Taking time out from their busy touring life with Toploader (yes, you heard me right...according to Dav, ‘Toploader are a punk band, they’re getting no press coverage, no one talks about them and yet they still get 2000 dedicated fans to their gigs every night, therefore they’re an underground punk band’ he says, removing tongue firmly from within cheek.), the small indie club gig seems to be full of people who’ve come for easyworld, not just the cheap beer. It’s the first easyworld gig I can remember being at where there’s been a mosh pit (for ‘Bleach’) and an encore, but more of that later...
Opening with ‘Armistice’, there seems to be a less serious mood than previous gigs, the audience won over from the start by Doug giving away free T-shirts and balloons appear half way through the set. A chaotic ‘Bleach’ quickly follows, moshing ensues and the crowd then get to cool off during ‘Junkies And Whores’. The date seems to be a chance to preview new material with ‘The Other Man’, “a song about affairs”, slightly harder than previous material (think Bleach combined with the single version of You & Me) but still as strong as ever, hopefully it’ll make it to single status. One of the new songs, an altogether slower affair, has Dav on keyboards is another song about relationships, and it’s heartbreaking. The mood is continued through ‘Demons’ but the next new offering, with Jo taking over keyboard skills, bounces back as the mosh returns. The set ends with ‘You & Me’, “the most shallow song in the show, about shagging,” he beams, and then... “this is the last song in the set, but we’ve had such a good time, if you’re really nice, we might play some more”, still filthy, it now breaks in the middle so Dav can launch into Nelly’s ‘Hot In Here’. Finishing to much cheering, easyworld return to the stage a few minutes later to treat us to You & Me b-side, a cover of ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’, the band throwing their hearts and souls into it.
Aside from the festival sets, one of the best easyworld gigs I’ve been to and great to hear ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ again. I could complain about the lack of ‘Better Ways’ but why spoil a brilliant night. The new stuff is even better than the last album which all bodes well for 2003 being easyworld’s year.
