Friday, May 19, 2006
Going Underground
Trying to find Ginglik is like looking for the doorway to The 10th Kingdom. You can be staring straight at it and still not see it. A bunch of fairy lights slung over a metal archway and a strangely camouflaged sign with a big "G" and a very small "inglik" stand at the top of a flight of steps that lead down to a subterranean chamber beneath Shepherds Bush Green itself. The traffic and people swirl around in perpetual motion without ever touching or even noticing this little island in their midst.
Inside, you are in a different world. A lovely room with soft furnishings and a kind of bedouin tent vibe beckons to your left. There is a stage at the far end, PA, lights, etc. To your right a spacious bar area. It's a real friendly, club atmosphere, the kind of joint where people become regulars and invest something of themselves in the place. And we had the honour of playing there last night with our MySpace friends, the Favours. The sound and lighting were, by all accounts, first rate, the band was on fire, and we really had a brilliant time. Great to see so many friendly faces.
But here was the killer: Matthew Ryan, Brian Bequette and Steve Latanation from our Myspace friends Strays Don't Sleep showed up - all the way from Nashville! They had just arrived to start a UK tour with Josh Rouse. Owing to a missed connection they had spent the previous night sleeping in Washington DC airport. Tonight they are playing in Sheffield. And they still managed to find their way to an invisible basement bar on Shepherds Bush Green to check out the scene. What great guys. They are playing Shepherds Bush Empire next Thursday (May 25). Now that's a gig not to be missed.
Ginglik, May 18: The Favours/Mon Fio/David Sinclair/Paul Jeffrey
Set list: Jammed/Time is the Simplest Thing/Pennies on a Plate/Dusted & Rusted/Swimming With the Sharks/Bouquet of Weeds/Going to do Something/Life's Too Serious/Feedback ¶ 9:54 pm
Inside, you are in a different world. A lovely room with soft furnishings and a kind of bedouin tent vibe beckons to your left. There is a stage at the far end, PA, lights, etc. To your right a spacious bar area. It's a real friendly, club atmosphere, the kind of joint where people become regulars and invest something of themselves in the place. And we had the honour of playing there last night with our MySpace friends, the Favours. The sound and lighting were, by all accounts, first rate, the band was on fire, and we really had a brilliant time. Great to see so many friendly faces.
But here was the killer: Matthew Ryan, Brian Bequette and Steve Latanation from our Myspace friends Strays Don't Sleep showed up - all the way from Nashville! They had just arrived to start a UK tour with Josh Rouse. Owing to a missed connection they had spent the previous night sleeping in Washington DC airport. Tonight they are playing in Sheffield. And they still managed to find their way to an invisible basement bar on Shepherds Bush Green to check out the scene. What great guys. They are playing Shepherds Bush Empire next Thursday (May 25). Now that's a gig not to be missed.
Ginglik, May 18: The Favours/Mon Fio/David Sinclair/Paul Jeffrey
Set list: Jammed/Time is the Simplest Thing/Pennies on a Plate/Dusted & Rusted/Swimming With the Sharks/Bouquet of Weeds/Going to do Something/Life's Too Serious/Feedback ¶ 9:54 pm
