The Local. Not been here before. Looks kind of studenty. Sort of half decorated with mismatched lampshades. They serve extra cold Guinness. Do you know the difference between normal and extra cold Guinness? Well, it's about 20 minutes if you have a couple of those candles that bars like this always seem to have. Warms things right up. Wonder what the carbon footprint of using a candle is?
To the night's entertainment. It would seem that two of the bands scheduled to appear have cancelled leaving only Decoy to caress the Bluesbunny's ears. So, another indie rock band or something a bit different? Well, they seem pretty conventional on first acquaintance but it is soon clear that they really know what a melody is. Too many bands hid behind riffs these days - and usually the same riffs at that - but not this band. Despite the modest sound system, it was abundantly clear that Decoy have songs that you can actually remember and even sing along to. On vocal duties is a guy called Chris who sounds like Ricky Ross would sound if he smoked a few too many packs of those vile French cigarettes. That means he sounds good. We like similes, metaphors and other sorts of comparisons here at Bluesbunny Towers.
"Front Row" and "Moving On" get a very respectable reaction from the audience but the Bluesbunny ears are drawn to the downright playful bass lines on show tonight. A drunk guy at the bar informs me that the bass player is called Iain so we raise our glass to him. The bass player not the drunk guy. Respect where it is due. Another point in Decoy's favour - they did a second set of covers to fill in for the missing bands and keep the audience happy. You don't get that kind of positive attitude too often these days.
All things considered, Decoy are a band with some right tidy songs that are well worth a listen. The bar at the venue was a pretty slick operation as well even if the head barkeeper looked about 14 years old. A sure sign that this Bluesbunny is getting old. Never mind, the music will keep me young or, failing that, there is always chicken pakora. Oh, or the love of a good woman of course…