Shows you how much I get out. I don't think I've been to a small gig at RC on a Thursday in all my time here. So, whilst wandering the Rig, spotting there was no kit set up on the stage, panic sets in. Plus I'm surrounded by lots of really rather trendy people. Nice people. Good looking people. It's student night you see, and the paranoia is setting in. Which means I drink quicker. Which isn't good. I'm thinking they've directed me to the wrong area. But apparently you see, they herded us all in here, and after The Seahorses have finished playing the main hall, they let us through. Aaaah. It all becomes clearer. But too late, the paranoia has pulled up a chair and is smoking a pipe while laughing at me.
The reason for saying that. Cos well the paranoia combined with alcohol isn't a good combination, and usually turns me into a bit more of a pissed off person than normal. No exception here. So after being stuck with the pretty people for too long, by the time I'm in to see the bands, the fucking backpack brigade have arrived and are in full flow. Bastards. Fuck offf. YEAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH. God, I really am begining to hate those things. And the people that no matter where I stand, no matter where the spaces are around me, always, ALWAYS decide they have to push past me. I swear, someone soon is seriously going to get decked. I'm not a violent person, but if I do hit someone when I'm in this mood, they are going to stay down.
So you see, I was a tad uptight by the time Cyclefly started. Ah yes, I was coming to the bands. Just in a long winded manner. Don't know anything about Cyclefly, but they really did nothing for me. Regulation weird frontman, red dreads and rock star pouting suit. Threw himself around the stage, sang something about being "the heroin you are looking for". The standard sort, hey, I'm weird, I'm fucked up thing. It came. It went. I drank. Ones to watch maybe when I'm in the mood for possibly liking something.
And god it's fucking hot in here. Stupidly hot. Why oh why doesn't this place get some air conditioning, or if it has it, then USE IT. And still people are careering round the dancefloor with their backpacks on. Why, Goddamn it WHY??? And people are pushing past. I'm stood by a pillar. There is no space there, due to the pillar being an immovable object, but still people want to walk there. Fuck off you bastards. God, look, look around you. Walk in the spaces. You go outside and everyone is blocking the stairs to have a chat. So you can't use them for the purpose they were built. Imbeciles. Do people really have no fucking common sense? Really.
The mood is kinda dipping don't you think? Still, there's plenty of dancy music on, and all the students are doing their thing. Nice. Then Machine Head is played, and suddenly the floor empties a bit. Ahhh.
So soon Iron Monkey are on. The floor fills with their followers. Now I'm not going to sit here and type in pretend manner that I'm a major fan and know their works inside out. I just got the new album yesterday, and the debut a few weeks ago. I can tell you before anything starts that I'm not going to recognise the songs and give you titles. So don't expect that. But on they wander, and the sludgefest starts. It's tricky to work out what Morrow is singing on the albums and with the lyrics in front of you. Live it sounds like all he sings is "yaaaa, yaaaaaay, yaaaaaaa" and variations on the theme. Which is probably what it's all about anyway. And don't I sound like an old timer now. Anyway, the music is good, if a little monotonous after a while. Plenty of Sabbath like riffs though, which is a good thing. I think probably I need to be in a better frame of mind to appreciate this, which is the purpose all that waffly build up served. To show I wasn't really up for this tonight.
The people here for them loved it. It trod that fine line for me, when stuff crosses from being good, but difficult, to just being self indulgent. It's the mindset you need to listen to it. Why can I appreciate Neurosis and 3D House of Beef, but tonight didn't get this, and thought that some of it was self indulgent to the extreme? Maybe it's cos my mind wasn't ready for it. It had been pissed off too much by other events and people. The final feedback drenched "section" with just the rhythm section left on stage was self indulgent. But people liked it. Not I. I'm a person who still thinks that Led Zeppelin, that bastion of great music apparently, were self indulgent and often crap. Stretching out solos, muso jams. Not much different to this, except it was more feedback. Yet I still appreciate Neurosis.
And then I leave. I think the students and nice people should be left to their own devices now. I don't belong here.
The mind, it's a difficult one to work out sometimes.