Tell them all to go to hell
t's not often I find myself in Wetherspoons, and it's not often I find myself in a panic in a toilet in Wetherspoons, but last Saturday I was. I'd cycled down to meet Gareth pre the Ezra Furman gig at the Full Moon and I dscovered that I couldn't find my ticket. Well I say ticket, it was a receipt written out by Graf out of Spillers, but luckily I hadn't lost it, just left it at home, so I cycled back and got it. I returned to see the first support band the Threatmanticas (with Garf out of Spillers on bass) who were great and slightly shambolic. The second support band were called The So-So Glos who - despite the name weren't bad, a bit American Skate Punk which is not really my thing but they were entertaining enough.
The crowd were a pleasing mix of hipster and 6 Music listerners (guilty as charged) and it was good to see some more seasoned gig goers making a hesitant step into the Full Moon. It's a weird venue though cause I love the fact that it's small and sweaty but there is a weird Pharmaceutical atmosphere (I don't want to say vibe) to the place and the toilets are to the left of the stage, so you often get people walking across to take a piss.
Ezra took to the stage a wiry spring of nervous excitement. At times he seemed a bit fragile and fried: "I don't know where I am anymore." he said from the stage mid way through the set and my heart did go out to him. Tired and emotional? Hard to tell. The set was amazing consisting mainly of his current album 'Day of the Dog' and I found it amazing - for some reason - that there was a Saxophonist in such a small venue. Ezra got called on for an encore and for once it did seem a spur of the moment event. He came back and did an intense song with just his acoustic guitar. There were two heroically drunk blokes in the crowd, their level of inebriation was truly impressive so much so that one facing the wall rang his mate in a panic slur "I don't know where you are!". Yes they were a pain in the ass but they didn't spoil what was the best gig of the year so far.