20 September 2007
Live Music Roundup featuring Friends of Batman
Back in May, I saw The Maccabees at The Leadmill, supported by Jack Peñate and some other cool band. (I didn’t catch the name; these young bands need to learn how to speak clearly down a mic when they’re on stage.) In July, I saw Black Rebel Motorcycle Club there too. I’ve already posted about seeing Arctic Monkeys supported by Supergrass, The Coral, Amy Winehouse and The Parrots at Lancashire County Cricket Club. A week later, I went to see Sheffield band Little Man Tate perform their South Yorkshire Flood Benefit gig at The Plug in Sheffield – and they were excellent! Later that month, I saw The Kooks play their awesome V Festival warm-up gig at Doncaster Dome, supported by The Holloways and The Rivers.
Who could possibly follow so many fantastic acts? There’s quite simply only one band...
Friends of Batman
Chris went to see them last year and I was gutted that I couldn’t make it, so when this opportunity of going to their next gig came up, I jumped at the chance, even though it was in York!
The Friends of Batman MySpace profile says they play “ultra violent acoustic” but a review I read said it was “comedy folk”. The band consists of a vocalist/guitarist, a stylophonist, a thereminist and a kazooist. Who are they? Jim (Friend of Batman), Terrys Allgold, Thereman and Kazoo-man, of course!
Anyway, we travelled to York with their alter egos in the Batbus (which is like the Batmobile only with more seats) and watched them perform to a fantastic audience at the last Children for Breakfast at the City Screen Basement Bar. We were treated to a bit of ukulele by Thereman, a rap by MC Terrys Allgold and an original cover of Billy Idol’s classic 80s song about quitting cocaine and taking it up again, White Wedding. It was quite literally one of the most entertaining live sets I’ve ever seen in my life.
Friends of Batman are supporting The Ape-Drape Escape next Thursday, 27th September, 2007 at The Grapes, Sheffield. I suggest you get yourself down there to catch one of their rare appearances! (Check out the flyer for more details.)
And still to come: Editors, Ash, The Pigeon Detectives and Kaiser Chiefs
