Sunday, August 16, 2015

THE EARLIES (London Shacklewell Arms, 31/07/15)

When I was at Uni I discovered a wonderful half-Texan, half-Mancunian outfit named the Earlies, who combined 60's West Coast harmonies with psychedelic prog (and roughly several hundred instruments). Their live shows were always blissful, and I was deeply saddened when they disappeared into obscurity somewhere in the middle of '07. So you can only imagine my delight when I discovered they had not only reunited for a one-off tour, but that their London date coincided with my 30th birthday.

And what a show it was. Not only did they manage to get the whole 11-piece live band back together (quite a feat given the dimensions of the Shacklewell stage) but they still had that old magic, despite their self-depreciating stage patter. I actually have a greater appreciation of their more outre, abrasive material now than I did in 2006, but it was the likes of "One Of Us Is Dead" that really underlined to all present what a criminally underrated band they were. If this is truly the end for the Earlies, it was a fine note to bow out on - but if it isn't, let's hope we don't have to wait 'til 2023 for the next time.

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