Dave Derby & The Norfolk Downs

Dave Derby & The Norfolk Downs
(originally uploaded by grange85)

I dived along to the Spitz last night to catch Dave Derby and The Norfolk Downs - The Norfolk Downs (for this gig) being Sean Eden on guitar, Chris Brokaw on drums and guitar and Sandy Smallens on bass (who, I discovered last night was not only a bassist but a music industry suit!). The gig was pretty good, although I'm not too sure I'd rush off to buy a bunch of albums, and it was nice to see Sean throwing Sean shapes on a stage again - and it's always great to see Chris Brokaw - who I think I've seen five or six times now but never twice in the same band!

Sandy Smallens reminded me of (Ian Dury and) The Blockheads bassist Norman Watt Roy - he looked a bit similar and had a similar very articulate stage presence - he also outrageously scrounged a pint from the stage. Chris Brokaw looked like he was playing in a living room unaware that there was anyone around him and Sean looked like Sean.

I chatted briefly with Sean after the show and he seemed very chipper. In all the years of Luna Sean and Stanley were the members that I never really had any contact with so it was nice to sort of set that straight. He assured me that his blog will get a little more public when he gets back and that he is recording but things have been on hiatus while he has other work (which I guess = Elk City and this amongst other things).

There are a bunch of pictures from the show on Flickr and I took a bit of crappy video of Sean but I need to do a bit of PP on it before I chuck it on YouTube.

For the sake of open-ness and showing-off here's a summary of my chumminess with the members of Luna...

• Dean = chats and that cup tea round his apartment and a phone message that I still have a recording of (tragic!)
• Justin = saying hello after a gig in London and before a gig in NYC.
• Stanley = I got an email from Stan once way back when.
• Sean = (see above)
• Lee = chatted after a couple of gigs and he signed a drumstick for me.
• Britta = chatted after a couple of gigs.

I go to gigs, dress in black and try to be all cool but the above, and the fact that I went from West to East London to see a support act I'd never heard before because the guitarist used to be in Luna proves that I am frighteningly sad - and therefore probably not cool at all...