The Los Campesinos! gig was actually very fucking awesome. Their support, Parenthetical Girls, were an excellent find – very quirky, fey, affected, shambollic electro-pop/Morrisseyesque swooning. Bought an album & picture disc to say thank you.

LC!, as they’re referred, are an extremely tight band. There’s a million crude ways you can spin off from that sentence but let’s stick with the point. They’d be nothing without the lead guitarist (melody maker) the drummer (thoroughly together rhythmist, especially for one so young). But, overall, they changed my mind entirely. Extremely good live (singer’s voice still grates a littlke but its at least dampened by the pace/huf n puff – he’s asthmatic & sucked on his inhaler after one particularly frantic reading – & the buzz of a live gig). I can’t believe I have never seen them live before yet they inhabit the same city as me, inhabit(ed) the same bars & clubs (fuck sake, they even wrote a song including reference to a mate & his legendary indie nights called Twisted By Design) & I have to travel half the cocking world to figure out their worth. Madness. There was evidence of label money floating about & they seemed well catered for across the board. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Off to San Diego this morning until 11th (when I get to see The Builders & Buitchers) so any recommends are very welcome (cheers JC for the mail, but I received it well late).

It’s fair to say I witnessed a phenomenon happening. The SF crowd were in awe. Genuinely in awe. It’s been a while since I have been to a gig where I’ve expereinced that but to see a band, from my home town (at least by dint of uni course), in America – a notoriously tough skinned nut – being revered for all teir numbers not just ‘the one’…

I like these a lot. I understand your case against points, & in some areas agree, but I think there is a freshness about them that dogs a lot of other bands in the same field. Yes, a little shiny & produced but you can’t beat the quality of the songs. They indeed veer towards the twee-er side of this type of music, but I think that assists rather than detracts.

On a similar note I saqw Or, The Whale last night at The Independent in San Francisco. Awesome gig (yes, I can do Americanese too) BUT at times I felt as you did above – a LOT of pretty pretty with underwhelming results on some of the new tracks they have. Overall, it was a stunning example of new countrry (done with proper multi-part harmonies) done live.

I’m so elated by the experience (+, I fear, the multitude of whiskey sodas I was necking + jetlag) I’ve convinced myself to go & see Los Campesinos tonight at Bimbo’s 365 Club. Why convinced? Well, they ain’t a band I’m that interested in. I think they’re a bit cut & paste in terms of the peers they have nicked from to create their ‘sound’ & it shows badly. Plus their PR machine are very keen to push them as a Welsh band (they go to university in Cardiff) whern none of them are even remotely Welsh. Irks me some that last one. Anyway, I feel in the need for more live music so if anyone knows of a better gig in thre SF area tonight let me know via thewaitingroom(@)btinternet.com (minus the parentheses of course).

Nice work C&B. Keep it up.