Some things are just meant to happen, and the Boss and Long Tall Shorty sharing the bill at Camden�s famous Dublin Castle is one of them! For one night only, the gang at Maybe Tomorrow upped sticks from Leyton and gave us two bands instead of the usual one.
Arriving early Saturday evening in the warm sun it was tempting to stand outside but as more and more people began arriving (some familiar and some not so familiar), it seemed prudent to get inside and get a space near the bar.
As 9 o�clock approached we moved into the music bar at the back of the pub where a very large crowd were getting in the mood with some good tunes being played by Rachel and Joe.
The Boss came on stage fresh from their recent performance at the Cavern club in Liverpool to a great reception from both theirs and Shorty fans. Opening with the recently penned �Natural Blonde� with its sharp social observations, they soon had everyone moving. What followed felt like the fastest hour ever as the boys gave an excellent set of their own work. Old favourites such as �Joseph Green� (much to Fester�s delight), �Streets where I live� and the ever popular single �One Good Reason� blended seamlessly in with more recent material such as �Summer Song�, �World stops turning� and �Shine�. In what now resembled a sauna the boys finished to an ovation from all, especially the ever-vocal �999� crowd. There was no way they were going to get away with finishing there, and they quickly returned with an inspired choice of encore. With the opening chords (!) of �Maybe Tomorrow� echoing around the room and the sight of Mods, skins, scooter boys and everyone else dancing wildly together you knew Shorty had a hard act to follow.
More top sounds from special guest DJ Charlie kept the crowd on their toes until the arrival of Long Tall Shorty.
Greeted by chants of �We�re the Barmy Shorty Army� from many of their travelling followers they opened with the customary �Justice� an instrumental from their recent album. As if inspired by The Boss, Long Tall Shorty gave what was in my opinion one of their best gigs in recent memory. The single shine on Me� and the �B� side, the Pretty Things cover �Midnight to Six� had the crowd bouncing. �Hey Joe� and �I Fought the Law� (with vocal help from Big Mark) gave those less familiar fans a chance to sing along as did the welcome return of �By your Love�. After a tremendous show Shorty left the stage and DJ Richard Brown took over. He spun an excellent and diverse set, which kept everyone dancing until the early hours. I felt glad this really was one of those things that was meant to happen.
The Running Man |
