Monday nights have never been so good. We’ve had many a good start to the week checking out new bands at the Barfly, but tonight we were treated to two recent favourites and a New Zealand band who have never failed to impress.

So tonight we’re in the mood for giving out prizes.

Betchadupa get the prize for best first impression on what is mostly a
new crowd, by playing a solid and consistent set. They’re even tighter
and more confident than we remember – switched on from the very first
note, starting off with Elroy - all broad booming chords with a
grinding mean guitar riff sliding down.

They’re like a well oiled
machine, having played together for the past 6 years since they were
all teenagers. Physically leaning into each note, feet firmly planted
on the stage, wielding their straight up rock groove like a newly
sharpened axe – they’ve arrived. Again, they impress with their slick
split-second pauses and dynamic range – from quieter songs such as My
Army Of Birds And Gulls (a song about birds outside your window
keeping you awake at night) to raucous well executed onslaughts like Intensity In Ten Cities, with it’s thumping drum beat and quick tempo
changes.

Throughout the triumphant set, their drummer’s been smiling
likes he’s having the time of his life, and never missing a beat. By
the end, there are three big guys in front of hecklerspray dancing and
headbanging like crazy, and the band look quite pleased. The towering
guitar riffs of Supa Day explode past the ceiling. Then they
announce their last song and the crowd yells for more, which singer
Liam acknowledges as a sign of success. Look out for these guys next
year, they’ll be back.

And now for the pleasant surprise award – I was quite looking forward
to checking out Larrikin Love, but as they set up onstage, we notice
they look remarkably like those boys from The Holloways. Our suspicions
are confirmed when singer Alfie says "We’re not Larrikin Love by the
way." The Holloways have come in at the last minute as LL’s guitarist
is ill, and as they’ve been up all night in the studio, and haven’t
played a gig since last month, they do pretty well, really. We don’t have
a whole crowd of fans to bounce around with tonight, but one nutter in
front of us is trying to take out a photographer with some uninvited
slam dancing. He almost starts a fight when he knocks him over, but
that doesn’t stop the enjoyment of the ‘cheeky street urchin pop’we’ve been
singing along to all summer.

Happiness And Penniless is a great tune
with a big slowed down chorus, “Now my last penny has been spent, but
my life’s still heaven sent, cos I got my friends to help me out this
time” – we’ve all been there. Other favourites are played out – the
poignant and poetic rush of How Will I Get Home, bright little
upbeat single Generator and perhaps their most political tune Great
Britain, tonight dedicated to George Best. They end with more happy
shades of punk/ska sunshine in Reinvent Myself, and, as they always
do, leave us all smiling.

Tonight’s lo-fi genius award, and best use of toys in a musical set
goes to… well, who else – Kid Carpet. In his tracksuit and Kid Carpet
shirt, laying on lots of quirky, fun keyboard noises and beats, and
singing stupidly funny lyrics over the top. We know whey he calls it
kiddy disco, cos it makes us  feel like we’re five again, and on some sorta giddy sugar
rush. The room is packed, and he’s jumping around on stage with loads
of enthusiasm, but still looks surprised when roars of applause go up
for something as simple as him testing out a sample. He tells us how
one of his bags of gear – which had his Furbie in it – was stolen by a
tramp after a gig in Nottingham (it was all caught on CCTV), so this
next song calls for some crowd participation.

During Your Love, to
replace the Furbie, he holds up cardboard signs with Me Love You and Me Happy on them, and we yell out the words at the appropriate times.
It works a treat. Then there are those amazing toy guitar solos, air
drumming, and crowd favourites such as Carrier Bag, Green And
Pleasant Land and his version of Jump, – which, if you haven’t heard
it yet, is like a good trip through candyland with the cheesiest 80s
keyboard chords ever.

We also get to test our skills as an audience on
his ‘hot corners’ game, and then he plays it as part of his next song!
Brilliant. To end the set he sings us one final thought – “I’m a one
trick pony, but there’s nobody I’d rather be.” Indeed. If that’s your
trick, it’s a pretty damn fine one.

Read more:

Kid Carpet official site

[review by Dedee W]