Slim Things – Live at Staggeringly Good
You’ve got to love gigs at Staggeringly Good Brewery, Portsmouth! If nothing else, because the venue is constantly evolving, you’re never sure it’s going to be the same from one month to the next.
There used to be the wonderfully decorated “dinosaur church” just around the corner, but now the main venue is a huge upstairs space instead. Yet the Mystic Peach show was shoved in the corner down in the tap room next to where the brewing happens.
Staggeringly Good is off the beaten track on an industrial estate, so doesn’t tend to attract random passing trade. Upstairs has sporadically been hosting bigger nights, albeit with great potential to attract those middle-size bands.
Although to be honest, the Tap Room isn’t really designed for conventional gigs. The volume was set to 11 and with the sound bouncing off solid walls, at times it was a more pleasant listening experience hearing the music leaking into the spacious outdoor seating area.
Cowboyy – Live at Staggeringly Good
Slim Things and Cowboyy
However, all of this seemed the making for support acts Slim Things and Cowboyy. Both of whom are relatively new to the scene, bringing an exciting combination of both old and modern influences.
Slim Things were dark and gloomy, with a great frontman who sounds unlike the age of his peer group. The post-punk was reminiscent of the Birthday Party and the Cramps, as well as a slightly chaotic gothness to them at the same time.
In contrast to such an old sound, I’d overheard Cowboyy being compared to young stalwarts Black Midi. The crowd had dwindled a little, but these guys were certainly a highlight of the evening.
Whereby Slim Things may have been all about the vocals, Cowboyy would have been lost without their lead guitarist.
Musically at times, Cowboyy were hard on the ears. Although visually, there was something distinctly impressive about the switching between technical finger taps and pure pedal stomping.
It was a challenge for the rest of the band to keep up and at times he could have reigned it in a tad. Yet somehow this all came together in a way that strictly speaking, probably should have fallen on its arse.
Slim Things – Live at Staggeringly Good
Mystic Peach, Staggeringly Good
With such intriguing support, Mystic Peach had their work cut out. Although given many were previously listening from afar, the headliners certainly drew in the audience from outside.
Performing in front of the biggest crowd of the evening, Mystic Peach had an air of familiarity about them. Even if you weren’t aware of them on record, live were clear elements of Sabbath riffs against the likes of Nirvana/Pearl Jam.
All in all, this was a great night. There was another band first on the bill, but alas beer with friends was also part of the agenda… I mean, a gig in a brewery, it’d be rude not to spend some time at the bar.
