A drizzly May night, standing in a queue outside the Leadmill. In the queue are a surprising number of people dressed in what, even for the Leadmill, is an unusual way, with white faces, butterfly wings attached to leather corsets or shocking pink tights. We are approached by two such people bearing a tray of gingerbread men. I take one and munch it - something tells me this is not going to be just any rock concert ...
After waiting for a while we got into the venue itself, which doesn't appear to have changed much over the last twenty years or so. I started reminiscing about seeing Faith No More there on one of their early uk tours and then felt very old when Steven's friend Lou, a fan of said band, told me that she hadn't even been born then. Still, at least I got into the bar without having to have my id checked, so I suppose age doth hath its priviledges.
The support band were soon on stage and they were, quite frankly excellent. DeVotchKa consisted of four musicians who played a range of instruments including such delights as a double bass, accordian, theramin and a euphonium decorated with fairy lights. Their music sounded like a cross between Bavarian oom-pah and a mariachi band, but in a good way. I couldn't pick out more than one word in ten of the songs, assuming they were in English which they may well not have been, but they were all catchy and upbeat, played with considerable panache. They were joined on stage for one song by The Dresden Dolls, in what was probably the highpoint of the the gig for me.
Into the bar for another fizzy and overpriced pint of beer and the bonus support act - an engaging duo called 'Bang On' who played an assortment of pots and pans, dustbin lids, boxes, wheely bins, each other and with the help of two volunteers, a squeaky frog and a coat hanger. Good in small doses, and playing in the bar added to the busking vibe, so it was worth a bit of loose change into their collecting bucket I reckon.
Finally, the headliners took the stage - the Dresden Dolls. Described as 'Brechtian Punk Cabaret', they are a duo made up of a drummer and a keyboard player/vocalist. Their songs were a mix of angry ballads and reflective pieces, with an excellent cover version of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' being played as well. They suffered from a poor sound mix, rendering some quieter passages inaudible above the noise of the air conditioning and chatter from the back of the crowd, as well as problems with the drum kit and the drummer himself suffering from a sprained wrist. I was expecting them to be a little more theatrical I suppose, rather than a gothed up version of the White Stripes, but in all fairness they did the best they could in the circumstances and engaged their fans with some of their older numbers.
All in all, it was an interesting and enjoyable night out, and thanks are due to my friend Steven for the ticket and the lift to the gig. I guess that I really should get out and see live music more often.
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