Gig report: The Prisoner Of Mars @ The George Tavern, London

Band: The Prisoner Of Mars
Venue: The George Tavern, London
Date: 20/06/13
Audience: Busy enough, into it
Set: Way Back In School, My Old Shoe, Super Duper, You Can Stand In A Hole, Now They've All Gone Away, Union Blues, How Do You, So Long
Notes: I was late for the train but luckily the train was also late too so I made the soundcheck in good time and even managed to (somewhat luckily) find two friends in the same carriage - Jack and Andy, who were also coming to the show ...and this kind of sums up the evening really, one of those nights were things just work out really well. The Prisoner Of Mars is the performance name for singer-songwriter Bryan Shore, a good friend of mine of several years and outstanding musician. Despite being justifiably highly regarded on the live circuit as a guitarist, and having released various albums under the Prisoner Of Mars name, this was the first time Bryan had fronted a band, and the debut POM performance found us in East London last night at the George Tavern - which is a 'proper' pub. The band were booked by the promoter after hearing Bryan's electronica album - and as a result we were on a bill with two electronica acts. The live POM stuff isn't electronica - it's rock and roll, but we didn't feel too out of place, the vibe in the venue felt warm and spirited throughout, the on-stage sound fantastic. The line-up of Bryan, myself and bassist Cliff started working together a couple months back for the recording of the latest POM record, Stage Directions (which is sounding amazing - it should be released soon), an album recorded virtually live upstairs in a big warehouse in Huntingdon. Two rehearsals later and we hit the stage - the songs Bryan writes are so nice to play, they're fluid, it's technically basic rock 'n' roll with clever bits, and lots of room for improvisation. Like live theatre perhaps, there's a sense it could all fall apart at any moment, it teeters on the edge and yet somehow is always triumphant, the show last night was a joy to play. Not sure who's idea it was to stay out drinking and catch the last train home, but the post-gig shenanigans were most enjoyable and the five of us (Bryan, Kate (Bryan's wife), Andy, Jack, me) ended up having a great night out; good friends, good times.