The Bluesbunny - Independent Music Reviews

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Louise Against the Elements and Zoey van Goey live at Nice and Sleazy, Glasgow

Red light, blue light. Must be in Sleazys again. Or in the back of a police car. Again. No, fortunately, Bluesbunny is once more in the dimly lit and curiously inviting surrounding of Sleazys. What has drawn Bluesbunny to the basement? It might well be the combined musical charms of Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Louise Against the Elements and Zoey van Goey.

First on are Louise Against the Elements. Wasting no time, they set about making the room move with Stephen Merrick using his guitar to bitch slap the audience to attention. "Baby Blue" acquires some anguished surf guitar punch to complement its endearingly cool groove. Likewise, "W.I.S.H.I.N.G" reforms itself into a dance floor killer. Louise herself shows an endearingly girlish charm tonight as she introduces "Saturday Night" with a casual "… even though it is Wednesday". What else can we say? This local band is shaping up very nicely indeed and delivered a performance that will certainly have won them new friends.

And then came Zoey van Goey. Bloody hell, they came to steal our ears! On the surface another nice, slightly quirky, indie pop band. Plenty of those in Glasgow. Darlings of the West End, as they are often called. Then they started to play. As you might have gathered, they turned out to be very entertaining indeed. Knowing them only from their scant recorded output left the Bluesbunny ill prepared for the wonders that were on display. Kim Hunter's charming vocals were nectar to the ears and Matt Brennan's drumming style showed an understanding of rhythm that guarantees that he could never be replaced by some machine.  They've got the songs and showed not only imagination but also a mischievousness in their performance. If you have any sense of adventure left in your musical taste then you need to see this band live.

Given the standard of Louise Against the Elements and Zoey van Goey, following them must have filled Thao (and the Get Down Stay Down) with trepidation. If it did then it never showed. Oddball, offbeat but completely entrancing, you have to give this band credit. They were right on their game tonight. From the jazz inflections of Thao Nguyen's manic guitar to the beautifully understated rhythmic abilities of drummer of Willis Thompson, this was a musical masterpiece. "Swimming Pools" was a pure winner - a joy to the ears. That one song was worth the price of admission but there were so many more that this Bluesbunny was truly spoiled for choice. Even better, Thao just charmed everyone in the room as well. They came, they played, they conquered and that's the truth. Just ask anyone who was there.

Each of the bands pushed the boat out in terms of musical endeavour and that was fantastic for those of us fortunate enough to be there. It does make it difficult to write a review as there was just so much to enjoy and comment upon in so few words. So, undoubtedly, these few words cannot do justice to those involved. All that this Bluesbunny will say is that this was a one gig that he was glad not to have missed. Top class!

Author:  Handsome Bluesbunny

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down

Louise Against the Elements

Zoey van Goey

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