Tales from a Sweaty Pub
I don’t go to enough gigs. I love music, and nothing quite beats the intimacy, volume and authenticity of a live performance.
I’ve been a big fan of Frank Turner for a number of years now, and when he recommends a band or takes them on tour as a support act; it is generally a good sign. One such recent band was Jim Lockey and The Solemn Sun (JL&TSS).
They are in the middle of a UK headline tour, and they came to Bristol to play in a little pub called The Louisiana. It’s one of those places with a character you can’t buy or duplicate, i.e. it’s a bit dingy, has a unique smell and peeling paintwork.
I was very keen to go, but I couldn’t find anybody to go with, and I was resigned to staying home for the night. Then, in a moment of madness, I entertained the thought of going on my own. I consulted Twitter to see if this was a truly weird idea (sometimes I can’t tell) and quickly resolved ‘Fuck it, yes, they have some tickets on the door, I am going’.
I found this oddly liberating, only having myself to worry about, and I quickly made friends with some other random gig-goers. If you ever read this, hello Phil and Kayte!
The gig was amazing, and we found ourselves right at front of the tiny room, singing along to every song to the delight of the band and each other. Their recorded work has a certain rawness and emotive quality, but this took the whole thing to a new extreme, shouting became screaming and a heavy riff became a weapon that could make your ears bleed. They are a really excellent band, and I think they will be big, they have a sort of folky sound bit tinged with a punk sensibility; in their own words: ‘Country Music without the O’.
I’m really glad I went; I saw a brilliant gig with some very talented support acts* and now have some gig-buddies.
The moral of the story goes back to one of my own personal mottos which I had temporarily forgotten: ‘Just get on with it. If it’s good it’s good, if it’s not, it’s a lesson’.
Peace.
~Theo
*If you excellent guitar work and nice lyrics, look up Chris Webb. He’s a musician from Bristol and I really like him.
I’ve been a big fan of Frank Turner for a number of years now, and when he recommends a band or takes them on tour as a support act; it is generally a good sign. One such recent band was Jim Lockey and The Solemn Sun (JL&TSS).
They are in the middle of a UK headline tour, and they came to Bristol to play in a little pub called The Louisiana. It’s one of those places with a character you can’t buy or duplicate, i.e. it’s a bit dingy, has a unique smell and peeling paintwork.
I was very keen to go, but I couldn’t find anybody to go with, and I was resigned to staying home for the night. Then, in a moment of madness, I entertained the thought of going on my own. I consulted Twitter to see if this was a truly weird idea (sometimes I can’t tell) and quickly resolved ‘Fuck it, yes, they have some tickets on the door, I am going’.
I found this oddly liberating, only having myself to worry about, and I quickly made friends with some other random gig-goers. If you ever read this, hello Phil and Kayte!
The gig was amazing, and we found ourselves right at front of the tiny room, singing along to every song to the delight of the band and each other. Their recorded work has a certain rawness and emotive quality, but this took the whole thing to a new extreme, shouting became screaming and a heavy riff became a weapon that could make your ears bleed. They are a really excellent band, and I think they will be big, they have a sort of folky sound bit tinged with a punk sensibility; in their own words: ‘Country Music without the O’.
I’m really glad I went; I saw a brilliant gig with some very talented support acts* and now have some gig-buddies.
The moral of the story goes back to one of my own personal mottos which I had temporarily forgotten: ‘Just get on with it. If it’s good it’s good, if it’s not, it’s a lesson’.
Peace.
~Theo
*If you excellent guitar work and nice lyrics, look up Chris Webb. He’s a musician from Bristol and I really like him.