Review by Charlotte Lunt
For me, unashamedly this is a long awaited gig. Those of you
who tune into Stoke Sounds on 6towns (Monday’s 7-9pm, hint hint) will know that we’ve been
long term champions of Giro Junkie, and also that Dinosaur Dance Floor have
recently seeped into our aural consciousness. Couple this with the fact that
Giro’s album ‘Taxi for Dave’ hasn’t been out of the CD player for the last week
or so and you have an idea of the levels of anticipation I have.
First on were the Nanateas, to whom I owe an apology as the
impromptu meeting of so many old friends and familiar faces from gig's gone by that I missed the bulk of their
set, but I did catch respectable covers of The Cure’s ‘Friday I’m in Love’ and
Pulp’s ‘Disco 2000’.
With the dance floor filling up for Dinosaur Dance Floor,
the atmosphere really took hold as their dancey indie rang out. On a slightly
critical note, it would’ve been good to hear the vocals higher in the mix as
this really did detract from the performance. Within the first few songs I can
see domination of the current Stoke Scene well within these lads grasp – jangly
melodic feel good indie pop – perfect for a late summer evening. They are
clearly a band who practice hard but also and refreshingly don’t seem to take
themselves too seriously, and seem to be as much about having fun as they are
about the music. This evening see’s them delivering a set of little gems to an
audience with their dancing shoes on, and is more than an appropriate prologue
for the main set.
Tonight’s performance by Giro Junkie, serves very much like
the stories they tell in their lyrics. Starting with 'Murder of Logistics' as the 2
piece they have been performing as for 18 months or so Rich Bloor (vocals and
guitar) and Mark Stevens (drums and vocals) they guide us through an album’s
worth of songs starting with some simple numbers I remember hearing in The
Glebe many moons ago, to the fuller and richer sound they are now achieving
with the addition of several new colleagues.
Rich’s ability to use lyrics to tell stories straight from
the coal face brings an earthy strength to the songs, notably 'Oh-Dae-Su' and it appears that as the set
progresses their music is gaining attention from the venue's patrons. One
thing that is fabulous about this evening is the ‘love in’ feeling from so many
people who have come out to support the band, and the recognition that as a
first album release this is a celebration of their achievements. There is
always a pleasure about watching an artist and friend performing, but to see a
band develop and grow like this is a real privilege.
Welcoming an abundance of guest artists to the stage to
complete the full line up for the last three songs, Giro Junkie showcase the
new directions that some of their songs have undertaken. The introduction of
more voices and instruments has brought an earthly feel to the music, and a
feeling of shared experience, akin to that heard in sea shanties. Although
about contemporary issues, songs such as ‘Hands for Feet’ appear to have now
grown their roots firmly in the folk tradition, in a way that melds two worlds
simultaneously.
Leaving the stage to rapturous applause and one or two ear
piercing whistles, Rich, Mark et al. Should be rightly proud of this evenings
gig and launch of their album – which in case you didn’t know is available in a
limited edition from the band, and also on itunes.
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