Blog: Back To Brighton

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It feels like AGES since i was last away from home for a gig (FACT POINT: it's about 3 months, since i last played in Sheffield) and, to be honest, I've quite liked the Being At Home. STILL, on Sunday I had a lovely evening in prospect with The Lovely Brothers and so I set off in good spirits, using my STUDENT RAILCARD (HA!) to get me inexpensively to Brighton, where I was soon sat in my ENORMOUS hotel room (thanks laterooms!) having my TEA. LIFE ON THE ROAD!

I strolled back into town to The Komedia, where the GIG was occurring. It's also a Proper Comedy Venue and I ended up following in a QUEUE of people who were going to the Proper Comedy NIGHT next door. It felt a bit ODD - i knew I wasn't going to have to play for a Comedy Audience (who, as I have OCCASIONALLY MENTIONED over the years, I never do very well with), but it still FRIT me up a bit.

Things become CALMER when I got into our room to discover The Lovely Brothers onstage soundchecking a GRATE new song. Aaah, The Lovely Brothers! EVERY time I go to see them I always seem to be surprised by just how ACE they are, it's like I FORGET a week after I see them!

I did my soundcheck and popped round the corner for an Quiet Pint and to read a BRECHT PLAY that I've got to do a presentation about at SCHOOL next week. Well, if you're going to go to Brighton you might as well sit and read BRECHT hadn't you? I'm sure the local council has a Brighton Stereotype Compliance Officer, and if so they're doing an EXCELLENT job - every time I go there EVERY Brighton Stereotype is displayed within minutes of leaving the station. "Oh look, someone in drag drinking expensive coffee while a moustachioed ukulele player swerves his unicycle to avoid a DRUGS FITE - thank you Compliance Officer!"

My duty done I came back to find Ben Lovely Brothers a bit WORRIED. The PROGRAMME had said the show was starting at 7.30pm, and quite a few people had turned up - would I mind going on a bit early, at half eight? I didn't mind at all, and so this is what I did:

The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B)

Quality Of Life Enhancement Device

Theme From Dinosaur Planet

Strangely Attractive

My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once

It Only Works Because You're here

Hey Hey 16K

The Gay Train

Easily Impressed

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Boom Shake The Room

I don't know why, but i ALWAYS find Brighton audiences REALLY HARD WORK. Don't get me wrong, I had a BRILLIANT time (I really did - I kept thinking "Oh i DO like doing gigs, I've missed this!") but I always feel like I've WORKED when I play Brighton. People are very happy to clap and react DELIGHTFULLY to decent gags, but you don't get any LEEWAY and Offhand Remarks are often rewarded with GLARES rather than Kindly Smiles.

It was GRATE fun though, and I especially enjoyed doing Quality Of Life Enhancement Device, which has migrated into the solo set having done surprisingly well in the Vlads set - it did the same here too! LESS successful was the joining in during "Boom Shake The Room", but that's all right - it's not the first time that that's happened, and it all worked out rather JOLLY in the end.

As indeed did the rest of the night, part of which was spent chatting to PALS, also CHUMS, and much of which was spent watching The Lovely Brothers, who were FANTASTIC! The two new songs played were INCREDIBLE, the stage banter was HILARIOUS, and the ACTION was ASTOUNDING - the show ended with them inadvertently DESTROYING most of the stage, with monitors going flying, microphone stands all over the room, and the stage itself falling apart like melting icebergs.

My FAVOURITE part was when Ben stormed into the audience, seeing how far he could get round while his extra long orange guitar lead rolled out behind him. He got right round the room and back to the stage, at which point the whole audience picked up the lead and gently fed it back to him, like a very polite bright orange mexican wave snaking across their heads. It was GORGEOUS!

A gorgeous night all round, in fact, and I wobbled gently back to the CAVERNOUS hotel room full of the joys of gigs. Next stop: BERLIN!

posted 19/11/2012 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

"A moustachioed ukulele player" - I didn't know you'd bumped into Jimmy McGee.
posted 25/11/2012 by Bemps

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