3/3/2008 Ginger acoustic show @ the Water Rats

Subject	Ginger acoustic show @ the Water Rats
PostedDate	3/2/2008
	First act of this acoustic night at the Water Rats is the Loyalties - the band that rose from the ashes of the second Yo-Yo's lineup. They have already started when I arrive and the place is absolutely packed even this early. They have some decent tunes, but the band sound a bit sloppy and unrehearsed tonight.  Next up is the Eureka Machines - some of you may have seen Chris Catalyst from this duo as his alter-ego Robochrist (which is quite an experience!) or more recently playing bass with AntiProduct. This is something quite different again, and even in acoustic form I enjoyed their set and thought they had some excellent songs. Chris also has a witty line in banter onstage and is entertaining in his own right. This lot are certainly worth seeing again.  Ginger's solo shows are always interesting and entertaining affairs. Every gig is quite different, although it has to be said they vary in both quality and atmosphere. That said, I've never regretted going to one as the vibe is quite different to any other performer I've seen. This show is part of an acoustic tour. Each Ginger acoustic show I've seen has been less 'acoustic' than the last - acoustic guitars plugged into the PA have given way to a Stratocaster, and tonight I see Ginger's famous stickered Les Paul being deployed! Chris Catalyst and Scott Metzger do however both use more authentic acoustic 6 strings, although plugged into the PA. The setlist is more eclectic than usual, with noticably less Wildhearts material being played. Songs from all three of Ginger's solo albums got an airing, which is only to be expected, but there were several long instrumental jams and after a while people were visibly losing interest and starting to talk or wandering off to the bar. There was a celtic sounding bit which reminded me of Thin Lizzy which I quite enjoyed though - something from his latest album 'Market Harbour' I think. The atmosphere in the packed out venue was good, although I thought noticably less so than at most other Ginger solo gigs I've attended. One good bit was when Ginger invited people from the audience to get onstage to play various percussion intruments - previously on the tour people had been encouraged to bring their own percussion along to join in. Jason had brought along a cowbell (what else!)  and this could be heard even from the back!  One percussionist was somewhat the worse for wear from drink (there's always one isn't there?) and perched himself on one of the PA speakers at the side of the stage - sending glasses flying. He didn't exactly distinguish himself with his tambourine playing either... One thing which made this gig different was that Ginger's kids were there - with their mother Angie in attendance to look after them. A particularly touching moment was seeing Ginger singing his ode to his son 'Jake' from his 'Yoni' album while Jake stood by his dad on the stage looking up at him. It almost brought a tear to the old Dark Lord's eye... Ginger's offspring also took part in the performance of 'You And Me (that's what I want)' from the latest album - one of it's most memorable moments. After a short gap there was the expected encore - including '29 x The Pain' of course! As Ginger returned to the stage for this he made a remark about how it was a shame that some people couldn't handle their drink and spoilt the show for others - apparently directed at the pissed percusionest from earlier. There was an incident I didn't see from the the back which prompted this comment - it would seem that the now sober Ginger has a much lower tolerance for pissed-up idiots staggering about at these intimate shows. With his kids onstage in these cramped surroundings it's perfectly understandable that he should feel protective towards them - especially with drunken idiots falling about onto the stage and broken glass underfoot. So, there is another Ginger gig in St Albans later in the week - it's only a few minutes drive away for me and it's the last date of the tour. Maybe I'll go...