I spent a wonderful night last night with Christopher Laird at the Cambridge Junction, meeting and chatting to one of my ALL TIME favourite bands, British Sea Power. Wow, I just love how life turns out sometimes.Despite it being disgustingly cold, and (as usual) having a woefully inadequate 'coat', and the Junction being stuck out of the way of everything except crappy food places - and a Tesco Express - it was a grand night out.
Not only did I get to chat with the lovely Scott/Yan (centre left) and his brother Neil/Hamilton (centre right), who are just so down to earth and friendly and funny - honestly - I also got to see another one of their stunning live shows. They are amazing on record, and if you haven't heard their records BUY THEM ALL NOW, but live they do come into their own. With their self-created videos in the background (they were working on them backstage before the show) and the intricate and intelligent lyrics, which are so unique they remind me of Cardiacs, and their stage presence, layers of sound and musical qualities, they are hard to beat as a live act. Their version of Apologies to Insect Life (in my top 3 songs of all time) made me a very happy girl.
They have a fairly intimidating presence, but not at all in person. As I have loved them for a while I was of course slightly in awe, but they were just taking the piss out of each other the whole time, seemingly quite shy but also super friendly and happy to talk to us about our small, independent station.
They also have the best merchandise (which they said pays their electricity bill!) and if you haven't seen it, visit their website for a look. I am a sucker for good merchandise, and came home laden with lovely things (if you're interested, vinyl versions of 2 of their albums, a t-shirt, a set of badges and a mug).
Christopher Laird will be using his interview with the band for a special show on RadioNowhere, and I might even force my way on that show, if I get the chance! I'll post nearer the time with the details.
BSP will be on tour all over the place for the rest of this year, so if you have the chance: GO GO GO!
