Minor Alps at The Islington
The Islington, 27 April 2014
I went to see Minor Alps, Juliana Hatfield and Matthew Caws' new band, again tonight. Not only was the show completely free but the venue, The Islington, was even smaller and nicer too (and in a much safer neighbourhood thank god). The set list was pretty much the same as Juliana herself had warned but as she promised they were indeed wearing different (very stylish) outfits.
This time Juliana seemed a little stressed at first, due to equipment problems I think, and Caws was a little less chatty but as the night wore on both seemed to relax and enjoy the gig, so it was, as before, a really great show filled with lots of Minor Alps songs and material old and new from them both. There was a nice moment when Caws apologised for his strangely creaking guitar strap, which kept making noise throughout the night and Juliana told him deadpan as ever, "That's not your guitar strap, that's your old bones!" She then laughed, "I don't know what I'm laughing about, we're both exactly the same age!"
The best part of the night though came when halfway through performing the Nada Surf song Inside Of Love Caws microphone failed him and Juliana saved the day by suggesting, mid-song, to unplug their guitars and sing without amplification, seamlessly going from electric to full-on acoustic. It was a fantastic moment and showed their years of experience and professionalism that they turned a faulty microphone into a huge singalong, as they moved into the centre of the stage and perfectly harmonised with each, smiling because they knew just how good it was. Proving that it's these small unplanned moments are often the best and make the most memorable gigs.
Comments
Post a Comment