Pete and the Pirates at Club NME, Koko

Pete and the Pirates at Club NME, Koko

22 September, 2008
by: Marcus

I have a confession to make – I love Club NME at Koko. Despite going against any number of my musical principles (aka snobbery), and never failing to cause a personal Saturday morning credit crunch, it's just good honest dumb fun. It's like an old friend who you love having around, even though he's a bit of idiot and you know he's never going to change.

That said, the promise of Reading janglers Pete and the Pirates at least raises expectations tonight. They run through the bulk of debut album 'Little Death' with caustic efficiency, barely allowing the sweaty (and by 1am, heavily inebriated) masses to catch breath. 'Knots' stands out, as always, with singer Thomas Sanders even more animated than usual, having been relieved of guitar-playing duties.

A quick glance at the crowd suggests that they would be dancing and singing along if the busker from Camden Town station had wandered down and was playing a tin whistle through his nose. This shouldn't take away from P&tP's performance though. A quick blast of 'Dry Wings' with its surprisingly affecting lyrics cuts through the beery haze, before 'Come On Feet' closes their set with unfailing dancealongability.

But let's face it, no one really wanders in here on a Friday evening to see the band and then return home. The real joy of Club NME is when they get down to pumping out some chart indie guff and you can drunkenly explore the far flung corners of this magnificent venue. For every Pigeon Detectives tune, there's some Kings of Leon, for every slice of Ting Tings banality, the Clash are played. The hits and misses are of a good ratio, the beer is expensive but after a night of crawling down the Camden strip, you almost don't mind – it's the best night of grudging acceptance I've had for a while.

On the night bus back to more civilised environs, I contemplate the merits of Club NME. Have I learned anything? Have I been directed towards a new band that will change my life like some sort of indie epiphany? Will I remember any of this in the morning? No. But there are moments in every man's life when all you want is to pour beer into your gullet and dance to songs you know the words to.

Like the sound of Koko? Check out their upcoming schedule by clicking here.
You can read more about Pete and the Pirates, and see their upcoming gigs here.
And if you love/hate what I've written, why not make friends here and leave some feedback.

Marcus