Chops Gigs - Late April to Early May

I've been a bit slack on the top 5 front this year. The main reason for that has been me trying to keep on top of my post gig reports. I've realised if I don't knock them out in the first few days following the gig they're a lot harder to write and I've been to a lot of gigs this year. So, sorry if you're missing the top fives, I'll kick off another communal vote soon.

Shonen Knife at Guildford Boileroom on Friday 22nd April 2016 - I'd had an eye on this gig for a while but hadn't bought a ticket and on a cold & rainy evening after a long week at work I almost didn't go. However, in the immediate aftermath of Prince's passing, and considering this was Shonen Knife's 35th Anniversary, I realised if I couldn't force myself to make the short drive to Guildford instead of staying slumped on the sofa I'd never get to see them.

Meilyr Jones at The MOTH Club on Tuesday 26th April 2016 - Meilyr's set was another tour-de-force. The band sounds better every time I see them. Though the songs are more or less the same, there's so much going on in each one that every set has it's own unique freshness. They looked really good in the glittery surrounds of the MOTH Club too.

The Lovely Eggs at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club on Friday 29th April 2016 - On the band's website there's a statement of intent that runs "This is our band. We do exactly what we like. Some of our songs are ten seconds long. Some are four minutes long. We don't care. Because it doesn't matter. We have a lot of different sounding songs. Welcome to our world." I think that nails what's brilliant about The Lovely Eggs.

Lush at The Roundhouse on Saturday 7th May 2016 - I got into Lush in 1990. Along with the Pixies & Nirvana they were pivotal in my conversion from Metal to Indie and other alternative music. They became my favourite band for a spell and my pal Mark and I went to see them live whenever we could.

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