Blog: Allo Darlin' / Standard Fare

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I met The Chickpeas In My Hummus for TEA last night in downtown Central London and then we got a TAXI (and OOH i did feel posh/sophisticated doing so) to The Lexington, there to see Allo Darlin' and Standard Fare.

I got our tickets for this WEEKS ago and have been in an ongoing state of HIGH EXCITEMENT ever since, for LO! these are pretty much my two favourite bands of the NOW. When i got the Standard Fare album a few months ago i was STUNNED by the number of HITS on it and how GRATE it was. "This must surely be the best album I will hear all year!" i thought. Then i got the Allo Darlin' album and ... well, i believe I am on record with regards to JUST HOW AMAZING i think THAT particular set of recordings is. I listened to it several times a day when I got it and have listened to it every week, and usually several TIMES a week ever since, as it is BRILLIANT.

So yes, there was some EAGER ANTICIPATION as we walked upstairs to see Standard Fare and I was not disappointed - they were GRATE. The big thing that stuck out for me was how much more DRUMS there are live than on record. By this I mean you really noticed them a lot more, and how the rhythms changed within songs and the Exciting Stuff that was going on. Being a normal human being I, of course, pretty much NEVER listen to the drums, but you couldn't help it here, as they were so GOOD. As indeed was the entire set, and I stood ROOTED to the spot, grinning, bobbing around, and singing along. It was FAB.

There was time for some brief post-gig discussion and beer purchasing before it was time to get back up for Allo Darlin' who were, not to put too fine a point on it, FCUKING AMAZING. I stood AGOG for the entire set with one of those MASSIVE GRINS plastered all over my face that actually start to ACHE after a while, occasionally unable to stop myself LARFING OUT LOUD at the sheer RIDICULOUSNESS of how amazing they were. Honestly,it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to - i LOVE those songs and seeing them played with such GUSTO and JOY was utterly marvellous.

It all felt like a BIG DEAL too - the room was PACKED with excited people and pretty much every song got a CHEER within the first few seconds as it turned out to be someone's favourite. MY personal favourite was the line in "Talulah" that's something like "I'm wandering if I've already heard all the records that'll ever mean something. I'm wondering if I've already met all the friends who'll ever mean something" (NB PARAPHRASING) which leapt out and smacked me in the BRANE. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN WELLING UP. Also, in that vein, the bit in "Silver Dollars" about "We do it because we love it" - i'd never realised, until it was pointed out in the introduction, that the song's about people who put out independent records, but once THAT was lodged in my head the whole song became even MORE BRILLIANT.

It's not just the songs with this lot tho, nor with Standard Fare, in fact, it's the way they're played. Here in the Exciting World Of Indiepop we get USED to, even sometimes PREFER, bands who are a bit haphazard/ramshackle/occasionally verging on embarrassing, which is all well and lovely, but when two acts like these come along who can REALLY REALLY PLAY then it tends to knock you sideways. I shall now go back and be AGHAST to the GUITAR SOLOES, for instance, which LEAPT out of Allo Darlin's set last night but which are more gently settled into the overall sound on the record.

It's also brilliant to be a part, even if just a minor stand on the side part like me, of the "SCENE" that produced these two bands who, I DO NOT DOUBT, are on the very verge of going on to be much much bigger and more acclaimed than both of us and, hopefully, to do so on two record labels (Fortuna Pop! and Thee SPC) who REALLY deserve it. Exciting times lie ahead for all concerned, it's going to be FANTASTIC!

posted 16/6/2010 by MJ Hibbett

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