THE LUCKSMITHS + AIRPORT GIRL
London Kentish Town Bull and Gate 27th October 2001
I have encountered Airport Girl on two separate occasions, both of them in the glorified rehearsal room atmosphere of the Rough Trade Sessions at Notting Hill Arts Club, and I was rather underwhelmed. However, in a packed Bull and Gate on a Saturday night they really rise to the occasion. Unlike NHAC, this venue has a stage and a proper PA, so that also adds to the experience!
Airport Girl release records on the very fine Fortuna Pop! label, and for those of you don't know them, they lean towards a sort of a shambling indie-soul type thing. The first song 'From Delta to Delware' is a cracking opener, kind of like the Go-Betweens if they let themselves go a bit more. However the members of Airport Girl don't let themselves go too much as their (bearded and slightly crazed looking) 'spare' keyboards player indulges in enough frenzied dancing for everyone.
I was really impressed with the whole set, both in the quality of the songs and their performance, especially as I had almost written them off. Their wigged-out closing song flirts briefly with the Velvet's 'What Goes On' and leaves their equipment in a bit of a mess. It seems that they could be well worth keeping an eye on, and I'll definitely be seeing them again.
The Lucksmiths come from Australia and supported Hefner last night - I missed them, but people I met at the gig were raving about them. Further research into their website shows that they've been going for years and have released a ton of records on various labels since 1993.
They have a very lo-fi set-up, with guitar, bass and a stand-up singing drummer, which is unusual but seems to work. They probably hate being called quirky, but i think that's the best way to describe them. Their songs are little stories, often dealing with absurdities in people's lives, like the couple who live in a touring caravan but can't drive. You get the picture. They have a sense of humour too, which is fine up to a point, but I think the constant chatting and jokes begins to grate after a while. Having said that, they do entertain, and the atmosphere in this small venue was really good. I abstain from buying of their CDs as I think the Lucksmiths are best appreciated in small doses.
