5/12/2008 Brijitte West & the Desperate Hopefuls @ 229

Subject	Brijitte West & the Desperate Hopefuls @ 229
PostedDate	12/5/2008
	It's my first visit to 229 and I arrive expecting another west end rip-off club venue. Actually, it's not as bad as I expected. And the bar stocks Newcastle Brown - and at a not too outrageous price. Result!  It's not too expensive to get in and see several bands either, although I'm only here to see Brijitte West and her new band the Desperate Hopefuls. The band feature Richie and Keef from Kitty Hudson on bass and guitar - Keef also plays with his own band Dead Identities Brijitte and the boys kick out a good bunch of varied and catchy pop/punk tunes. The sound is quite decent at this venue, although Keef's lead guitar is too quiet.  This band were good when I saw them at Punk a few weeks ago, but they are certainly better tonight with more gigs and a rehearsal or two under their belts. There are more new songs tonight as Brijitte chooses to highlight her new material rather than trading on past glories with her old band New York Loose. In fact 'Bitch' is the only song from that band that gets an airing tonight. All in all a good night out, including being pleasantly surprised by the venue - although not everyone liked it.