Dienstag, 1. Apr 2008, 18:11

Sun 30 Mar – Darren Hayman and the Secondary Modern, The Wave Pictures

So first gig since some bastard functionally blind pedestrian walked out in front of bike and knocked me off resulting in hand and knee injuries …

The Wave Pictures - seen them before but don't remember them being this good! Maybe it was the stripped down set-up focusing more attention on the songs? Most enjoyable …

Oh yeah, and there was Robin Ince and his mate with accordian (Martin?) before. He was funny, with some good graphs. And liked Martin's song.

So Darren with Jack … bit like those sold out gigs coming up … so where was everybody? Not that it was empty as Darren seem to have feared. Plus Jack's son too. Usual great performance with a selection of Hefner, Secondary Modern, British Holiday and Darren's Basildon project songs. One complain - Darren! Keep to the times! The Overground stops running Eastward at 11.02pm on a Sunday so as a fellow East Londoner I would have thought you'd have taken that into account. Meant we had to leave before the end of the set … :(

…and still, the Luminaire. Well firstly, it's limited accessibility from East london. But actually part of the problem is the crowd it attracts - what was it with all those young people down the front standing still as statues? You got no soul? And then there was the sad bastard in the short sleeved red checked shirt with white belt and full beard (I mean I ask you?) with "friends" off to the left of the stage - the criminal lack of any sartorial elegance could have been forgiven if they hadn't been laughing at the blond woman in the strippy top dancing down the front. Don't you get it you pouncey twat? She was enjoying herself? And didn't give a fuck what you and your trendy friends think. Which elevates her to a level you'd never understand. "Indie" used to be about outsiders and doing your own thing, not a particular style of music, dress or dance code. I despair. Hence I won't attend the MBV reunion gigs - it won't be like seeing them at Chatham Arts Centre when most of those now attending were at primary school or would have been listening to whatever NME had on their cover that week I want to preserve that memory - Strawberry Wine or You Made Me Realise can never sound as good as hearing it fresh then when 17. I blame the parents.