Arriving at the iconic venue, the man itself was at the bottom of the stairs welcoming some guests. We thought it was nice touch for an artist trying to bridge the gap between himself and the fans but he was just saying hello to old friends. Still I had a little joke with him about that.
We arrive in time for the set from Small Town Jones and were impressed. Some good songs and John commented that his voice had a touch of Marshall Crenshaw about it. Certainly one to check out.
We have seen Pete a number of times doing both his own stuff in London gigs but also local gigs where he plays covers. You are always guaranteed a good show and the gig tonight seemed to have a local feel with a lot of regulars in the audience.
The set tonight draws heavily from his new and possibly best album to date. It’s a feel good sunshine album full of great power pop, which is just as well on one of the hottest nights of the year. Time flies by and we are treated to a few oldies including ‘25 reasons’ and ‘Here come the Swells’. Of the new stuff ‘Peak Operational Condition’ is a standout and like its refrain it should be heard more ‘over the radio’.
There’s no frills or pretence with Pete, its back to basics good old fashioned rock n roll and a word for his band who keep things moving along providing the beats and harmonies throughout.
Keep on rockin y’all