Public Service Broadcasting, Happy Daggers, Alaska – Brudenell Social Club 13/5/13

Three spiffing bands at the Brudenell with the tremendous ‘Public Service Broadcasting’ pulling out all the stops for a quite magnificent performance.

First band of the night were Leeds own ‘Alaska’ who played a blisteringly good set. Every element of the band just clicked to make a wonderous noise. For their last song they said they could do one about a reptile stealing eggs or a trucker…..I shouted for ‘Reptile’ and what a prog-monster of a tune it turned out to be. Got their lovely blue vinyl single and look forward to hearing more.

Also from Leeds are ‘Happy Daggers’ who are a tight funk outfit with a great lead singer. Our only complaint was when the Bass player (who had a beautiful red bass) joined the drummer for some ‘cowbell’ action and then threw his busted drumstick over his shoulder into the crowd……..hitting Martin…..on the hand….nearly spilling his pint! Lucky for him…….he didn’t……

I first heard ‘Spitfire‘ by Public Service Broadcasting on Gideon Coe’s ‘6 Music’ show and was compelled to order ‘The War Room’ 12″ and their first 10″ EP there and then. Using old Pathe news type footage to underpin tunes is nothing new (Bill Nelson does it brilliantly here from 1984) but PSB do it so well it’s hard not to love them. On stage tonight was a huge TV with stacks of other smaller old style TVs placed around and about, all showing black and white footage and distorted video of the band taken live……I say ‘band’….it’s actually all done by J. Willgoose (Guitars, Banjo, Theramin, keyboards, electronics…..etc…etc.) with Wrigglesworth on drums. MrB was in charge of visuals but isn’t always at their shows……

They were like a stiff upper lipped, 40’s British Kraftwerk, communicating with the audience only via an electronic voice in impeccable BBC English “Thank You…..Very….Much”. When an excitable young lady got on stage to dance (turned out to be Wrigglesworth’s sister) she was politely asked to “Calm…down”. Highlights were the War Room stuff, ‘Signal 30‘  and ‘Everest‘ as an encore. We hung around after so Lee could get the LP signed – 40 something groupies…….6 Music has a lot to answer for…….

Bob the Chiropodist