A one-line review of (nearly) every gig I’ve been to in September 2023

This monthly series is probably more for my benefit than yours, but maybe your interest will be piqued by one of the reviews. Maybe you’ll scroll straight past. Maybe you’ll unsubscribe thinking what did I see in this blog in the first place?

Treanne, St Pancras Old Church, London, 4 Sep – Very personal songs about “situationships” with a lovely voice and accompanying themselves on keys or guitar.

Treanne at St Pancras Old Church

The New Eves, St Pancras Old Church, London, 4 Sep – I found this absolutely beguiling folk-psych, like a gothier Miranda Sex Garden, or if the kids dancing round the maypole in The Wicker Man had grown up and formed a band. Would definitely see them again. The only downside being one song which featured three harmonicas which is at least three harmonicas too many in my book.

The New Eves at St Pancras Old Church

Laura Jean, St Pancras Old Church, London, 4 Sep – I love her songs, she is very deadpan and funny between tracks, although despite being delightful somehow also manages to give off body language that she’d rather be anywhere else than singing her incredibly intimate narrative songs on stage. It felt very naughty watching her and drinking cans of Stella in a church.

Laura Jean at St Pancras Old Church

Actually, Laura Jean has a track called A Funny Thing Happened and a funny thing did happen because just before she was about to go on I had to approach her in the lobby of the church and I’m sure her face flickered with a look of “Oh god this fan is going to talk to me just as I’m about to go on” but actually I was just trying to throw my empty beer can in the bin which she was in the way of. #DullCelebrityEncounters

The first time I saw Siouxsie …

Siouxsie, The Troxy, London, 7 Sep – I first went to see Siouxsie in 1987 for a whole eight of your Earth pounds, and I wrote about that here. Glad I went to this and saw her on what was an unexpected and maybe final round of dates, but there were slightly too many deep cuts and too few singles and to be honest it was the hottest day of the year and at my age being near the A/C was more important than being near the stage. Her solo track Into A Swan is a somewhat lost classic though, well worth checking out.

The precious A/C unit at the Troxy. Somewhere in the background, Siouxsie doing her thing.

The Fallen Women, Thunderbolt, Bristol, 9 Sep – Some dickhead with a blog got up to sing Senior Twilight Stock Replacer, Rebellious Jukebox and There’s A Ghost In My House. The highlight for me was an extremely improvised version of Kicker Conspiracy that mostly consisted of shouting local football slogans like “Shit on the gas” to the amusement/growing horror of the band.

The Fallen Women at The Thunderbolt, Bristol, with guest vocals Abi Brady leading the line.

Bandeoke with LHVD, Thunderbolt, Bristol, 10 Sep – Much joy was had the next day as instead of me getting up on stage to sing with the Fallen Women, it was my turn to watch some of the Fallen Women get up on stage to sing various bits of Britney, the Beatles and Pattie Smith. Top-notch Sunday afternoon hungover fun.

Caroline McLavy, Electronic Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge, 14 Sep – Glittery electronic disco pop and great fun.

Caroline McLavy at Cambridge Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge

Manilla Filters, Electronic Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge, 14 Sep – I think this was Manilla Filters – seemingly there were more people involved at previous shows – but there was a suitcase full of modular goodness so you couldn’t complain.

Manilla Filters at Cambridge Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge

M-Orchestra, Electronic Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge, 14 Sep – Some dickhead with a blog, a laptop, some songs about ghosts, and a selfie in the bogs.

m-orchestra at Cambridge Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge

Under The Sun, Electronic Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge, 14 Sep – Really great noisy shoegaze-style guitars over programmed beats.

Under The Sun at Cambridge Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge

Jed Upjohn, Electronic Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge, 14 Sep – Auto-tuned heartfelt love songs. I was impressed that he was told he had two minutes left, and could immediately just play an extra song that lasted the requisite amount of time. Other acts like m-orchestra mentioning no names, got gonged off for being idiots unable to stick to their slot timings despite knowing the timings in advance and having pre-arranged everything to synch to video clips.

Jed Upjohn at Cambridge Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge

Subdermic, Electronic Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge, 14 Sep – Really brilliant hard acid that got the room going mad. They love a bit of old skool 303 action in Cambridge, it turns out.

Subdermic at Cambridge Open Stage, The Blue Moon, Cambridge

Dexy’s, The Dome, Brighton, 19 Sep – One of those bands that I never had the albums back in the day, but it all sounds like Dexy’s so no matter. More than anything I just love spending a couple of hours now and again in the company of the unique talent that is Kevin Rowland, and this tour, featuring the whole of their – slightly patchy – new album with its spoken word interludes and mock fights in full plus loads of Too-Rye-Ay was well worth the trip to Brighton and back.

+++ IT ALL GOES A BIT WRONG HERE +++

London EMOM, Tileyard, 22 Sep – This event was sadly cancelled due to a problem with the venue.

Ealing Extranormal Volume 19, 23 Sep – I had tickets for this but didn’t feel up to the trip across London in the end.

Oxford EMOM, The Jericho Tavern, 26 Sep – I did an m-orchestra set here but was totally flustered by a train nightmare getting there and failed to take notes of who did what.

Oh well … I’m sure there will be more gigs next month.