Sacred
cowbell
16 Jan 2001
Back-to-work blues were shaken off in some style last weekend as The Regulars returned to the Flapper for 40 minutes of pop therapy - and a chilling outbreak of percussion-worship.
The band's now-customary new year visit to Birmingham's canalside venue saw a bumper crowd that included members of fellow Brum bands Autolight, Baxxter, Jameson, King Adora and The Starries.
Newcomers Distophia opened Saturday's proceedings with an excellent set of edgy Sonic-Youthian material, and Harajuka - playing their first gig for a year - continued with some splendidly melodic pop in a Smiths/Echobelly sort of vein.
Taking the stage at about ten past ten, to a crowd of around 70, the Regs opened with This is the sound before Smart dress only had its best live performance so far, an inflammatory anti-Broad Street intro seeming to get the audience right in the mood.
Later, a mid-set return for 35 hours led via a drum solo from Chris straight into last year's single Lie down and fight, and members of the audience started dancing. Regulars fans being the gentle creatures they are, of course, this was a sedate, considerate affair far removed from the uncouth 'moshpit' one frequently witnesses these days.
Paul's second broken string of 2001 prompted Pete out of Distophia to kindly supply a replacement guitar. During the brief delay, band and punters alike were terrified by the boldest manifestation yet of a shadowy new subsect of Regulars fans who appear to worship Chris's cowbell.
Today at last brought the set to a tumultuous close, but the penultimate tune Try possibly turned the most heads of all.
First performed about 18 months ago, the song has undergone several rearrangements in its time, none of which were felt to do the song justice. Until the approving comments made after Saturday's gig, that is, as a result of which Try has entered the running to become The Regulars' second single later this year.
The Regs are off the road for a month or so now, but stay close to this site for some news very soon of the band's next move - or if you're not already a member, get on that there mailing list right now.
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