On Monday was my second of three gigs in a row, Carl Barat at Koko. Now I’ve written reviews of two of his gigs fairly recently so I won’t go into much detail, but it was possibly the best of the three. I went straight after work again and found myself right near the front of the queue, and when inside I managed to get on the barrier (and save a spot for my mum). This meant we had an awesome view and minimal crushing which is always nice! The setlist was actually slightly different for a change, and the biggest surprise was Didz Hammond coming on to sing for the Dirty Pretty Things tracks. It was a highly enjoyable night and as long as Carl keeps playing gigs, I’ll keep going to them.
 
The Magus
Run With The Boys
The Man Who Would Be King
Carve My Name
She’s Something
Deadwood
Shadows Fall
Je Regrette
What Have I Done
Death Fires Burn At Night
Death On The Stairs
Bang Bang, You’re Dead
——————–
Nine Lives
The Ballad of Grimaldi
Sing For My Supper
So Long My Lover
Truth Begins
Don’t Look Back Into The Sun
 
Tuesday night was my last gig in a while, Micachu and the Shapes performing Chopped & Screwed with the London Sinfonietta Orchestra. I’ve gotten so used to the time printed on tickets being the door opening time that I showed up just after 7:30pm to find the performance had already started. (This has happened before at various comedy shows too, although it meant we were noticed by Ross Noble as we slunk to our front row seats and got talked to all night and received a round of applause) I quickly took a spare seat at the back and let myself enjoy the performance.
 
The band and orchestra together recreated the entirety of the recent release ‘Chopped & Screwed’ with additional interludes to make it slightly longer and flow seamlessly. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as their previous release had been a joyful, experimental clash of pop and electronica, but this was vastly different. It was a lot mellower and a heck of a lot more experimental, with not a catchy hook in sight as Mica’s voice echoed out across the hall. I did enjoy watching and taking it all in, although I’m not sure if it’s something I would listen to on record. The loveliest moment was when the orchestra put down their instruments and played a plain 3 chord backing to a flute piece using glass bottles filled with water. It was beautiful in its simple execution and very inspiring to watch. The band also made great use of home-made and unique instruments, something that has become a bit of a trademark for them. There was a brief interval where I slipped down to my actual seat near the front, and the whole thing was over by 9:15pm. It felt quite strange to get home from a gig before half ten!