w/ Hungry kids of Hungary, Ball Park Music, Charlie Mayfair, Spring Skier, City Riots
Black Bear Lodge, the new Troubadour. It felt so good to be back, and yet it was a very strange sensation. It was the same but completely different. With the whole back office section being opened up, it gives the room a much bigger feel, which is a good thing. And there's now actually a proper bar, instead of a desk you could fit like two people in front of. This is also a good thing. They have kept some of the wall decors that were Troubadour favorite, and added a whole bunch that are completely new. It has a completely different feel now. But! The best thing they've done? More seating. It think this is what they were going tof, more of a lounge bar, rather than just a music venue. I like it, I think...
Despite all the strangeness of the "new" venue, it was great to see some stripped down music from Ball Park Music, and Hungry Kids of Hungary. I was disappointed to have missed Charlie Mayfair, and Spring Skier also though. This is now a typical gig you would see at Black Bear Lodge I understand. More stripped back performances, rather than full set ups. Also, this is apparently the first time since opening that they've used the big stage. Usually music is now played at the opposite end to where the old Troubadour stage was. Ball Park's Sam Cromack and Jen Boyce played stripped down versions of all the favourite tunes, but for me it was 'Glass Jar' that really hit the spot. Having heard the demo for this song months ago, it was great to see them light up the stage with it's brilliance. I am also excited to see what they've done with it on their album. In this setting though, it was perfect. Simply stunning. Even though the duo only played a handful of songs, they really did show us where Ball Park Music comes from.
The boys from Hungry Kids of Hungary were up next with their small snatch of songs. In contrast to the Ball Park Music duo, all the boys from the band made their way onto stage as per normal, with the only difference being the radically reduced kit size. I am loving the new material coming from these guys. 'Up for Air' is certainly one to listen out for. The boys really do have something special. Even in an "acoustic" setting such as this, they put on one heck of a show, drawing the crowd into the world of sound that is created.
It really was good to be back, not only at the old Troubadour, but also back in general to the world of live music. It's been a while. And with an amazing event like this as a warm-up to BIGSOUND it looks like it's going to be a crazy couple of days filled with some kick-ass music.
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