“Spring is here” sang Tom Lehrer, before going on to offer sage advice on how to remove pigeons from the park with strychnine. Unfortunately, I’m not Tom Lehrer. Suffering from apparent post-hibernation cravings for live music, I found myself drawn to Glasgow’s 13th Note, where The Bonnevilles were the evening’s acclaimed visitors.
Geek Maggot Bingo were up first. These guys were punk rock right down to the name. Appearing as a power trio, they were still more Dictators than MC5, favouring fun (and slight madness) over political loudness. Exactly the sort of band you want to see on weekend although seeing them on a Thursday night was nice, too.
The Brutes were next. A Paleolithic Era version of The Troggs? On last night’s evidence, this suggestion seems neither particularly unfair nor particularly untrue. Again a power trio, this lot showed that music can be really enjoyable when emotion and contemplation are disregarded in favour of raw power. Yes, that is a Stooges reference…
The Bonnevilles have been ruffling a few feathers in the UK and Ireland of late. Punk-blues duos (because three can sometimes be a crowd…) have, to my knowledge, never been trendy, but trendy means nothing when the music is this good. Fast, loose and tough (writing a song about Lurgan is no mean feat), these guys are likely to become favourites of yours before too long.
The 13th Note might resemble a large restroom, but if the music is always this good…who cares?