We wandered in pretty late as we were coming from Camberwell and arrived towards the end of Pigeon Dog’s set. We only got to experience the last two songs, but both were intriguing enough to put Pigeon Dog on our ones-to-watch list. Their Drummer George Bailey was unfortunately unable to perform but Maya Raykov and Dorota Dutkova still put on a captivating grungy, guitar-heavy performance with their replacement drummer. If you’re curious to hear more, their 2021 EP ‘Stink’ follows themes of queer love and toxic masculinity and is available to listen to now. They’re also supporting Nella at the George Tavern on February 19th.
Headlining were the decently illusive “anxiety-pop” band flirting. who self-describe as “a group therapy project, set to a Sofia Coppela soundtrack”. Similarities to The Cranberries and Sinead O’Connor were immediately obvious in lead singer Poppy Waring’s vocals but with a heavier instrumental backing. She noted that this was a particularly special night because their first headline gig was also on Valentine’s Day and the last time they were at the Old Blue Last was in 2018 when their first EP was released.
The first half of their set was reasonably calm but they stepped things up in the second half after warning the crowd that “you should get some earplugs if you don’t already have any”. A particular stand-out moment was their cover of All The Things You Said by t.A.T.u., another band with creative ideas about capitalization and full stops. They played around during the set, featuring spoken word sections, heavy guitars and even venturing into performance art when at one point Waring drifted off the stage, downstairs, and onto the floor where she gently writhed around as the crowd peered down at her. At the end of their closing song, one by one each member of the band walked off stage, leaving their instruments in front of their amps creating deafening feedback that acted as a dramatic full stop to their performance.
Going to gigs should be more normalized on Valentine’s Day – whether you’re single or in a couple a sweaty dancefloor full of equally passionate people who are watching bands who truly love what they do is much more intimate and maybe even romantic than dinner and drinks. Both Pigeon Dog and flirting. have been around for a few years now so have music out online and a few gigs in the near future to check out. Also special shout out to Aqualine who’s set we sadly missed.
