The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club

#28 – The Victorian English Gentlemens Club – The Venereal Game

The only time you’d ever come across the word venereal in day to day life is with the suffix disease. So to have it attached to such a shambling blast of a song is a wonderful change. Sadly, it doesn’t refer to kinky goings-on but instead to an arcane collective noun, you can spot more throughout the song’s lyrics. I’ve been a fan of this Cardiff band for a long while now, and was pleased to see them return with their first album form intact. If anything, The Venereal Game shows off a new found depth to their cacophony – a change that only makes their sound more heady. And you’ve gotta love that refrain – “but with the benefit of hindsight!”

The Victorian English Gentlemens Club – The Venereal Game

The Victorian English Gentlemens Club Myspace

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Photo: Stephen Mcleod @ King Tuts, Glasgow, 08/09 – check out the rest of his Flickr stream he’s got one of the most individual styles in music photography I’ve come across in a while!

Gig of the Week: Tinariwen @ Roundhouse

Continuing my love affair with most things Malian, desert band extraordinaire Tinariwen hit the Roundhouse this Thursday as part of the third iTunes festival. Their follow up to 2007′s fantastic Aman Iman, Imidiwan, is garnering similar levels of adulation from both music and mainstream presses. Tickets for this show and all the others during the month long run at the Roundhouse are available for free from the iTunes festival Facebook page, or through their site here.

Elsewhere this week Welsh trio The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club make their London return, in support of stomping new ‘un Parrot. Catch them Monday at The Lexington. Other recommendations include the incredible live experience that is !!! at Electric Ballroom, M83 wrapping up (surely!) their tour surrounding our 2008 album of the year Saturdays=Youth with support from the returning Maps. Also on the comeback trail are Jealousy faves Honey Pine Dresser, now with all members on the same patch of earth for the first time in months. They’re playing as part of the all-dayer on Saturday at the Cross Kings. Finally, in unusual venues of the week Morton Valence play on the Battersea Barge, their tales of Bob and Veronica surely set to rock the boat… cue groans.

Tinariwen – Tahult In

Check out the rest of this week’s fantastic haul below.

Photo: Mick Orlosky, Coachella 18.04.09