundcheck five bands... I found myself EERILY CALM. Shamefully I'd thought "It isn't my fault if it doesn't work out", and SLUNK OFF with my SHAME to the chippy.

I was right to be calm though, as everything very easily sorted itself out in that way that Good Gigs DO. Charlie de la Fighting Cocks arrived as did The Vinegar On My Chips, as did a whole LOAD of people shortly afterwards. By nine o'clock, our revised starting time, the room was FULL! I was AMAZED - OK, tables had been put out which always helps, but there were a whole LOAD of people there. HOORAH!

After some jiggery pokery with the running order - Project Adorno hadn't arrived, so somebody else had to start us off - the Amateur Transplants guy went on. He was DEAD FUNNY - he's a Proper Doctor doing Musical Skits, which sounds the sort of thing that ought to REPEL crazy rock and roll rebels like you and i, but it was REALLY FUNNY. "Kit and The Widow!" said Charlie, but i was too anarchic and anti-establishment to know what he meant. Then The Graham Parsnip Liquidiser Torture Think Tank (project) came on, and were again ACE. They're such lovely chaps and it really comes across when they play, and they play HARD. Ish. It was MOST jolly though, and it worried me a little because I was on next - everyone was LAUGHING and having Fun Times, how was I going to go down with my Not Actually Comedy Songs? I decided to go for the LIGHTER side of my OUVRE, and here is what i played:

The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B)

Clubbing In The Week

The Perfect Love Song

I Come From The Fens

Hey Hey 16K

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Easily Impressed

Boom Shake The Room

Back to THE UBERSET! I was very nervous for the first few songs and felt a little UNCOMFORTABLE, but by the second half i was BACK IN THE SADDLE and enjoying myself very much indeed. I was going direct into an AMP that wasn't mic'd up, which felt a bit weird as it was so LOUD behind me, and also most of the audience was sititng down, which took a bit of getting used to, but it seemed to go down pretty well, and it was a happy Hibbett who cavorted round the room handing out flyers afterwards.

Finally The Lovely Brothers took to the stage and were their usual ROCKING SELVES. There seemed to be a bit MORE Performance Art in the show than previously, which i sometimes wonder about - personally I think they'd be best to wear no costumes AT ALL and go on with the appearance of a STRAIGHT BAND. This I feel would FREAK people out entirely and give MORE weight to the songs themselves, but HEY! it was a GRATE show whatever and especially the NEW stuff is rocking hard. Unfortunately we had to LEAVE during the last song for the Last Tube, but we did get to see The Magical Duck On A Fishing Rod, which is something i had not previously witnessed.

A lovely evening then with a whole HEAP of lovely people - GIGS! They am GOOD!

posted 22/4/2006 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

The comic I saw last week (Alex Horne, very funny) in Folkestone is playing that club soon. Or recently. I remember seeing it from the bus when I lived up that way, but have never been, glad it went well for you.
posted 24/4/2006 by Pauly

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