The Damp Patch
gig was very good. Jez had given me two tickets, but, being Sophie
No-Mates, I couldn't find anyone I wanted to go with. I finally gave
the other ticket to V, but we went separately, and I never saw her on
the night. Damp Patch
weren't top of the bill, just one of the supporting bands. And they're
quite conservative, if that's the word to use. The featured band was Dollis Hill Loop whatever that's supposed to mean, and I don't suppose they want the crowd all moshed out before they get to their spot. What Damp Patch did was dig up old numbers by 70s and 80s bands and give them a modern sound. So they did Roxy Music's Jealous Guy - and Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistible -
Benedict, the lead singer, doesn't play anything now (he used to do
rhythm guitar). Everyone dresses in a business suit on stage, so it
fits well in that kind of song, and he did Eurythmics' You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart which is unusual having a man singing it and Hanging on the Telephone
which was a Blondie track. They must have done about six numbers in a
half hour and the crowd liked them all. I think it's a bit of a problem
doing old standards like that because people are comparing you to the
original, but I have to say their treatment was fresh enough so you
didn't really notice. It gave me a tingle to see Benedict and Jez all
grown up. They had a keyboard player I didn't recognise, a drummer who
liked the tom toms a lot, and a pretty good bass guitarist.
I didn't really take to Dollis Hill Loop. They
don't seem to know what they want, but all their songs are their own as
far as I can see, so maybe you have to get into them. Afterwards, I
went backstage to see Jez (he gave me a pass when he gave me the
tickets). It was all very jolly and alcoholic and the whole evening was
well worth missing a plumbing shift for. Jez introduced me as a
hot bassist, which I never was, and nearly everyone was very nice to
me, even Benedict, who turned out to have a BOYFRIEND. Shock! Horror!
I'd never suspected at school, but you don't, do you? At first, I got
some icy glares from Jez's current girl, but she calmed down after a
while when she saw I wasn't a rival.
Anyway, I go to Greece on Saturday, so I don't suppose you'll hear from me until I get back in a fortnight (16 April).
|
