Saturday and it was basement time again. Time for a visit to Pivo Pivo’s basement this time to write words on Miscued Vein, Fireside Kicks, Revelry and Rose Parade. It was a night for meeting new people too from Pivo’s new chef (positively evangelical about fresh food) to singer Vivien Scotson (positively driven to become a car saleswoman).
Striking the match, however, under tonight’s musical bonfire were Fireside Kicks. They did so in a subtle and endearing way with the emphasis on generating warmth rather than great blasts of heat. “Always Tomorrow”, as always, stood out as the song most likely to charm strangers and it also served to define their sonic footprint. Time for smiles all round.
Banjo and glockenspiel time next as Rose Parade took to the stage. Nice melodies and lyrical fragility from these three good gentlemen suggested west coast folk seventies folk rock influences meeting the almost diametrically opposed concept of twee pop. Perhaps not the best choice for a busy venue on a Saturday night but certainly easy on the ears.
If you were looking for a proper Saturday night band to enjoy with beer then Revelry could well be just what you were looking for. Given that it was actually Saturday night, they accordingly hit the mark quite nicely. All that a man in search of such things would look for was there with a drummer shifting air like his very being depended on it, rock god guitar licks and a strutting, sassy female vocalist (called Louise in case you are curious) to make the beer go down in guilt free quantity. Right place, right time!
Somebody must have stole time itself as headliners Miscued Vein were on and off in stage at breakneck speed. It had been a few months since I last heard them and it was immediately noticeable how much tighter they had becomes as a band with their previous tendency to drag a song out just a bit too long now reigned in and, in consequence, “Triplet of Ugly Sisters” had metamorphosed into the anthem that it always should have been. More would most certainly have been better.
Do they have female referees? An odd thought but one that crossed the empty chasm of my brain as the night drew to a close in Pivo Pivo. Women would make good referees if you think about it. They never miss a thing and they are, more often than not, consummate diplomats. Oh, and no man in his right mind would argue with them either.