Well damn you Poolstock Lane. Damn you to hell. The one weeknight concert that I don't drive to and we meet absolutely NO traffic jams whatsoever. Wonderful.
A relatively easy journey in then, and then off to yet another "all you can eat" Chinese buffet restaurant. Although there was the added touch of class you rarely see as they has deep-fried battered salmon as one of the starter choices. Then it was off to a Witherspoons (which for once actually had some Magners in stock) to attempt to chat up some bar-staff and then through the rough streets of Manchester to the Night & Day venue.
By day a cafe, by night a "pumping" musical venue of choice. One which made me feel distincly "uncool" in comparison to all the hip chaps and chicks in attendance. Mind you, the venue also had its fair share of qumquats in as well. It also soup of the day, which was Tomato & Strawbery! TOMATO AND STRAWBERRY!!! What's up with that?
Anyways, support act Foreign Bodies were ok in a "they'll look good on CD-UK" (or perhaps I should say Popworld these days) way. Or maybe one of those much sought after spots on the O.C. Still, they were quite good without ever really managing to completely enthrall me, but I did shake on of them by the hand for some reason, so I'll wish them all the best.
So onto the main event. And let me get this out of the way right from the off. I'm in love with Annie Hardy. She's a complete and utter barmpot for sure, but you know that's the way I like 'em. I'm not quite sure of course whether the quirky, stand-up comedian style character she came across as on stage was entirely "organic" but what the hell. Although if I saw what I thought I saw, some woman did seem to walk out after Hardy had proclaimed that "it's great to see that people with Aids have made it here tonight...Aids is so gnarly".
The songs were kicking though. How the fella manages to play the drums and the synths at the same time is beyond me, and it is quite an impressive achievment. Higlights included "This Isn't It" "YFLD" and "a new song called "Drugs" but to be honest, the whole thing was pretty damn fine.
The "encore" saw the band not going off, and started with them apologising, tongue in cheek, for not playing the last two songs earlier but that they leave them till last so that everyone stays to the end! And what a finale it was. Their version of Chris Issak's Wicked Game probably sounds like a bad idea on paper, but they make the tune their own, and this was followed by Kevin Is Gay, (or Kevin WAS Gay as Annie informed us), whose daft title belies it's brilliance.
It is, of course, inpossible for a two piece band to completely capture the sound of the album, but they had the energy and the excitement in full spades. Perhaps in years to come, Annie won't have to introduce future singles as "our latest top 1 million Billboard smash hit."
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