18/7/2012 Lilygun in St Albans

Subject	Lilygun in St Albans
DateCreated	7/20/2012 5:14:00 PM
	A Wednesday night gig finds me heading out of town for a change. St Albans is a fascinating place just oozing with history,  but that's not why I'm here tonight - I'm at The Horn to see Lilygun.  The bass player may look familiar to some of you - especially if you are fans of Rachel Stamp. Yes, it's David Ryder-Prangley - a friend of Lilygun who sometimes stands in on bass at shows. It's been a bit of a revolving door as far as bassists go with this band, but the rest of the lineup now seems much more settled and all the better for it. The enigmatic Anna-Christina is not feeling 100% tonight after being very ill last week, but you'd hardly notice as she becomes much more animated before the first song is over - it's a very strong performance in the circumstances. Although this band have some Goth influences and tend to often play on Goth bills you can't pigeonhole them with anything as narrow as that - either in image or sound. The Cure are an influence, along with Smashing Pumpkins , but there is also metal, grunge, and hard rock thrown into the mix. Lilygun shows are loud, dramatic, and expressive - Anna-Christina's drama and classical music background all coming into play to create a memorable performance that draws you in to Lilygun's dark world. If I was a music journalist I'd probably spout cliches and invent some new ones: 'Lilygun are spearheading the new 3G rock movement - Glam, Grunge, and Goth'. © And I'd also have to mention how 'The enigmatic Anna-Christina stalks the stage with cat-like grace'. © Only I already said that in a previous blog. Meeeow! The thing is, that's what they are actually like - so kill me now. If you go and see this band, you will remember them - which is more than can be said for most other bands on the circuit. Drummer Belle rivals the band's singer in the glamour stakes, while guitarist James is more like the anti-glam and gives the sound more of a hard rock edge, alternating with some very interesting technical playing and an ethereal edge. Things have really been looking up for Lilygun in the last few months, with some very good reviews for the last two singles, some radio play - including the Xfm Rock Show. Not only that, but the band have a new deal with Cargo Records who will be releasing the debute Lilygun album at the end of August. Go and see this band now while you can still catch them for around a fiver on the door. Bit of a bummer having to drive to this gig and not have a beer. It would have taken over an hour by bus and been really expensive as my Oyster card doesn't extend beyond Potters Bar - it's cheaper to drive even with our extortionate petrol prices. Going by train would have involved getting a train into Kings Cross then another one out from St Pantscrearse and been even more time consuming and expensive. Once upon a time (before they shut that railway line) I could have got a train straight from the GN to St Albans. On the plus side - it only took me 17 minutes to drive home from St Albans. Then I had to try and sleep after drinking 3 Red Bulls to stay wide awake on the drive home. Had a couple of Sherry's for a nightcap - problem solved!