Show #02

Our second ever show was at The Crown Hotel, a venue we like to think we had a hand in re-popularising after Heka shifted the musical space from the old venue (repurposed against Jones' wishes as a pool hall) into the corner bar. With no stage or house lights to speak of and no PA (the vocals were amplified through a guitar amplifier), playing The Crown in the early days of 2010 was much akin to playing in someone's lounge, where there just happened to be beer on tap and an appreciative crowd of strangers.

It was a fun set up, and went pretty well, all things considered. From memory Bad Horsey never played with Lesley on drums again, so it really was a unique moment in time, and Glen would go on to change the band name to Kilmog and struggle to settle into a stable band lineup.

Our first show had been with The George Kay Experience, and their sister band played one of their customary short and fiery sets on this occasion, displaying all the tension and promise that would win them the OUSA Battle of the Bands in their not-too-distant future. I believe they even managed to ruin their only monitor speaker that night, the gear problems becoming a regular feature of their shows, much to their annoyance.

Scott Muir was kind enough to nurture the minidisc recorder for us on the night (that's his voice you can hear at the end), he was standing nearer to Tim's side of the stage, and with the difficulty of having vocals through a guitar amp and the vagaries of a she'll-be-right setup, the mix on this recording is rough, to say the least. But it is what it is.

In the time that had passed since our fist gig (all of about five weeks) we'd written a batch of new songs, most notably Sausage Spectrum. This, then, is that song's debut live performance, and displays much of the wobbliness that would stick with it for a while, until we really started to nail it. The rather directly titled Surf Rock Song would later be renamed Fucksurf Monkeys in honour of TFF (the other band we played with at our first show) which is something we were wont to do on occasion. For god knows what reason entry was by 20 cents or donation, and here we were given our first piece of amazing, and vaguely disturbing, artwork by Mike Cooke, who would go on to supply art for our record sleeves as well as collaborate live with us as Phone. I'm pretty sure we still have that Pet Shop Boys cassingle around somewhere, too.

It should be noted, these live recordings are of such a quality to be designated as 'For Fans Only'. Enjoy, if you can, and give as much thanks to Jones, Roger Graumeijer; Sarah Ley-Hamilton and Scott Muir as you are able.

The original liner notes are as follows:

"It has been some time since The Crown has hosted live music in the old band bar, and as a little protest to the rest of the family that owns the
Crown, Jones has been allowing bands to play in the public bar. We
managed to entice Glen out for his first solo gig since Onanon (as Bad
Horsey) and he was joined on the night by none other than Lesley
Paris (!) on drums, and we got Mr Biscuits along too. With entry by twenty
cents (or free with a 2010 Radio Onecard) or by bringing a common
household item, it was loose, and hence fun.

We got a Pet Shop Boys cassingle, and the weirdest, most disturbing
drawing ever from a couple of people. It was a marvel. We got a few
come along, a good time was had, it was loose and there was no PA
(vocals through a guitar amp). Word begins to spread...

DAVE, MAY 2010"