The Windmill is my local venue. In fact, it's the most local venue I've ever had, being about 3 minutes away from my flat. Despite that though, in 10 months I've only been there once - to see Dub Trio back in about October/November. I thought when I first discovered it that I would be there every other week or so, such is its inviting dive-y atmosphere and enticingly packed programme, but events have conspired against. Except on this occasion, fortunately, when I arrived just in time to order a pint and set my stance right before the music started.
Teta Mona began playing while half of the band were still in the audience. I'd been thinking to myself that, cool as the two tall girls right at the front seemed, they were going to ruin the view somewhat when, a few seconds after the lonely couple on stage shyly started up, the girls went and joined them, as bassist and singer + second guitar. Bonus for the experience, bonus for the view. The band played a fairly brief set, as I think things were running a little behind, but they coped well with the added pressure for the most part. Melodically and rhythmically their tunes were pretty simple, and both bassist and lead had very wallflowery tendencies, but cunningly this only served to highlight the vocals - and oh boy, what vocals! They were eerie and beguiling, the singer reminding me somewhat of a cross between Grace Slick and Karen Elson. If the opinion of a know-nothing nobody like me counts for anything, this girl could go places. Plus, lead guitar man did actually have some mad skills when he felt like displaying them. The final track got a bit bolloxed up and had to be started over a time or two, but the audience were appreciative enough that no-one minded. A pretty fine opening.
By Christ though, how Sekaiteki Na Band stepped it up! Actually, their lead and bass retained the wallflower-like presence of the openers, but their drummer was an absolute supremo. Not only was he the skinniest human being I've ever clapped eyes on, but he was both drumming and singing, and he was drumming like a man possessed, such that at times I found myself breaking out into a massive grin at some particularly audacious example of speed and control. The other members of the band faded into the background for me to a large extent, as I think I developed a bit of man-love for Mr Drummer, such was his blurry and mesmerising ability. The room was loving it too: what had been an appreciative audience for Teta Mona were whooping it up for Sekaiteki Na Band. This was pure quality performance, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this band.
Bo Ningen had been described to me as 'Japanese noise or something' by the barman. There was a Japanese theme to the night in fact, with all but Teta Mona's singer getting on board (I think she was Italian). Any one of Bo Ningen's three musicians could easily have filled in for that scary girl who crawls from the TV in the Japanese horror film Ring, with luscious rock-god hair in full effect. Why am I talking about the band's hair? Well to be honest with you, I have no idea what most of them were playing. The drummer had not only his kit but also two beer kegs (Full? Empty? I don't know) and a gas canister (Full? Empty? I don't know). The dude who I thought of as lead guitar had not a guitar but a shiny little two-deck keyboardy thing, with what looked like a gear stick at one end. And the other dude had not a bass but a couple of pedals and a load of buttons, and once the band got going I at first thought that he was also Vulcan death gripping his own throat as part of the performance, or else auto-asphyxiating for our entertainment, but I later realised that he was throat singing. Throat singing! Anyway, fortunately the gas canister didn't explode (unfortunately neither did the beer kegs), and Bo Ningen did indeed make some Japanese noise. Their first track I can only describe as like a haunted house having a stereo-off with a heavy metal band, and the set only got more enjoyable from there. At one point the guy with the keyboardy thing started hitting it with a drum stick, baffling me still further, and he then got out and started similarly whacking a series of bells dangling from the end of length of wood, reminding me wierdly of the two tin cans that my work mate has attached to her pair of scissors with a length of string, so that nobody can steal them without making an awful racket. Anyway, Bo Ningen made some excellent noise right up until the drummer slung his gas canister into one of his beer kegs for effect, but accidently dominoed the second keg into the amp, bringing things to a premature end. Oh well, no permanent harm done presumably, and it was time to go home anyway.
Before I go, have I mentioned that all of this was free? I don't know how the Windmill decides what will be free and what won't - generally things cost a few quid there - but the fact that all of this quality music was ours without costing us so much as a penny was nothing short of amazing. I would happily pay a tenner to see Sekaiteki Na Band again, so a big thank you to the Windmill for helping me find them.
What a Tuesday night.
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