 |
| Giant Drag - Cluny - 16th September 2013 |
Apart from a dining family and a few local
regulars, Lime Street local The Cluny
is far from packed. A gentle hum of
conversation is suddenly broken by the heavy
front door swinging on it's hinges as Giant
Drag rush through the bar.
Unfortunately, Giant Drag consists of
singer/songwriter Annie and..... Well, that's it. She continues to dart in
and out of the pub main doors for some time conversing with various band
members until the last time we see her – shouting "I hate my
life" while her long coat disappears behind the stage doors for the last
time.
Since forming in California in 2003, Giant
Drag have released 2 albums and 1
E.P. With a hefty stopgap of 8 years in
between yet the small venue is packed with avid fans, waiting with
anticipation for this rare UK outing. Annie Hardy strolls onto stage to
rapturous applause and instantly greets the audience with the news that we are
all being recorded and that she hopes we don't mind. We don't and neither does
Annie despite running up $800 of data roaming charges so far this tour.
The band supporting Annie to form the rest of
GD tonight are two UK locals who had just one practice before setting off
out on tour - a fact that will make itself apparent throughout the night. Tracks
from "Waking up is hard to do" kick off the night to a warm reception
but it's old classics Blunt Picket Fence and a decidedly heavier version
of YFLMD that start to make this feel like a true Giant Drag
experience.
The band leave and Annie picks up an
acoustic for the next three songs.
She's worried about breaking up GD (which is
understandable considering the fact that she is the only actual member)
and as such she has been writing new material while on tour. The difference is
immediately recognizable. The new songs show a much more mature songwriter
at work with a true Americana feel and deep sweeping lyrics that are a far
cry from lemona.
The band return and after a few new
tracks including new single "Do It"; Annie gives a proposal -
she will play an encore without going out and coming back on (because
"it's shitty" to do that) to play 2 more songs - which may or may
not be what are pretty much "the giant drag hits". Of course
this goes ahead and after a story about Chris Isaac breaking her heart and
stealing her next song we are treated to Wicked Game and Kevin Is Gay (complete
with Meow Solo) to close.
Overall the presence of Giant Drag in
itself outweighed any stumbles that may have occurred during the evening,
leaving everyone who attended feeling privileged to view one of the
greatest lo-fi alt bands one last time (maybe).
J
