Well, after the intensity last night of Medulla, tonight is a much more relaxed affair. And it's nice to be able to flip between different styles of music. Which is actually something that Sack Trick do quite a bit. The band tongiht consists of Chris (as ever), with Robin Guy on drums and Jeff (ex-Wildhearts) on guitar. And much the same as last night, they start to an empty dancefloor. However, as the opening of Perfect Today draws to an end, some people are begining to show a flicker of interest. Heads are nodding, and there's an element of applause. Maths Teacher's Words Of Wisdom sees an extened rock workout from the band, and some powerful drumming from Robin which is winning more and more people over. Shoelaces features the switch from gentle to Napalm Deathesque style, which sees grins break out and more people become interested. "Could you all please take two steps forward as there are people getting crushed at the back" jokes Chris. There's a sense of fun that runs through everything. The band can barely keep a straight faxe during Hiring Camels. Alcholic Bulimia keeps things going, and by the time I Play Bass is coming to an end, "people are coming downstairs now" observes Chris. And well they should. A cover of Kiss' Detroit Rock City end things. It's only been about half an hour. But it's been fun, and they receive a pretty good reception. Some CDs may have exchanged ownership and you never know, if they got a little bit of support, then they could actually go places. Course, that will possibly mean Chris getting a permanent line-up together, but I have to say, I prefer this band to Rachel Stamp (Robin's main band), and I'm not sure if Jef's band are a going concern. So who knows.
I saw the Jellys probably over a year ago in Derby. Since then they've managed to released an album that I don't have, and avoided doing an interview this afternoon by having "gone down the pub" when I arrived. Can't blame them really if last night's attempts are anything to go by. But they've attracted a fair crowd here. There's numberous Wildhearts shirts in attendance. Some have even got bodies inside them, and the suitably enjoy themselves. CJ points out that "it's nice to have more than 2 people at a gig". Maybe getting single of the week for Lemonade Girl will help. Live the music seems a bit harder than the few recorded tracks that I've heard would suggest. Though like last year, towards the end of the set it gets a bit samey for me. But not for the people who are now stage diving. Stage diving at the Jellys gig. Strange. It's Going Down is dedicated to Monica Lewinsky, and after 3/4 hour the band wind things up. It's still a bit too "nice" for me, but it doesn't offend me. And after a while of struggling, maybe things are begining to look up for the band.
Maybe they knew I was going to ask Jeff his views on Maiden reuniting with Bruce and that's why they buggered off down the pub. Now, many will know the link there. The rest can just go and figure it out for yourselves.