Tonight's show was advertised as intimate (we all know that this is venue-speak for small). In fact the Venue 2 above the Hare & Hounds is so intimate that the band emerge from a dressing room at the back of the room to carve a path through the 150 capacity audience to reach the stage, to play the tougher, angrier songs from her 'Welcome Back To Milk' (apparently a reference to utilising her lactose intolerance as a constipation cure).
Beth Jeans Houghton is backed by a traditional rock band line-up of two guitars, bass and drummer. The band kicks into 'If You're Legal' and then straight into the tribal drums and whoozy guitars of 'Mr Hyde' (surely one of the songs of the year?) as a double whammy to start the set. Next is 'Black Flag' which slides and grinds its way out of the PA as Beth stalks and prowls around the stage like a peroxided panther. Although she's clearly struggling with a heavy cold tonight (for which she apologises), she's still an interesting and intimidating stage presence.
There are three new tracks played tonight, 'Eden', 'Buddy' and 'Swallow' all of which are a continuation of the Du Blonde sound and fit neatly into the rest of the set, which ends tonight as does the album with 'Isn't it Wild'. However as a twist on the album version Beth leaves the stage to let the band finish the track with a big rock out. Mike Lindsay of Tunng having been discharged from the folktronica of his day job releases his inner guitar rock god throwing the full set of soloing shapes as the band build to a climatic finish.
For the encore Beth says they're going to try a cover version, and those of us of a certain musical age and quality recognise the intro “whoo, whoo, whoo's” of Pixies 'Where Is My Mind?' when we hear it which the rocking band blast through for a great finish.
Alisdair Whyte
