overlap

Travelling in expectation can be a risky business, and having been sat on a ticket for a month or so, I'd definitely claim to have been excited about seeing Camera Obscura at last. They caught my attention with Lloyd, I Am Ready To Be Heartbroken a couple of years ago, and I've had my eye out for a chance to make a gig ever since. I don't know what they put in the water up there - insert gratuitous Irn Bru/buckie reference here if you feel the need - but the consistent output exemplified by the likes of Teenage Fanclub/BMX Bandits/Eugenius, and my current favourites Aberfeldy, Attic Lights, The Hussy's [sic] and, yes, Camera Obscura, means I have a good feeling in general about a lot of music from Scotland. It also explains why most of these bands aren't exactly playing on my doorstep on a frequent basis, so this time I was taking my car on what is probably its final visit to the Midlands. With a 6.30 start for a 9.30 curfew, this was always going to be a slightly different gig. It was 7.30 by the time I got there, but caught the last five or six songs of support band Kid Captain. You know what I was saying about being haunted by support bands with iffy names? Right. Their major asset is the lead singer's voice, which reminds me of Paddy McAloon's in places, but I'm not expecting to remember them clearly in a couple of years time. Camera Obscura take the stage under mostly blue lighting, and with Traceyanne's blue dress and Kenny and Gavin in blue shirts, there's a whole lot of blue going on. Which makes taking pictures without flash difficult, but on the other hand it's easy to spot Traceyanne shutting her eyes in preparation when she can see the orange beams warning that a preflash is coming, for which I don't blame her. One song is introduced as a new one, but the bulk of the set is recognisable to me, and I'm especially pleased they do Teenager. Having been anxious about time ticking away, I needn't have worried about how they were going to fit a full set in as one delightful three minute pop masterpiece follows another before they re-emerge for a brief encore of Eighties Fan, one of only two things that hadn't already turned up from my fantasy set list. This was not much more half a dozen people just having a lot of fun on stage together, and though the crowd as a whole was a little quiet, it made for a perfect small scale pop party, and this part of the crowd enjoyed it greatly. So I guess I've found another band to be a fan of rather than another band I listen to from time to time. Despite having the option to try and get into a later starting gig just along the road, I preferred to leave it at one great gig for the night, and headed for the car in the hope of an earlyish return home. Traceyanne guitarhero - the keen eye will spot the fluo green venue access pass sticker just peeking out from under her dress on her left leg. Which amuses me greatly. And yes, flickr, you know by now. The video for Eighties Fan. * is the first line from the song Dory Previn from Camera Obscura's fine Let's Get Out Of This country album

Labels: Camera Obscura, gigs