As part of Green Mind’s 23rd birthday celebrations, The Bug Club play two nights at the Portland Arms.
“We Can’t All Play Saxophones” comes hot on the heels of the BBC 6 Music play-listed “Marriage”, and offers a gentler side to the band. Albeit a gentler side that’s all too eager to remind us all of our musical inadequacies. Fortunately, the band don’t seem to have any such inadequacies of their own, and this single sets the tone for an album packed with memorable Bug Club nuggets.
Vocalist Sam Willmett strikes a plaintive tone as he gets busy telling us what we all can’t play, do and be. But it’s a tone that only half-masks the usual dose of self-effacing humour.
The prolific 3-piece make their way towards a guitar solo on the calmer end of the Bug Club spectrum, showcasing the breadth that justifies the whopping track list that makes up “Rare Birds…” At least we can all enjoy The Bug Club.
doors 7
Ladylike 8
The Bug Club 9