This is our biggest ever gig!

 "I'm on the guest list"

Yup, another work freebie - but I was pleased this one came up because I'd caught NewDad's debut album when it hit the dizzy heights of #43 in the charts and declared it album of the week because it's "shoegazey indie with a female vocalist so it's right up my street". And it was also at O2 Kentish Town which is a fine venue and far and away the easiest one for me to get to (except for the mighty Alban Arena, of course).

First up, The Cardinals, who I had, unsurprisingly, heard nothing about but they certainly know how to make a first impression - but not in a good way. They strode on stage and started their first song with confidence but, in the centre of the stage where you'd expect the lead singer to be, they have - a tambourine player. "Look lads, I know I might not have the talent of you lot - but it's my van so if I say I go in the middle, then that's where I'm going". I'm sure he's a great tambourinist and all that, but I was concerned all he was going to do was prance around...

...but no, next song up, he had a sit-down on a comfy chair. To be fair, he did also pick up an accordion which he played for the rest of the set (often one-handed, which looked surprisingly cool) but I'm not sure he really earned his prime spot on the stage. I actually didn't mind the band though - they were a kinda cross between The Pogues, The Lemonheads and Nirvana so it was pretty ramshackle, but charmingly so. I was somewhat surprised they finished their set with a ten minute song, which was quite the flex but they just about got away with it - I did feel a bit sorry for the drummer though because he was obviously cold and kept his hood up for the set.

I actually felt a bit sorry for the entire band because they experienced something that used to be very much the thing, but I haven't actually seen at a gig in ages - namely the audience not bothering to turn up until the main act were due on. I initially went upstairs to sit down (so it's very clear in the photo how empty downstairs was) but I felt so lonely that I decided to head downstairs - there were literally about thirty people in an area that sits 500 or so. 

But by the time NewDad came on things were much busier (downstairs, at least) and it was an interesting crowd - I was expecting it to be pretty young and mostly male, but it pretty much covered all the bases age-wise and was equally split by gender so (for a change) I didn't stand out as an old dude. What was also interesting about the crowd is that (at the beginning at least) they didn't appear to be massive NewDad fans - there was a general feeling of people being interested to investigate without knowing a lot about the band, with much head nodding and toe tapping, but not so much screaming.

Bur NewDad certainly gave it their best shot to convert everyone. Julie Dawson is very much the focal point as their lead singer who wafts around the stage - she sometimes picks up a guitar herself, but she's also surrounded by guitarists along with a drummer (with some very large drums!). And they make a very full sound, it is shoegazey indie but has some very strong Pixies-esque basslines so it's not as fey as it might otherwise have been - I really liked it. And by the end of the gig, they'd certainly won a few people over with more screaming and cheering going on than there was at the beginning.

Yes, the venue was a bit big for them (it was the biggest place they'd ever played) and some lessons are needed in crowd banter (if you're a new band then you might want to tell people what at least some of your songs are called) but this is stuff you can learn and I certainly feel they have the potential to get bigger as word spreads - check them out if you like some fine vocals over busy guitars and strong basslines.