Little Grand Majestic Underbelly
Mar 6, 2010 Uncategorized
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I am getting behind on writing up the gigs with the new bands and venues as my other life is too busy – but thought it best to mention that The Grand Majestic (TGM) did a great gig at Underbelly – despite the stage not allowing the full line-up and a way to see the band over the top of the crowd.
The lead singer reminds me a little of a young Sarah Jessica Parker out of that movie L.A. Story, as she has an energy that is infectious and takes you – and her band members – along with her as she moves on the stage in time to the music.
Not that there was much room to move, but all three of the wind section managed to sway in time (somehow or other) as the numbers took hold of the audience. Certainly the audience took it to heart and I have never seen a place where everyone was dancing – many in spite of themselves too!
The irony is that Underbelly suffers a little from the same malaise of many other places of not having consistency of its acts – and so the minute that TGM had finished then nearly half of the audience cleared out. What’s more, yet another quarter cleared out again when the next band started who were not many people’s cuppa tea – including mine. However unlike before TGM came on when access to the bar was so crowded that it was almost impossible to get a drink, suddenly it was almost possible to have the bar to oneself – as the photo below shows:
Lone Bar
So I took a break and headed up outside to catch a breath of fresh air – as the music is tucked away downstairs from the Main Bar and you can miss it if you don’t know that there is an entrance to the right as you come in. Being my first time there I didn’t – and so it was only after I asked where to go that the obscure side entrance was pointed out.
The break allowed me to adjust to the rest of the belly of people around – and I realised that there must be another good band coming on when more people started arriving and others were heading back down again.
Sure enough, when I had found my way back to the bar, it was like it was for the TGM gig – although perhaps not quite as crowded. The people had come to see a band called One-eyed Jacks. They have a fifties Sci Fi sound, that was a little unusual and hollow sounding at first (but perhaps with Underbelly’s sound system not helping), but then warmed up considerably with a number near the end of the set that got everyone going and a genuine applause of appreciation afterwards. They seem like a band to watch out for – and certainly had good PR from one of the band member’s girlfriends who I just happened to meet up at the bar before the band started and who was quite chatty.
Underbelly really need to somehow fix its stage set however, and perhaps its sound AND also maybe its scheduling of acts for greater consistency. Still, it wasn’t a bad night out and I would go there again – but drink tap water maybe, given the £8 cover charge with potentially only one act to see.
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