19/7/2009 Zen Motel & Patchwork Grace @ Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes

Subject	Zen Motel & Patchwork Grace @ Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
PostedDate	7/19/2009
	Some cool bands at one of London's coolest venues - Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. Unfortunately the bar isn't a cool as usual as everything apart from one beer from the usual wide range of exotic lagers is off for some reason.  This event is actually an aftershow for the London Rollergirls clash earlier in the day, but it's the bands I'm here for. First band is a Goth outfit who's name escapes me. They are quite heavy and play well, but it's not really my cup of tea. Zen Motel are on next - always good value for money. The current lineup of this band seem to have settled in and are hitting their stride. Frontman Lee says later that he though the sound was poor onstage and he thought the show wasn't very good, but the verdict from the punters out front was quite the opposite. I wasn't the only person afterwards to express the opinion that this was one of the best Zen Motel shows we have ever seen - from any lineup!  New(ish) bass player Dan gurns and poses in a totally OTT manner and upstages the band's actual frontman! However, this all makes for a highly watchable and entertaining show as Dan makes use of his guitar's radio system and leaps off the stage to run towards the bar and disappear into the crowd! Another reason the band seem to have a new lease of life is their new powerhouse drummer - lets hope they don't break this one as well. Of course it doesn't do any harm that Zen Motel also have some cracking songs, and continue to to come up with new ones so good that even old 'classics' like 'Black Tail' and 'Rocket 69' have to make way for them.  Last band of the night are Nottingham's Patchwork Grace. This band can usually be relied on to give a good performance, and tonight is no exception. This unique band are more visual than most on the underground circuit, but unlike some it's not at the expense of having good songs - their debut album 'Milk Teeth' is a cracker! This is a band with a strong personality of it's own - some of their influences (both musical and visual) are obvious, but they manage to blend it all together to make something new and fresh of their own. A top night with a couple of excellent bands courtesy of Pure Rawk - and also Nix from Pure Rawk (and TotalRock) on DJ duties - you can't go wrong really! PS: Did you spot at which point my camera batteries ran out and I had to switch to my phone camera?