I feel that it’s necessary every now and then to make note of a particularly good gig, as even crazy french free jazz (Les yeux de la tete) has an effect on the songs I write and sing. Nottingham based Cantaloupe have so far been a joy to watch and hear play and I continue to be impressed by their execution of sublime melodies and intricate rhythms.

I was at another Cantaloupe gig recently where my brother was enthusing about the band Picore. He said one of the main reasons he found them so bloody brilliant was because he didn’t really understand what was going on. I felt much the same about Les yeux de la tete. Unlike one of my friends who had been trying to work out the time signatures for different songs, I just enjoyed basking in the confusion and as they say “feeling the groove”. And what a groove!

(NB. Slightly more preferable than hearing Green Day’s “Time of your Life” for the umpteenth time at Ryans’ open mic night.)