Rosher.Net

If you ever want to feel old, go to a gig at a student’s union venue! Last night we went with friends to see Seasick Steve, at the Anson Rooms, at Bristol University. Seasick Steve, or Steve Wold, is a bearded dungaree’d ex-hobo blues man with more enthusiasm than finesse and tales of waking up in drunk tanks and bumming rides on railroads and true or nit is therefore definitely more genuine a blues man than many. He sprang to fame with Jules Holland in 2006 and played Glastonbury in 2007. He’s raw and raucous, and his music (played on an assortment of taped together mongrel instruments) hits the back of your spine. Good stuff.

But I’d forgotten about yoof. After standing politely at the bar waiting to be served, I realised I remained forever at the back of the queue. Listening to Steve play, I was thankful his volume got the sound over the incessant conversations, mobile phone calls and yells across the room that seemed the acceptable norm. Standing up in the auditorium for three hours in a mass of sweaty, farting students I realised grunge was not dead… But it was a good night!

Steve was preceded by someone called Simple Kid who kareoke’d his voice and guitar to background midi sequences, the computer screens of which were projected onto a screen on stage, which was novel.