Gigs in brief

Hard-Fi: At an incredibly hot and sweaty venue in the middle of nowhere, West London (that's actually the case, unlike for Staines) with the strictest security I've ever seen and huge numbers of their well designed and eye-catching posters around. The cowd was so up for it that they didn't even have to do much, but they played great versions of almost all of their album together with a version of Seven Nation Army only marginally less demented than The Flaming Lips'. Populist banter about working rubbish jobs and going out drinking all weekend ('don't lie! you all do!') was only slightly grating.

Ed Harcourt: In the exceptionally pretty but also too hot Bush Hall, the route to which was largely blocked off due to the previous day's attempted bombing in the area. His determination to play almost entirely new songs, together with some sound problems and bringing on his girlfriend to look at lovingly a lot, made for a set of which enjoyment was limited, although Born In The 70s was a great closer and a couple of the new songs did sound very good.
Fortunately this was largely made up for by brilliant support by Tom McRae in excellent form. An a capella Mermaid Blues was just breathtaking, there was plenty of his usual wit, and an encore of I Ain't Scared Of Lightning was especially moving. Only a lack of variety brought on by playing solo (apart from Ed's attempts at playing piano to Silent Boulevard) and an uninterested crowd spoilt things a little.

Hope Of The States: First gig for ages in the tiny Buffalo Bar, with Battle as able but not brilliant support. Even more chaotic than usual, new songs failed to impress but then intensity and power come out a lot more than the actual songs live anyway, making it a bit hard to judge anything you don't already know beyond the sheer force of it. Enemies/Friends is a truly great singalong closer and Black Dollar Bills is always worth the price of admission alone, in this case not even numerous technical problems adding masses of feedback could do anything but increase its effect. Sam Herlihy's beard isn't such a good idea though; as if he didn't look strange enough already.

Lowgold: In front of the 30 or so people who know that they are still going, supported by highly competent but hard to love Killers-alikes The Basics. In truth a little lacklustre at times; playing a song from Welcome To Winners apart from Famous Last Words was not a good idea and their persistant problems sadly seem to have sapped away at them til they are closer to being as humourless between songs as during them. Still, the aformentioned epic was stunning as ever and Mercury, complete with added guitar-shredding, is a much better song live.