Cola Jet Set... Go

I went to see Cola Jet Set, the wonderful Elefant records band, on Saturday at The Buffalo Bar in Highbury & Islington, London. I got to meet Filipe and Alicia beforehand and they were both really lovely and so full of positivity about their music and life in general. And they like cider.

They were on the bill as part of a night put on by Pic 'n' Mixx. Their events encourage people to take along a mix-CD and swap it with someone else's, but I didn't know this and so didn't take one, and so I can't tell you about the wonderful mix-CD that I received from a brilliant stranger. Because I didn't take a mix-CD with me to the show, I was stamped with an unhappy face when I entered the venue. Only those who brought a mix-CD got a happy face stamp. I felt rather sad about this.

I also didn't get any pictures at the show as the venue uses those crappy red lights, and being short I couldn't see much. There are also big columns in the venue, so turning up just before Cola Jet Set went on stage, nursing my unhappy face stamp, I ended up standing near the back feeling a bit sorry for myself. I missed the first two acts because I was talking to two nice men in the pub upstairs. I did know them, I wasn't just randomly talking to strangers - Charly the cat warns us against such things.

This is Charly (he's the one on the right):

The band were fab, and their happy sunny pop was just the thing on what had been a rather drab and rainy London evening. I have a thing about bands who have songs with the band's name as part of the lyric (Sheep on Drugs, Pizzicato 5), and Cola Jet Set didn't disappoint. I was also wearing my purple Elefant badge to show my allegiance to the happiest record label in the world.

We had to leave early to catch the train to Dullsville, so missed the headliners Pocketbooks. I'm sure they were good. And, on the way home, some nice people sat next to us on the train and talked to us about music (of the classical and operatic variety), so I even learned stuff. I now know that Alison Balsom is a rather attractive trumpet player, and that it costs a lot of money to move a Steinway Grand Piano from London to the West Country. I probably could have guessed the last one.

Christopher Laird's interview with Cola Jet Set will be broadcast on The Christopher Laird Show on RadioNowhere on Monday 28th June at 9pm UK time - tune in at www.radionowhere.org