Gig report: Eureka Stockade, Aidy, Flaming June @ The Portland Arms, Cambridge

Bands: Flaming June, Aidy and Eureka Stockade
Venue: The Portland Arms, Cambridge
Date: 17/12/11
Audience: Nice, not too many of them, but festive
Sets: Flaming June - not sure; Aidy - Make It Happen, Pain In My Heart, Dirty Little Cannibal, Down Like That, 3 Years, Waiting, God's Front Porch, Miami Beach, Washing Machine; Eureka Stockade - Violence, I've Been There Before, Erotomania, Goodbye You've Gone, Caught In A Fire, Resistance, Without You, Heroes Fall, Through Every Darkness, All Alone
Notes: We've been talking about this one for a while - it was the great Christmas Jumper Extravaganza gig, in which the audience were invited to wear a festive jumper and if so were allowed in for just £2 (£5 if they weren't). There wasn't much seasonal clothing I have to admit - but then again there wasn't really a huge audience, but there was enough of them (twenty or so perhaps?) to make the relatively small venue seem lively enough and those who were there were pretty vocal in their enjoyment. I played this with three of my bands, and after the mighty Paul Goodwin (still the best songwriter in Cambridge - fact) opened the show I hit the stage with Flaming June. Played this as a trio as Clare needed to rest, but did okay I think. Of course we missed Clare (after all - she's a really good musician), but Louise, Steve and I bashed through half an hour of material, including the new track. I played much better than I did on Friday - was much sharper, and the alternative Christmas cover at the end was a bit of a treat. Next up was Aidy, in which I was on drums not congas, and I really enjoyed this - we're much more exciting when we play electric I think. The banter on stage was good and we were really tight for a majority of it, including the songs we don't play so often such as 'Waiting' and 'Miami Beach', both of which were rehearsed a few times earlier in the day. The slow-motion anarchy at the end made us chuckle, probably confused a few audience members, but is all part of the Aidy experience. 15 minutes later I was back on stage to drum for the headliners, Eureka Stockade. This time we were a four piece (our line-up changes gig by gig at the moment), with us regulars (Rob, Andy and myself) joined again by Claudia on bass. My energy levels were flagging somewhat towards the end - might have been something to do with the fact I'd been drumming all night, or might have also been something to do with the fact I was doing all that whilst wearing a Christmas jumper. As a result I made a couple slips in the performance, nothing anyone would have noticed but I was still a bit annoyed with myself. We played well though as a unit - Eureka Stockade have come on leaps and bounds this year, with new track 'Goodbye You've Gone' sounding lovely, on the whole I think it was a really strong set and there was a real sense of fun on stage. I know I said this after the London gig, but Claudia's bass playing is remarkable - she puts so much life into it, it's a drummer's dream - and as I was starting to tire her funky grooves really did drag me through the last few songs. Great evening, a good workout, but thoroughly enjoyable. And yes, I did secretly like wearing the Christmas jumper, I doubt that's the last we'll see of that.