4/5/2006 TAT, The Hitchers & Plan A @ the Underworld

Subject	TAT, The Hitchers & Plan A @ the Underworld
PostedDate	5/4/2006 3:50:00 PM
	This is a gig I've been looking forward to for a while - what a great bill!  I get into the venue as Plan A are playing their first song. This lot are always excellent live, and tonight is no exception. This three piece sound thunderous tonight and play tightly as usual. Although there is nothing flash about them as they are 'not at home to bullshit' they are always an interesting band to watch due to their dynamics and a slight air of tension on stage. Watching Plan A I always get the impression I am watching a proper band rather than just three musicians playing on stage. Having some good tunes helps too.  The band were 'assisted' by a new roadie - trimming Jef's guitar strings while he was actually playing, and also pouring champagne from a bottle straight down the band's throats in mid-song! I didn't recognise the band's new helper at first in his 'rock star' shades as he did a good job of trying to upstage the band - it wasn't until I met him after the show that I realised that it was the infamous Ribsy - well known to fans of the Suffrajets among other bands - as well as fronting his own band when he has 'Fuck all else to do'.  I had been looking forward to seeing The Hitchers since Tatiana recommended I check them out at the TMF festival last summer - which was well worth it as they were great.  Their Stray Cats meets Green Day style rock 'n' roll is excellent and got people dancing - even me (very badly) after Tatiana took my beer out of my hand and made me dance with her. I wore my blue suede shoes to the gig as I thought it would be rock 'n' roll enough to justify appropriate footwear and I wasn't likely to end up in a moshpit and get them trodden on. However, their crepe soles were starting to detach themselves beforehand and dancing in them was more than they could stand - one sole is now almost completely detached.  However, in spite of my shoe trauma I enjoyed the Hitchers set - especially as they finished with 'Shake'. TAT really pulled out all the stops for their first London show in far too long. The energy level was very high from the first song and the only let-up was slower new single 'Champagne Cocaine & Strawberries' - and even that ended up 'fast as fuck' at the end! Although I watched the show off to one side of the moshpit, my creepers suffered even more in the crowd - certainly not the most appropriate footwear for this gig after all. At one point Tatiana surprised me by playing a Les Paul instead of her normal Stratocaster for a song or two. It was refreshing to see this type of pop/punk played by a band who are so obviously doing it because they love it rather than for the money or to appear 'cool'. Afterwards there were free champagne & strawberries being handed out to promote TAT's new single, which was a nice way to finish an excellent night of music.