Tuesday 13 May 2014

The Pack AD and Nico Vega Upstairs at the Garage - 07 May 2014


The Pack AD

Yesterday was the O2, today is the altogether more compact surroundings of Upstairs at the Garage. Yesterday was all about twerking and tongues and giant laser dogs, today there is a merch table with some free badges.

It's a more mature audience too. There are very few, if any, people in hot pants.

Nico Vega hail from California and have not toured the UK for around five years. They are very apologetic and keen to make up for lost time.

Singer Aja Volkman is wildly enthusiastic and by the end of the first number has clambered on top of the drum kit and is bashing on a snare.

Aja is sporting an outfit that seems mainly made up of floaty scarves and this Fleetwood Maccery also extends to the guitarist who, unable to decide between sporting a bandana or a hat has plumped for wearing both at the same time.

The music is fast, exciting and the hard core fans down the front are soon bouncing around. I'm tapping a toe myself.

Aja finishes an excellent set with a foray off the stage and into the appreciative throng.

Afterwards the band hang around to chat with fans and come across as genuinely nice folk. A pleasure.

I'm also very pleased to catch up once more with The PackAD, who I have not seen in far too long.

Their set up is simplicity itself. Maya drums and sings, Beck plays a phenomenally rock guitar and also sings. Nothing more than that, just damn fine rock and roll.

It's heads down, no nonsense stuff. Aside from a selection of very nifty songs, it is this lack of artifice that is the main selling point with The Pack A.D. The new album gets a solid airing, and like, the two before it, delivers the goods.

As a band, The Pack AD are hard to describe – they simply need to be listened to.

A very enjoyable evening in the company of a lot of happy people. I'll take that for a dollar.


  

No comments: