Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Ben Watt Trio - Village Underground 10 November

Haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd get back to it. Been busy lately. Mr and I headed to the Village Underground off Shoreditch High Street. Normally we head to Rough Trade East, which is also nearby. Then bagels. But not Monday.

Ben Watt, one half of 80s and 90s pop sensation Everything But the Girl, was performing hits old and new with Bernard Butler (guitarist from Suede) and Martin Ditcham, who has drummed for the likes of Talk Talk.

So it was a mashup of my teenage years, but with a twist. Everybody else there was kind of on the same page too. When I mentioned Ben Watt to my 20-something co-worker, she had no idea who I was talking about. I am getting used to this feeling.

Mike Chapman opened up. We missed the first act. His name was not Mark Chapman as Mr erroneously reported to me earlier in the evening. He did not look like someone who would shoot anyone, much less a president. He played with his eyes shut, which was a bit distracting. He said he sometimes is alarmed when they come up on stage while he has his eyes shut. I can't see why anyone would wander up on stage uninvited, but apparently Shawaddywaddy actively encourages it. Mike looked like he didn't need any help from us so we stayed where we were. Vaguely New Orleans-style guitar strumming.

Ben Watt's performance was one of those 90 minutes of tunes that just fly by. There were several songs from his new album Hendra, plus a sprinkling of EBTG tunes and other songs he has done. I really enjoyed it and sang along with the few tunes I did know from the olden days.

Afterwards, the band were available for autographs, which was good. I got a photo of Mr with Bernard and we went home. A very satisfactory outing to my musical past.

Music: 8
Atmosphere: 8. Good venue, this one.
Beer: Never had a Hobo before, but it was an acceptable brew. Fizzy.