Flapper and Firkin, Birmingham 24/3/99
Support: Brassy & Velocette
This
was the first concert I had been to at the Flapper and Firkin so I didn't know
what to expect. It is really small and has an impossibly low ceiling which means
that that the stage is low and unless you are at the front all you can see is
the head and shoulders of the band (hmm, there should be an obvious joke there
but I can't think of one). When you enter the venue you feel that it's jam packed
with atmosphere which makes up for the less than perfect sound system especially
during Velocette`s set. I managed to catch the last half of Brassy and I was
impressed with their brand of punky pop. After a quick break Velocette came
on and after a great start started seemed to drift off after 2 songs although
listening to Velocette straight off is not the best way to enjoy them. It didn't
help that most of the people around me were talking. Grrr, why is it that people
hold conversations in one of the worst places ever second only to say talking
to someone next to a roadwork's.
After
a 20min wait the lights went out and a spoken introduced - John Disco, Sci-Fi
Steven and finally Manda Rin members of the pop group bis and straight away
they brought us what everyone was waiting for Disco! in the form of the last
single Action and Drama. This whipped the crowd up into a pop frenzy which threatened
to engulf the whole of the venue. Best received song was EuroDisco in a set
that had only one song, Monstarr from their debut album. The crowd was 
very
energetic and it was virtually non-stop pogo and dance action all the way which
led bis to remark that the crowd looked more knackered than they did. New songs
like I Am A Slut sounded brilliant as if they had been part of your record collection
for ever when in fact this was the first time you had heard it. There was good
banter between bis and the crowd including references to TMWRNJ and Delgados
song titles which at times was really funny. I had to leave half way through
the last song thanks to the really great public transport and run to the train
station so I don't know if there was an encore. This was a really great gig
it's definitely up there in the top 10. Bis have been leading the way with their
punk/disco/pop and are still as strong as ever.