Drop Out Venus (Dan Kendall)
Another year heedlessly hoofed into the long grass of
history. So long, 2012, how will we remember you?
In January I encountered FOE twice and swiftly came to
realise that Hannah Clark is a performer who can radically alter her sound as
the occasion suits and that she is constantly evolving. At the Barfly, FOE were
a gonzoid metal wall of sound and all the better for it. By the time I saw her
again later in the year, things had changed yet again.
That Barfly gig also featured Fever Fever, who were tight and
fierce and fun, but who sadly didn’t survive as a band to see the year out.
Good luck to them with future projects.
February was ushered in by a scuffle in the crowd watching
Charli XCX at the Lexington and wild scenes as Japanese Queen tribute band Queer tore up the Pipeline.
February also introduced me to Drop Out Venus, and
everything changed thereafter.
When I first saw the band at the Roundhouse Studios, they
completely side-swiped me. I wasn’t even sure that I liked them, but I knew
that they were different from anything that I had seen in years. I was so
intrigued that I threw away expensive tickets for another show to instead catch
the band for free at the Old Blue Last a few days later. That performance
turned out to be so emotionally overwhelming that even the band seemed
surprised by it. And I was hooked on the exploits of Iva, Chris and Urs from
then on.
I’ve followed Drop Out Venus avidly since that date and
never been disappointed – whether they were playing to a handful of
disinterested ten pin bowlers in Bloomsbury or
terrorising an unsuspecting crowd at Somerset House who thought that they were
going to get something smooth and uplifting before Charlotte Gainsbourg came
on.
I think Drop Out Venus are just great. I heartily commend
them to you both live and on record, with the warning that your mind might get
blown as mine was.
I was happy in March to reacquaint myself with the Chapman
Family, who positively seethed with anger and frustration at the Bull & Gate. This gig was also my first exposure to the new ‘witchy’ direction of Call
of the Wyld faves Cold In Berlin. Maya and co could not put on a poor
performance if their lives depended on it, but I must admit that I am not a
wholehearted fan of their current material.
I loved Those Darlins’ at the Lexington
Having enjoyed that show so much, later in the year I
gathered a large group of mates to see PiL at the Forum. This time the band
were listless, leaden and bad tempered. It was the biggest disappointment of
2012.
The Camden Crawl was a festival of two halves, with the
Saturday very much better than the Sunday. Great performances from Mowbird,
Trwbador, Antlered Man and Sauna Youth.
In 2012 I did a couple of stints at the Troxy to see
returning rock royalty. Garbage and Patti Smith were both excellent, although I
am not a fan of the venue.
A vintage 1234 Shoreditch included my first encounters with La Femme and Public Service Broadcasting, both of whom I saw later headlining
shows in their own right. The French rockers absolutely tore the roof off the Barfly and delivered what may well be the most purely deliriously fun gig of
2012; PSB lay waste to my ears at XOYO.
I had fun with Charlotte Church at Water Rats and then saw a
steaming set from Savages at Electrowerkz.
A damn fine year and the prospect of doing it all again in
2013.
Stick around…Stay Wyld.
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