alt title: a very strange fairy story

OMG I HEART CLICK CLACK SO MUCH! Notwithstanding the involved debate with my companion about whether or not they were lagging a trifle behind the clicky beepy machine, punctuated by a rapidly-degenerating final song, they are still my new favourite band.

Now that I have that out of my system, this was one weird gig; reminiscent of the ballroom scene in Labyrinth (except a lot less white), or the kind of event I'd expect if I climbed the Faraway Tree. Tim Guy was nice, Click Clack was (see above), and The Stomps plunged into the heart of White Stripes territory (although granted they probably went all icky thump first). The only natural progression throughout the gig that I could tell was that the bands got progressively noisier. My jazz-trained companion claimed that the first and last acts were quite similar, but when pressed his primary rationale appeared to be that they were both acoustic bands. Granted, all that newfangled jazz thingy sounds the same to me, so horses for courses I guess. But I'll probably be a little more selective about the indie gigs to which I drag him (and no doubt I will pay the price for this particular jibe, if being repeatedly poked in the ribs is legal tender).

ANYWAY, I know there have been and will be similarly eclectic lineups, but that was by no means the end of the eclecticity, if there is such a word. The New Improved Shanghai Lil's looks like an antique shop, or perhaps Professor Kirke's study; in an L-shape with the bar at one end, a separated seating area at the other end, and the door at the vertex. The decor is ornate, every seat is different, and atop odd protrusions and the grand piano (!!) are all manner of aging relics. The *coff* "stage" was a spot of (presumably empty) floor space by the door - not such a problem for The Stomps since they're just a two-piece with a drum and a guitar, but Tim Guy's Tutaes were all crammed in, looking like antique-store hatracks with dimples (that's not to cast aspersions on their (truly gorgeous) figures. They were at such an angle to the door that I'd imagine walking in whilst de-coating and turning around to drape it over the hatrack-high thing just behind my right shoulder, only to discover that it's Anika Moa with a mike and a bass guitar).

The seated area was apparently reserved for a birthday, something we found out only after wandering in and sighting nibbles and a cake saying "Happy Birthday Anita" or somesuch. We abruptly wandered back, and settled into the stack of empty instrument cases by the piano. Apparently the bar is a regular of bar scene people rather than gig scene people, so on this particular night there was an astounding mix of viaduct escapees and indie kids. What's more astounding is that it's quite difficult to tell the difference. And the thing that really twisted my confusion levels up to 11 was that there were quite a lot of people done up to the nines - just enough not to be able to tell if they always dressed flash to go out, or this was some kind of fancy-dress thing. The sheer variety of clothing on display made even everyday outfits look like fancy dress, including my companion's and my own. The effect was completed by the oriental tops worn by the bar staff and the manager, who wandered through every now and then, smiling at people.

I should probably say something about the Stomps, who are thoroughly deserving of some comment, but by the time they were on, my companion and I were both full of Pinot Gris and vodka cocktails, just sidling along on the edge of Really Quite Drunk, and extremely busy trying to out-talk each other. What I heard I liked, but it's all a haze of bouncy background noise. They really suit their name, and next time they're up I'll make the effort to see them, hold off the aromatics and hopefully comment a little more articulately.

The Stomps, Click Clack, and Tim Guy & The Tutaes*
June 29th, 2007
Shanghai Lil's

* The Tutaes are Anika Moa and Anna Coddington.

Earworm: the conversations of bespangled viaduct girls.
Rating: ten randomly-placed sets of antique chopsticks.