Live

Blah Blah Blah

Ernest Frank 08/04/2008

We're in Camden. “Indie (whatever musical style that is) Central”, blah blah.This pub is a venue given iconic status by it's association with pop legends, Madness, last century. It has retained it's coolness, blah blah...

In that vein of uplifting songs delivered with energetic charm, tonight promises to be one step beyond, if the buzzzz is anything to go by. Blah Blah Blah...

Eastenders dream in melody, posess intellectual, soulful articulation and good karma. They are willing to work far beyond hard for what they believe in if Chris (bass/backing vocals), Tom (drums/backing vocals) and mesmerising front man Jay (vocals/guitar) are anything to go by.

They've worked their knees-up live magic live and left venues with more fans and less DIY-promo CDRs. The Blah Brothers spark off each other and audiences, busker style. In return, two years playing any/everywhere (even twice a night) means their myspace page is a veritable tribute of adoration.

I am a fan of the newer wave ethic of cottage industry growth and the leave-no-venue not-entertained stance of certain bands. Part of this anti-scene, Blah Blah Blah have grown their audience the real way, and it's starting to pay off.

It's packed the place when we arrive and find the band in the bar, concerned there are so many people they've met before, that they won't get to speak to them all properly. It's okay, word is not only out about how they sound, but how sound they are. The hype-free, gritty winding road to recognition may be a slow lane, but it has it's down-to-earth merits.

Me mate gets the next round in, then we join the queue to get in the back room in time for their set. It's squashy so we squeeze around to find a place with a clear view. Excitement is obvious.

We're here celebrating the release of debut single, "Death To The Indie Disco", sold out of limited 7” on day of release, probably helped by an Indie Magazine slagging it off with more or less a review of the title. Ironically helping to shift it so fast, ha ha... The song may be infectiously chirpy, but the lyrics spit and bite a bit more than just any old words over a catchy beat.

There's always room for REAL stars among our favourite bands which is why a huge cheer goes up as they take to the stage and belt out a collection of old and new song-crafting gems. In short, a trio of kiddy-faced rockers with a standalone mix of new wave jazz skiffle punk and noise pop anthems have inspired a capacity of admirers to party, and from chord one, they go for it.

At times, Blah Blah Blah can veer between Chas n Dave on speed and kick ass rock star shapes, but the bottom line is they are actually worth WATCHING. And hearing, there's a lovely play of harmonies and funky rhythms underlying the new wave presentation. Lively they are, twee they ain't. Their short sharp shock of a live set is “An Audience With”, engaging the crowd to be part of the set. And...

Oh but hang on, suddenly they're winding things up with the single. The set can not be that short? Talk about a sharp shock.!

Anyway, the crowd have been jumping about at the front of the stage and we all realise what a classic underground anthem "Death To The Indie Disco" has become (no doubt in many an Indie Disco) when the entire room (except the bar lady probably), yells "WANKERS!" in the chorus.

Thank you and good night. That really was our lot cos there's another band to follow. For a while there's a stubborn chant of “more More MORE!!!” until the venue turn up the between-bands-music to signal that they CAN NOT COME BACK ON STAGE.

There's a queue to get back out. In that queue, a lack of scene-trendy clones is replaced by a socially inclusive spectrum which means if Blah Blah Blah never got any further than this evening's triumph, they will have actually achieved death to the indie disco. Even if for just for one night.