15 minutes before Bad Idea walk on stage the Brudenell isn’t exactly full and I’m wondering if this is going to be one of those gigs where great bands play to almost no people. Thankfully there’s a decent number in by the time opening act Bad Idea begin their set of catchy, lo-fi, guitar drenched indie pop. This is a hard working band. Formed less than two years ago but with the best part of 40 gigs played and two singles released already Bad Idea mix often delicate, summery, jangly guitar sounds in songs such as ‘Date ‘Night’ with noisier, heavy, fuzzy bass and drum driven numbers such as ‘Boy Racer’. After a song suffers a mis-start singer Sarah Sefton apologises, telling us how nervous she is. Apologies are unnecessary, as are the nerves, Sefton has one of those voices you can listen to for hours. Not unlike that of Harriet Wheeler (those of a certain age will remember The Sundays). Delicate, fragile but one that blends perfectly with Bad Idea’s catchy hooks and the more subtle, background vocals of drummer Daniel Johnson. I don’t doubt we’ll be hearing more about Bad Idea in the not too distant future.
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Piroshka – not a ‘supergroup’ but they are made up of drummer Justin Welch (ex Elastica), bass player Michael Conroy (Modern English), guitarist KJ ‘Moose’ McKillop (Moose) and vocalist/guitarist Miki Berenyi (Lush) – stroll on to a now somewhat fuller venue and give us a guitar drenched set of perfect indie pop. Live Piroshka are a six piece, supplemented with keyboards, percussion and additional backing vocals. Their sound is different from that of their previous groups. More edgy, tougher and darker but with Berenyi’s unmistakeable vocals and a clear nod to everything that defined the late 80’s/early 90’s ‘alternative’ music scene.
Opening song ‘This Must Be Bedlam’ (also the opening track on excellent debut album ‘Brickbat’) hooks the punters in immediately with it’s catchy, repetitive beat, layered sound and disdainful lyrics. ‘Run For Your Life’ follows and is, perhaps, where we here the most obvious comparison to Lush. Piroshka power through the whole of Brickbat meaning it’s a gig of songs that at one point might be pounding drums, shimmering, feverish guitars and digs at the state of current politics and opinions – ‘Hated By The Powers That Be’, whilst minutes later ‘Blameless’ and ‘Heartbeats’ are gentler, bittersweet and personal. Whilst it’s hard not to think of Lush when Berenyi sings, Piroshka’s lyrics are generally far harder hitting as they rally against todays ills – greed and inequality (‘Never Enough’), constant bad news, school shootings and, of course, the absolute mess that is Brexit. If you absolutely had to compare the live sound of Piroshka to that of other bands you might say there are small hints of Cocteau Twins, a touch of The Breeders and tiny amounts of Stereolab but ultimately Piroshka are Piroshka, four musicians each with a distinguished past who have come together to form something much more than the sum of it’s parts. And it’s clear from the smiles on stage that they enjoy what they are now doing. Ending their set with ‘What’s Next’, a song that has such a captivating, uplifting beat it’s easy to avoid it’s focus – “I’m terrified that the long forgotten days when we were divided are back again.” After leaving the stage for the briefest amount of time they return to announce their final song will be a cover, one that “If you recognise this you must be really old.” Feeling my age it took only seconds before I did and we get a perfect version of The Au Pairs ‘It’s Obvious’, released 39 years ago.
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