Early gig tonight as Saturdays see the Academy host Ramshackle - a club night thingy for troubled teens, pervy old men and glue sniffers. So the first band came on at the ungodly hour of 6.45. ..barely time for a £3.20 pint of watered down Strongbow (thanks Mr Carling Academy, you really are spoiling us). Monkey Swallows the Universe is a name that conjures up some kind of 60's psychadelic cult group. The Monkey's were, in fact, more acousticy (well how would you spell it?) and mellow than that. As with many opening bands the majority of the audience weren't as receptive as they should've been...which was a shame as they had some gentle, but impressively catchy, tunes. Download Florence from their website and see what I mean...
Gentle isn't a word that you would use to describe 1990s. They had a real 80's rock group thing going on. I think they scared some of The Long Blondes fans a bit at first but, by the end of the set, the applause has lifted from a gentle appreciation to more of a 'woohoo' with a coupled of added 'yeahs'. They couldn't help reminding me of The Knack a little bit. Which, as they sang 'My Sharona' (a classic is ever there was one) was no bad thing. In fact the more I listen to them the more I like them...
The main event then. The Long Blondes. Unknown to me the drummer is from Stourbridge and his dad (I think) was just behind me, next to the bass players mum. Which made it all feel a bit like a school play. But I'm being picky (naughty Baron). On record The Long Blondes must be one of the bands of the year. Once and Never Again and Giddy Stratospheres are bloody ace and they didn't fail to hit the spot (several spots in fact) tonight. No encore, but I kind of like that. Come on, do your thang, then leave. None of this on/off crap. We're not fooled and it ain't a frickin panto.
Overall a good night, but I rarely feel particularly knocked out by gigs at the Academy or Academy 2 these days (due to the venue, not the bands). But then, so soon after the audio orgasm that was Coldrice, what could possibly compete? Answers on a postcard please...
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