Saturday 26/03/05 The Lovegods @ The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge

Intimate gigs are treated differently by many bands. Some bands see it as a great opportunity to perform to hardcore and ‘real’ fans. Other bands see it as a bit of a bore to play to a select group and so just leave their best performances for the bigger gigs. Thankfully tonight The Lovegods fall into the former category. Having had rave reviews and critical acclaim all across the country, they are hot property right now. They won Radio 1’s ‘best unsigned band in the country’ competition, which catapulted them into headlining and selling out venues such as the Water Rats in London and being put on the Glastonbury bill.

 

Tonight’s audience have a lot to look forward to after the performance the band gave last time they played at this venue and so the small club is pretty packed tonight with the audience ranging from pre-teens to the usual middle-aged punters the Trades Club usually gets. The band enter the stage to a great reception and wow the crowd from the word go. After 3 acoustic and solemn numbers - ‘Boy’, ‘Black’ and ‘SOS’, the band rip into the downloadable single ’14 hours’ and the dancefloor is tightly packed. From here on out, the Lovegods get louder and louder and the crowd dance more and more frantically. It’s quite a sight to see this very intimate club showcasing a band that are on the cusp of greatness instead of the shit that usually wanders onto the stage.

 

The end of the first set brings out 2 of the best songs from the night, the…..er  stones-esque…..er ‘Stones’ and the entirely percussive ‘Mississipi’ which makes the teenagers bounce off the walls and the punters spill their pints. The second set starts with a song that draws a blood-curdling scream from the audience, the song is the much-played-on-radio-1-song ‘Sadie Mercedes’, the song is played in its 7-8 minute entirety which probably counts as the highlight of the night.  Tonight the Lovegods gave these people a show they won't forget in a long time, especially as they're the most famous band to play at the Trades since Chumbawamba. The Lovegods are on fire right now - catch them at a club gig near you!