Thanks to my lovely friend Tory I managed to get a last minute ticket to see The Rumble Strips (MySpace) and The Maccabees (MySpace) at the distinguished Hospital Club in Covent Garden last night. It was great to see these two back on the same bill again and this was part of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Sessions which have hosted Noah and the Whale, Florence and the Machine and the Golden Silvers over the past few months.
I hadn’t been to the Hospital Club before, but I have to say its a fantastic venue, with great acoustics and impressive soundsystem, but I think I would be overexcited for any venue showcasing two of my favourite artists of the last four years. In fact, they were some of the earliest bands I featured here in those heady early days of 2006/7.
The Rumble Strips kicked off the gig and showcased a host of new songs which build on their unique blend of soaring horns, thumping drums and Charlie Waller’s voice that swoons with a soul well beyond his years. I’m always excited by a new Rumble Strips record – and with this taster their next will not disappoint.
The Maccabees took over from where the Rumble Strips left off and played a host of favourites from their last record Wall of Arms, and the crowd started to have a little dance. Their brew of danceable rhythms and love ballads is infectious as always and personal favourite No Kind Words was a highlight of a consistently awesome evening.
Sooo jealous!!