They Might Be Giants, Electric Ballroom, Camden, London - February 2016

A fantastic gig, marred only by a lack of camera battery which meant that after three reasonable shots  (these) I was on the much inferior camera phone.  

Fourth time I have seen them, and quite possibly the best.  You guys don't know what you're missing.  

They Might Be Giants - Live in London

Great to see them back in Blighty, again playing to a partisan crowd. There is something rather lovely as a fan to be with a crowd of people who sing along to the words when most friends will say, "Who?" when TMBG come up in casual conversation - as they frequently seem to. Reference to "Birdhouse in Your Soul" ususally rings a distant bell but that is usually as far as it goes. People - there is so much more to know!

KOKO (the former Camden Palace) was packed last night. Reference was made by the band to the huge numbers on the manager's guest list and I do wonder if the capacity of 1410 was stretched - it certainly felt very full. Or perhaps middle aged men take up more space, the crowd was mostly guys my age.

They started with "Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head", followed with "Particle Man" and we were away. As energetic as you'd expect. The new stuff sounds good. They are running an offer on the website to download the new album for $9.99. The relase date is Monday but by pre-ordering you get four advance tracks so the real nerds sang along anyway. Guilty m'lud. A personal favourite was "Turn Around" which I suspect isn't always on the live set.

Had to leave just before the end to catch the last train west but, overall, great dad/daughter bonding time. We tried photos with little success but also tried to film with slightly better results. We have a couple of songs but the files are too big for here. TMBG play Latitude in Suffolk today - albeit criminally low down on the bill. Sky Arts are covering the festival though the best we can probably hope for is a quick "Birdhouse" in the highlights programme.

I should KOKO

The internet is a wonderful thing. Some casual browsing reveals that They Might Be Giants are back in London only a year after their last visit and despite it being a bit of a cross country trek, I have no hesitation in booking tickets. So on the 15th July I'm off to KOKO in Camden Town with half the family to attend what I hope is a gig that is just as joyful and exuberant and funky and daft as the one I attended last year. And all this just days before the new album comes out. Life is sweet! Anyone care to join us?

Spooky Birthday

Today is my birthday. I spent some of it at the church's holiday club where I am helping out. It was going well until, when asked to guess my age, one of the ten year olds said 60. And then kept going down in intervals of two years. We got there - reasonably quickly.

Should I be concerned that on my birthday the second hand of my watch fell off?

Top tune of the day is the very appropriate "Older" by TMBG. It should be available to listen to on the link in the top right hand corner.

They Might Be Giants at the Royal Festival Hall

More than a bit tired after a fantastic day out in London on Saturday. It was a hot day and London was looking great; good to walk along the river and take in the sights and sounds - so many different accents and languages. We trained in from Reading to Waterloo and then walked further than we realised to the Tower of London. A lot of bling.

The reason for the big day out was the rare appearance of They Might Be Giants (TMBG) on UK soil. They played the Royal Festival Hall as part of a Science Festival, one of their kid's shows in the afternoon and then a show for grown ups in the evening. We were in the audience, along with Mark Ronson, Jonathan Ross and a whole bunch of nerdy middle aged people.

It was a brilliant gig. They are known as quirky and clever but you'd be daft to overlook the hook laden songs and the musical virtuosity of them. 14 albums (I think) and still going strong(ish). The trip to London being such a rarity TMBG were greeted with such obvious affection that they would have struggled not to have had a good time. They didn't disappoint. Some storming rock, much whimsy and sock puppets added to a heady mix. Highlights for me were "Why does the sun shine?" in pirate style followed by "Why does the sun really shine?", a later song written in the face of new scientific eveidence. "Doctor Worm" and "Don't Let's Start" are great songs and a rip-roaring version of "Your Racist Friend" was possibly the pinnacle. A good time had by all (with the possible exception of my son) and so many encores that we missed our train and then the next one. And not caring, even though we didn't end up rolling back into town until just after three this morning. A long and expensive day out and one that I think will live long in the memory.

Postscript - Found someone's ticket in the bar before the gig and handed it in at the door that it was valid for. A minute or so later I have a grateful German fan wishing to buy me a beer. He had flown to London especially for the gig as he feared that this might be the last time he would get the chance to see them. He was flying out again the following day. And I thought I was putting in a bit of an effort! I declined his kind offer, though after the football today I wish I had taken him up on it.