The Lovely Eggs – La Belle Angelle

By the time Emma and I arrived at La Belle Angele, the first support act were already on stage.

Fortunately, we still managed to squeeze our way down to our natural habitat: the barrier at the front.

Polite Bureaux were midway through their set when we arrived, but what we caught was enough to make an impression. The frontman had plenty of charisma and knew exactly how to work a crowd. Emma was particularly taken with their song about scratch cards, which probably struck a chord because she has personally contributed a significant percentage of Scotland’s scratch card revenue over the years.

It was certainly one of the more unusual song subjects I’ve encountered at a gig.

Next up was Porky The Poet.

Many people will know him better as Phil Jupitus, but on this occasion he was firmly in spoken-word mode. His set was funny, thoughtful and occasionally wonderfully absurd, exactly as you’d expect from someone with his background.

At a couple of points I noticed him looking directly at me while performing, which is always slightly unnerving when you’re standing in the front row.

Then he asked the audience if anyone had a podcast.

I raised my hand.

Unfortunately for him, and perhaps fortunately for everyone else, that was all the encouragement he needed.

What followed was a very direct response aimed squarely in my direction. Being singled out by Phil Jupitus wasn’t something I’d anticipated when I left the house that morning, but it certainly added to the evening’s entertainment.

Then it was time for The Lovely Eggs.

I honestly can’t remember how I first discovered them.

It may have been the artwork on one of their albums that caught my attention and persuaded me to investigate further. Whatever the reason, I’m very glad I did.

The moment I heard their music, I was hooked.

What astonishes me is that they’ve been making records for more than twenty years without becoming household names. In many ways they seem like one of Britain’s best-kept musical secrets. Their songs are packed with creativity, humour, attitude and irresistible melodies, blending punk, psychedelia and pop into something entirely their own.

They’re one of those bands that make you wonder why everyone isn’t talking about them.

Live, they were even better.

The energy coming from the stage was infectious and the audience responded accordingly. There was a wonderful sense of controlled chaos throughout the set, with songs bouncing between hilarious observations, psychedelic weirdness and genuinely brilliant hooks.

The Lovely Eggs don’t really sound like anybody else.

And that’s one of the reasons they’re so good.

Standing at the barrier, it was impossible not to get swept up in the enthusiasm of the performance. The crowd clearly contained plenty of dedicated fans, but judging by the reactions around us, I suspect they converted a few newcomers along the way as well.

After the show, Emma and I managed to have a brief chat with Holly and David.

Both were friendly and generous with their time, which only increased my admiration for them. Unfortunately, as often happens when you’re suddenly presented with an opportunity, my brain decided to stop functioning properly.

Earlier in the week I’d been telling Emma that I regretted not asking Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris for an interview when I had the chance.

So naturally, when presented with another opportunity, I failed to ask for one again.

Not only that, but I also forgot to ask them to sign my CD.

As we walked away afterwards, I spent a considerable amount of time mentally kicking myself.

Years of interviewing people and somehow I still manage to miss obvious opportunities.

Still, at least I got to see a fantastic gig.

Looking back, the evening delivered everything I could have hoped for: a charismatic opening act, an entertaining spoken-word performance from Phil Jupitus and a superb headline set from one of the most creative bands around.

The videos below include footage from Polite Bureaux, Porky The Poet and The Lovely Eggs. If you’ve never heard The Lovely Eggs before, I strongly recommend giving them a listen.

Just don’t be surprised if you end up wondering why they aren’t much bigger than they are.

I don’t know how I found The Lovely Eggs but I’m sure glad I did. Perhaps it was the artwork to their albums that caught my eye and made me dig a little further. On hearing their music I was immediately smitten and I can’t believe they’ve been at it for over 20 years without getting to be household names. Their music is bursting with creativity and is punk/psychedelia and pop rolled into one.