The Wave Pictures + Maggie8 + Piskie Sits – Brudenell Social Club – 26th Sept 2013

There are certain bands that it’s always worth making the effort to see, no matter how tired you are or how bad a week you’ve had – they’ll lift you up and give you a good time – The Wave Pictures are one such band. It’s over 5 years since I first stumbled across them and have followed them closely since. They never let you down.

I met up with Martin as the first support band Piskie Sits were playing – bloody loudly. It was a great sound and they all looked like they were enjoying themselves. I preferred it to their sound-a-like-namesakes The Pixies who had played live on 6Music earlier in the day if truth be told. “If there are any reviewers out there…..never mind, you never review the support band anyway do you…” Well, here we do……usually that is….it was just that…..I hadn’t seen Martin for ages, so we went off to the other bar for a chat and before we knew where we were – the Wave Pictures were ready to come on – Sorry Maggie8 – next time.

What can you say about the Wave Pictures? These guys are virtuoso’s in their own right. Jonny on drums is a real power house who manages to still sing whilst beating the bejeezus out of those skins. Franic’s bass look unnaturally small in his hands and he’s all over the thing. David’s fragile voice and everyday lyrics are very English somehow without being twee. His guitar playing has me wondering why I bother with guitar lessons……how does he do that!?

They start with ‘Lisbon’ and keep up the pace for magnificent hour and a half. When one of the audience shouts out drunkenly “Requests!” David quips “3 jagermiesters please!” and a steady supply of drinks see’s the band loosen up with a new batch of rocking good tunes that even got people up dancing (yes! dancing!). There’s always room for a few old quiet ones of course but it’s the new rockier numbers I’m sure, that’s going to swell the ranks of WP lovers. An indie band not afraid to have extended guitar solo’s – ACE!

The encore was the tour du force ‘The Woods’ which, yes, has a passing resemblence to the Velvet Undergrounds ‘Sister Ray’ mixed with ‘Foggy Notion’ but that’s no bad thing. New double LP due 21st October – get in line, I wanna hear it first….

Bob the Chiropodist