I remember my debut quite clearly. The first concert I ever played in I was (just) eight years old. Even by eight year old standards I was rather a runt of the litter, my young body ravaged by asthma and suffering from being incredibly skinny and fairly small. That first concert was in a local park, and featured me not being big enough to climb on my chair so having to pass my brass instrument to the lady next to me while I then climbed onto my chair, and sung my legs throughout the whole affair. I was however resplendent in my newly knitted jumper, on account of me being too small for any of the uniforms, and so my mother knitting me (yes, I believe that’s what people did before the internet and stuff) a jumper of a similar colour.
The event itself passed me by largely, mainly because I didn’t know either where I was most of the time in the music, or if I did it was going a bit too quick for me to play it. But it was a sunny day, and my Dad bought me an ice cream at half time and my mum had brought me a drink of squash in a plastic cup. It wasn’t the most auspicious of starts, but it was a start, and bearing in mind that playing said instruments provides me with a living, then I suppose it was, in the long term, a success.
A much more immediate success has been created by Glasgow’s Lost Ghosts. The band, made of of Gabby, Gary, Derek and Danny (nice symmetry there) are about to release their debut single over on bandcamp (it comes out officially on June 10th) called Tunnels.
The track itself is a slice of electr0-indie, and it’s, well, brilliant – I reckon anyway. Hinting at The XX, but also Interpol (a stated influence) and featuring some lovely Joy Division drumming and repeating guitar patterns – the most striking thing is Gabby’s vocals. Sometimes on her own, sometimes in octaves with one of the boys (I sort of hope it’s Gary for the sake of the symmetry there, but I don’t know for sure) it ebbs and flows through this lovely memorable melody, before winding up to a glorious kitchen sink like (glockspeil included, which always sets me off) ending.
If they ever come down to Sheffield, I’m going to pack up some fizzy pop, and go buy them ice creams.
https://www.facebook.com/lostghostsmusic
