Throw the car keys on to the table and run out the door as it is quite obviously beer time. Only one thing to do and that is to find some live music so that the alcohol becomes an adjunct rather than a lifestyle choice. A Free Candy Session at the Liquid Ship should provide sufficient moral justification as Louise McVey and Cracks in the Concrete shine brightly at the top of the bill.
Anyway, as in all things, there is a penance to be paid first and that penance went by the name of Stephen Armour. Looking like Justin Bieber’s older brother was worrying enough but to declare himself a Conor Oberst fan whilst quite clearly worshipping mainstream mediocrity led me to believe that hypocrisy was the new black.
Rather more cultured in that from the better part of town way were First Tiger. Squeezing in a Serge Gainsbourg song – and indeed a smattering of français – indicated clearly where this duo were coming from and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had turned up wearing cravats and smoking cheroots but they didn’t so they shall be judged insufficiently louche on this particular occasion (and how long will it be before I can use the word louche again?).
So to the main event as it were. Devoid of a member or three, Louise McVey - surely in league with the Devil evidenced by the way a single red spotlight lit her perfectly - and Cracks in the Concrete spun a web of enchantment made up of twisted guitars and the finest gothic silk. It’s not often that you encounter a genuine chanteuse but Ms McVey is most definitely one and songs like “Muse”, that one in particular, showed that she had found the vehicle for her, quite frankly, entrancing voice.
So, with the simple task of acquiring fried food in my mind, it was time to hit the streets. The night is young and Morello’s is but 1 minute and 37 seconds away.