What doesn't kill you makes you stronger or so they say
So yesterday, at a gig, I discovered that my last LJ post tagged "gig" was January 2016. Err... Last year was a weird one, on account of not being able to walk for much of it, but I managed more gigs than that. I think my post-fu has been weak.
So! I'm attempting to lurch back into it. Not least because I won't have the least what bands I've seen otherwise.
Last weekend was the latest outbreak of WGW. Which to be honest, hasn't been about the bands for a long while anyway.
Highlights of the weekend included getting to hang out with keris and Davefish eating nice food, getting to catch up with many others, and drinking too much gin in the Rusty Shears with Davefish, mrphand valkath.
Digression: it remains to be seen whether I've got the syntax of LJ-names-from-DW right. And how badly the cross post to LJ mangles them. Also, the auto correct on my phone seems to be a lot more aggressive these days. It wants me to share a house with Kris and Feverish, and drink gin with Meh and Ballet.
Note to anyone who cares: Mason's rhubarb gin. Do it. And their Yorkshire tea gin is decent (and surprisingly tea-y), too. If anyone offers you gin called Batshit Mental Idea, decline it with extreme prejudice. Mrph sensibly didn't offer me a taste of his, but I tried it anyway, and then had to do the aaarghh-tastes-like-Whisky face. Oh, and if Valkath shows up and says he's just going to have some tea because he doesn't drink gin, expect his resolve to last around 4 seconds.
The rest of the time was basically mooching about shops, being inveigled into pubs by passers-by, and generally hanging around chatting. And eating epic breakfasts in Java.
These days, I count any WGW band that doesn't mange me groan "oh no, not them" on reading the line up as a bonus. So of 8 this time, there was 1 meh, 2 don't knows, and 5 reasonably positives, which is actually pretty good.
I remember thinking it was a decent year for comedy cover versions, but now can't remember many. Have I missed anything?
Friday
Band: Healthy Junkies
This is one of those weird charity-donation jumble-sale bands made out of spare parts. The guitarist's from an old-school punk bad, the bassist dates from the grunge era, the drummer is clearly stolen from some of-the-moment Dalston outfit. And the singer wants to be Katie-Jane Garside.
They were pretty much support material: decent but not outstanding. I don't feel they've really found their zone, or worked out quite what they want to be when they grow up. Plus, too many songs about murders. On the upside, no overt backing track.
Comedy cover: nope.
Band: Deviant UK
Now, I like Deviant. He is everyone's favourite pantomime villain, and good-value entertainment. Except this time he wasn't dressed up, didn't seem to have The Eyebrows as usual and... Well. It was like Deviant karaoke, as if a much less good version of him was trying to impersonate him. All rather disappointing, really.
He's almost entirely backing track, though there are other humans allegedly doing things on stage.
Comedy cover: Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
Band: Bad Pollyanna
They may not have been actual headliners, but Bad Pollyanna certainly acted like it. I'd still describe them as a sort of low-rent Evanescence, and their singer is still over-inclined to explain the songs, but they're really a great band these days. Olivia has always had a great voice, but seems really to have grown into the role of front-person.
Bad Pollyanna are a full band, with drummer, but still seem to have a backing track. It's slightly disappointing how much vocal is on it, too.
Comedy cover: nope?
Bad: Toyah
I just can't get the hang of Toyah. Others seemed very impressed, though. Maybe I just missed her first time round. I hung out of the foyer chatting instead.
Comedy cover: not sure. Probably.
Saturday
Band: Magic Eight Ball
The sort of American band where the singer dresses as The Joker. Again, decent support material, but not much more. Had the world's scariest drummer, who seemed very angry (possibly related to the drum kit needing constant attention from the stage techs as it kept trying to come apart).
No backing track, I don't think.
Comedy cover: ?
Band: The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing
Probably the band I was most looking forward to. Actual steam and actual punk, with great onstage presence from all three front-people. And songs that are funny without tipping into novelty, mostly because they are also good songs.
Whitby audiences are usually the staidest in the world, but The Men managed to get goths to knees-up, headbang andpogo to Margate Fthagn.
Defiantly backing-track free, and all the better for it.
Comedy cover: Lilies (Creaming Jesus). If you're willing to accept "vaguely terrifying" as a definition of "comedy".
Band: Abney Park
Oh dear. I like Abney Park. American steam-punk of the brown leather, cogs and airship kind. They sound like they should constantly be soundtracking a clockwork fairground. Coming after The Men they were just a bit... Wet. I think I prefer my steampunk anarchic to anachronistic.
Also, I hereby award Abney Park the Inkubus Sukkubus award for every song sounding a bit the same.
Backing tracks coming out of their ears.
Comedy cover: nope?
Band: Aurelio Voltaire
I like Voltaire, and his brand of filky silliness, so had been quite looking forward to him. A few years back, at WGW, he held a packed hall spellbound. This year, not so much.
The act just sounded a bit old, and a bit tired. The persona just came across as a bit of an arse. I guess my review would be a grudging "ok". Compared to The Men, or even Abney Park, he just didn't seem like a headliner.
No backing track, at least.
Comedy cover: I thought so, but now can't remember.
[Originally posted at http://venta.dreamwidth.org/528320.html]