Amy LaVere

It's three weeks since I went to see Amy LaVere in the Cooler. It was one of those gigs that will stick in the memory; wonderful but also embarrassing - there were only a couple of dozen people there in the audience in a music-loving city like Bristol.

If Lou hadn't called to let me know that Amy was playing, (and put me on the guest list; thank you again, Lou) I wouldn't have known because there was so little publicity, not even a listing in Venue. So when I entered the Cooler, there were hardly any people, just a cringe-inducing emptiness. So I behaved like a groupie and introduced myself to the girl at the bar, Ms LaVere herself; bummed a cigarette from her, talked to her and the tour manager, bought a round of drinks for the band when they went on stage, and really enjoyed the music they played. I felt quite warm when she played "Pointless Drinking" and ended by knocking back the whiskey I'd bought.

What I liked about their music was the simplicity; with only three on stage, Amy, a guitarist and a drummer there was no room for show, just skills. I liked the pared down sound which had a purity that just isn't found in bigger bands. It's why punk took over from prog-rock, and why bands fall apart as they grow bigger and less together. That;s the secondary snowball effect, I guess, as things get too big they become less cohesive. Here, though, Amy LaVere's music was sparse, sad and simple and quite lovely. I've been playing it a lot over the last few days.

I owe Lou. It was a great night.

:0)