Another (late) Gig Review

Well this is a little delayed isn't it? Such is real life, stops be from spewing my thoughts onto the internet for the amusement/horror of you lot/

Still, I did find time to, last Wednesday; hit Shepard’s Bush Empire for the NME Awards show featuring Los Campesinos! (The! is part of the name, like 'Panic! At The Disco and will not be used again in this review so I don't look like a berk).


members of said excalimation mark loving band

Now I'm a bit of a Los Camp. whore really. Something about of a lot of Welsh indie types with all sorts of hand percussion playing awkward songs about being awkward really gets me going (probably the sort of thing they'll be interested in when they finally section me in a few years time). I saw them at Reading last year and was pleasantly surprised by how good they were, so this ticket was a pretty easy choice...

The first support came in the shape of Grouplove from LA (but with a bassist from Shepard’s Bush, random), who were, quite frankly, the best support band I have ever seen. I'd quite happily have seen them headlining a show. They had a real 60's vibe about them that reminded me of the Doors a little, but without pandering to any 'retro' stereotypes at all. Atmospheric, delayed vocals, long hair, acoustic and electric guitar. I even bought a t-shirt I was so impressed. Something about last week really brought out some good supports in the gigging world.

That being said, I was a bit disappointed by SUMMERCAMP (spelt in capitals...) who were up next. There were alright and that’s about it really. Two people, keyboard and guitar, with lovely Hoxton haircuts and the sort of slightly odd indie that makes the NME Radar feature writers scream to the heavens in joy one week and rage and cry murder the next. I wasn't that impressed, I may have even yawned. So maybe not every support band from last week was A+ material.


If you've never seen Los Campesinos live, it is quite hard to explain the experience. One moment you think everything is about to come crashing down around the band's ears, next, they're soaring up right out of the venue into some sort of glockenspiel featuring other plain of live performance. The whole thing is kind of personified in lead singer Gareth, who alternated between raging at the world while rolling around on the floor for one song before spending the whole next song, face in mic stand, looking like a man facing the gallows.

It's an interesting experience, and I'm not criticising, its gives the whole event an atmosphere I've never seen with any other bands, if the songs weren't so good would it work? I don't know...

Nevertheless the songs are good. Very good...

Three albums and a number of EPs in the LC have a pretty hefty back catalogue, something they weren't shy of showing off. Tearing through old classics such a 'You! Me! Dancing!' and 'Death To Los Campesinos!' (they're fond of the '!') one second before serving up the likes of 'Romance Is Boring' and 'Miserabilia' of their later albums. Chronology aside each song was treated with the same energy and was met with the same frantic crowd response. Even slower numbers (ala 'The Sea Is A Good Place...') didn't put a mid-set dampener on the affair. I certainly wasn’t yawning by then.

All in all, a mighty fine show. One ace support band, one ace headliner, and one happy person leaving the venue. Top Marks.

(oh and indie kid points to Gareth for telling the crowd not to buy LC merch as it would be on the internet, cheaper, a week later...much to the annoyance of the venue management I think).