This was no normal pub gig. We’d traipsed across London to see big long sun, but fresh out the Uber instrument cases coated across the street, cigarettes and glum faces meant something was off.
Electrical complications during the main support left no option but for the bedroom-neo-psychedelia solo project of Jamie Broughton and his octensemble (or eight piece collective) to cancel their first London headline show.
Displaced on a Friday evening in the middle of Camden Town, the devastation to the band was evident…but their determination to play was in no doubt commendable. Against time and the cabaret of penned events across the strip our hope was bleeding out.
We kicked around whilst their promoter and our editor legged it across pubs, holding the phone on loudspeaker with hope of an update. While the band remained anchored by the equipment which could not be abandoned.
How could we ever doubt that in the spirit of Camden Town, the show must go on.
Cue the mad dash. 20 volunteers collected stands and pedals. My arms embraced in a kick drum while we belted 400 yards down the road to Lock Tavern.
John (promoter) and I (bystander) made a mad dash back to the old pub to rally, cajole and convince gig-goers to trek down to the new stage. We even picked up a few extras who liked the craic of it. Three flights of stairs later, we pushed tables disrupting all peace set out by unsuspecting pint sippers, their space now pulsating with excited chatter of an evenings catharsis.
Sound check? Doesn’t matter, Big Long Sun grabbed the mic, grabbed the tambourine and went for it. No stage, no problem.
We had come to expect a lot from the Brighton band, each show on this tour seemingly a heel scraping stop before bolting off elsewhere in the UK to share their joy. Red hot from their second album whatever (whatever) on Miohmi records the band have seen modest, humble and underrated growth for the time being, reaching highlights such as support from Nathan Shepherd in session with BBC 6 Music.
Core bedroom-rock performances included “a casual dance between friends” and “when the moods right”. The album’s feeling of free-spirited self-expression translated perfectly with the DIY nature of the situation. We had all found ourselves tightly knitted in. However a dearly noticeable gap was apparent with the absence of band member Ocean Groucher who classically handles the staple megaphone incursion their performances are becoming known for.
Hand in hand this circle of talent is perplexing in its psych nostalgic trip carried by an intricate and youthful bunch. The team at TNAM.UK are proud to solidify ourselves within the “We were here first” department of big long sun’s fanbase.
Great gig, great band and one really handsome fucker carrying a drum.
