The Beat Surrender

I woke up feeling pretty good which is a very unusual for me, especially as its Monday. I don’t know anyone who particularly likes them, but my fear of them usually starts around 6pm on Sunday as I realise that there are only 12 hours left to that terrible sound of the alarm! However, this Monday is completely different as I have The Young Knives to look forward to later. I also find out that they are being supported by Blood Red Shoes, so I’m hoping for a very good eve.

The gig is at the Anson Rooms, which as I’m sure I’ve said before is great, because unless you have the Harlem Globetrotters in front of you, you can view the stage from anywhere in the room. However, my only quibble is that the bar is in a different room to the stage. This means that whilst my friend and I are enjoying our first drink of the evening, we manage to miss Blood Red Shoes take to the stage which leaves me disappointed as I’ve wanted to see this duo for a while (‘tis my own stupid fault for wanting a quick drink and fag!). We must have missed about half of their set, and we only get to hear about 2 songs before a guitar string breaks and the drummer is left to fill the void.

Good job he’s a likeable chap; he talks to the local gig legend that is Jeff – he’s at virtually every gig I go to – and the Scottish guys in the crowd who he refers to as the View, so he manages to hold our enthusiasm to hear more. But, once their guitar string is fixed, we get through just one more song before it breaks again! And this does put a dampener on what could have been a really good set. We get two more songs (sorry my lack of track knowledge) which demonstrate their love of stop-start style guitar riffs and staccato vocals. I really enjoy their loudness and short, sharp songs – I just wish we could have seen more.

And seeing more is exactly what I need help with right now! On my second trip to the bar, I manage to lose one of my contact lenses. But, the Young Knives are taking to the stage and I’m sure it’s been trampled on by now, so I pay what full attention I can to them. They reveal just how comfortable they have become with live performance as they introduce themselves with their Two Ronnies style banter. And it’s also appears that everything about them is quintessentially British. Their tweed jacket and tie ensemble evoke the essence of old geography teachers rather than band members, but this thought is quickly dispelled once they kick off their set with Part-timer.

What a great opener! It really showcases the English wit, affable charm and angular pop-punk that we love them for. Next up is Dialing Darling, the atmospheric Coastguard, Hollow Line, Mystic Energy and a new song follow, to lead us in to the dark paranoia trip that is Here Comes The Rumour Mill. This is one of my favourites on the album, because its part-spoken lyrics hail fond memories of Blur.

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