NotSoPretty – Gallows Inn, 1st June 2007

The Gallows Inn, in Ilkeston, hosts a regular Friday night rock night to showcase local talent and to give all in attendance a delightful reminder of some classic rock from times gone by. Highlights tonight include Thin Lizzy and Bon Jovi.

NotSoPretty will be the second act of the evening, following Dirty Riffs. The band graces the stage around 10 of the pm, opening with ‘Dunno’. The bar is packed with a combination of regulars and fans of the band. Some of the faces you will see at every gig, die hard fans and old school friends who would follow this band anywhere, and other faces that will come and go as they follow trends and schoolgirl crushes.

Tonight NotSoPretty play a selection of material from their new e.p ‘Not Nothing’ along with some old favourites. Musically they sound better now than ever, despite technical difficulties with the pa system. It seems as if they are stronger as a band, more together, more in tune. They are definitely playing from the same sheet now, even if they do still look like members of three different bands.

Blanc still comes across the quiet, moody guitarist from his corner of the stage. It is apparently a role that suits him, outside of the band he is polite, but tends to keep himself to himself, preferring to watch football with his old school mates than join in any other pre-gig frivolities. Tank continues to play his bass like it were all at once his most treasured lover, and his worst enemy. His energy and passion for what he does tonight hides the fact that tonight he suffers from ill health. Redmont is, as ever, an entrancing and captivating front man. Tonight he seems frustrated by his lack of space, pacing like a lion in cage that is far too small for him he twists and turns and seems to almost get tangled up in himself on the less than large stage that the venue offers.

A highlight of the set tonight is ‘mommy what’s a pacifist’ Redmont gives up trying to battle for space where there is none and sits on an amp, looking to be lost in his thoughts for a second, and totally oblivious to the noise and people around him. The band breaks into the song and he sits singing with all his usually venom and expression, the scene is beautiful. It is the perfect illustration of things not always being as they seem. If you were turn the volume off and watch in silence you’d be forgiven for thinking it were a slow, heartfelt ballad.

As always the crowd are thanked for attending, and making the effort to drag themselves to something different for the evening. As with any band, without their fans NotSoPretty couldn’t do what they do. However, unlike many bands NotSoPretty are very aware of this and so make every effort to thank their fans at every opportunity.

Just before the last song the vocalist empties a bag of too large t-shirts to the crowd “sleep in them, use them as a cum rag, or whatever you use t-shirts for” he says, and obediently the front row appears to almost consume the goods offered to them. They can be seen later about bar sporting these t-shirts in any number of ways.

And as quickly as it began it is over. The mouth has left the building before the music is even over, exiting stage right, through a fire escape. The rest of the band follows and after a short interlude they appear again to chat to happy audience members and to pack away the kit that barely hours ago they had set up themselves. Its not all glamour and sex and drugs and rock and roll you know.

Laura x