MJ Hibbert & The Validators,
Lazarus Clamp, Lardpony
The Windmill, Brixton, 26th July 2006
I was quite looking forward to seeing Lardpony, having enjoyed the mp3s
on their MySpace site earlier in the day. However, due to vagaries of
the District Line, I arrived in time to hear the last half song! I still
bought their CDfrom a charming young lady, but have listened to it yet
– but with the title “This is Lardcore” how can it
be bad?
I had been less impressed with Lazarus Clamp’s mp3s. A tad sparse
and angry for my tastes. With the addition of that rare commodity of
a rock violinist, their live sound is much fuller. I always wonder as
to how bands end up with “non-rock n roll” instruments in
their ranks. You seldom see ads in the NME for a violinist to enhance
already written songs. Equally, how many people take up the violin hoping
to achieve rock stardom. Well, whatever the answers, the country tinge
the fiddling lent to their post-rock songs was really rather good (post-country
anyone?) A couple of the quieter tracks had the feel of Lambchop about
them, and the final song about being annoying sounded like the something
Jack White would have approved of.
The existence of a band like MJ Hibbert & The Validators gives me
great comfort in the UK indie scene. The fact that there are people
who love playing little venues such as the Windmill so much that they
keep going for years without fear of ever “making it”…
well it’s heart warming really. Hibbert fits neatly in the slightly
eccentric English songwriter pigeon hole, going from a fun song about
a visit to Gay Pride in 1994 one minute, to a sad little biographical
song about a WW1 solider. Musically the songs were chirpy pop in a B&S
kind of way, but the sound is incidental compared to words. I guess
Hibbert is part of a storytelling lineage that can be traced back to
earliest cave dwellers, turning tales of everyday life into entertainment…
that you can dance to!
Richard Hilburn
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