First gig in a year...

The Antifolk festival is an unpretentious handful of nuts. I like it because I fit in here just about as well as anywhere else-in that I don't, but nobody really minds. So that kind of openness makes me feel as warm and accepting of the folk around me. The grimy floors of the 12 Bar are not really where you want to be sitting for someones acoustic set. But during my set, several people did, and I liked their hippy vibes so close to the stage.

So, no one came that I knew, except my personal roadie. But that was ok. Fresh people is always nice to play with, the anti folk. Knowing I'm more recently less anti-and more folk, I anticipated that my set might be drowned in other sound.
As if to demonstrate the point I started with my quietest song "Something you should know". Actually they shushed each other, and though there was still a continual rabble from the balcony the core downstairs stayed silent, and their number grew, throughout the set.

I gave them what I thought they'd enjoy in the second tune. "Fine". I gave them fire to fight fire, to shut them up. It was playground stuff. Like they were children. Like I'm going "listen to me, I've got the fucking mic-and I can make more noise than all of you put together. Shut the fuck up." And amazingly, they did. It made me laugh, I'm so loud now-and they've gone quiet. It also got the loudest applause. Not that it hurt, but I suddenly sympathised with how a lot of old bands must feel when they tour now-I felt they were applauding me for who I was 6 years ago. Not where I'm at now.

I played the next two songs that are going on the EP. That was ok. They still got quieter when I got louder but I think they were hoping for more screaming. They are not screamy songs. Sorry. Where were you 3 years ago?

I was asked for an upbeat tune to finish off (I had nothing left to say..) I don't usually do crowd requests..but I pulled another old one out the bag. They kind of didn't know how to take that. That's ok. It was a mixed bag. But fucking hell if I had a schtick that stayed the same all the time it would be fucking dull wouldn't it?