gig no.1

Camera Obscura - Thekla
25/10/09

Again, apologies for getting behind with posts. We're all go with t'interweb now, so regular updates from hereon in, I swear!

So, last Sunday popdock enjoyed a sweet, soulful treat aboard the beloved Thekla, from the likes of Camera Obscura and support, Magic Arm (below).
Despite a good cover of LCD Soundsystem's Daft Punk Are Playing At My House - keeping a lot of the original's coolness - there was a bit of awkward tension between songs, and the audience started to feel a bit restless.

Manchester based multi-instrumentalist Marc Rigelsford could certainly work his loops and pedals, but it seemed a little too confused - acoustic guitars and trumpets clashed with with electro synths - and it was difficult to get into, but by no means unpleasant.

The boat then began to get Busy, with an influx of folkies of all ages eager to hear the lush Parisian-style tones of the Glasgow five-piece named after the latin for dark room...yep, Camera Obscura!

Fronted by the effortlessly cool Tracyanne Campbell (below) their chic pop, akin to a sixties girl group that could play their own instruments and buy their own drinks, soon got toes a-tappin'.

Think Belle and Sebastian meets Nouvelle Vague with plenty of strings and catchy tambourines and you're halfway there. There's just enough British eccentricity in the group's dynamic (Campbell had a pair of heels brought on about five minutes into the set) and the bittersweet heartbreak lyrics to bring home how refreshing this smart, unique band are.

After just a little while, the quick stage banter, beatiful melodies and pretty dresses got everyone carried away enough to take part in the handclaps, shimmies and sways, or at the very least walking home kicking the Autumn leaves like they lived in a Chanel advert... Altogether lovely!

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