Thursday 16 February 2012

CAKE: An Evenings Event in a Conversation


It’s easy to navigate through the crowd who stare, mesmerised like zombies at the stage slowly shuffling their feet and bobbing their heads in rhythm to John McCrea’s deep grainy voice. They sway ever so slightly to the trumpet’s warm honey-esque melody. I make my way to the front right of the stage.


There’s a good few folk out tonight.
It only seems crowded because they shut off the bars upstairs.
Cute trick?
Camaraderie.
Big fan?
I used to be back in the day. Its one of those ‘Cake are playing! What? Seriously! Well, ok then!’ type moments. But I really like this new album Showroom of Compassion.
Great Title. And what, the first in 6 years? The previous one Pressure Chief was also quite good. Love the guitar in End of the Movie.
It is a beautiful and yet quite quirky song. Although I think Fashion Nugget has to be my favourite album.
I’m really pleased that they haven’t changed too much in style over the years, its always disturbing when you really love a band and they come out with a completely different awkward noise and ruin your childhood memories.
Agreed. Did you know that for this new album they recorded it using solar power?
No kidding?
Yeah, they refitted all the electrical components in their studio as to power everything with solar energy.
I don't know if that's awesome or just insane?
A soothing blend of both.

Cake continue to lull the zombies into a musical stupor whilst I move closer to the centre and start dancing, snapping my fingers along to Gabe Nelsons flicking funky bass lines. Feeling completely out of place at first I’m relieved to see those around me snap to the beat and start dancing. Xan McCurdy guitar riffs pick up and the whole crowd starts to wake up and shake to the sound of Mustache Man. The lights dim and the disco ball light glitters over the crow giving a cheesy American prom dance feel to the night.

What’s with the tree?
If you’re lucky it could be yours!
Really? What?!
Yeah, it’s strange but amusing, they ask a random question and the person who answers it correctly gets the tree!
What are you meant to do with it?
Well you take care of it, love it and give the band updates on how it’s doing and if you mistreat it I’m sure they’ll track you down and do terribly horrible things to you.
That's mental.
That's Cake!

I continue to twirl in delight to the tracks of the new album and when the last song comes the crowd roars in delight and finally everyone starts to go a bit crazy, as if trying to catch up and squeezing a whole evenings worth of excitement and dancing by jumping up and down to The Distance. The gig couldn’t have ended with a better song. Frolicking down the street on my way home my only regret is not having won that tree.


(Gig Review 16/11/2011) 

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