by Andrew Fowle

A lot of gigs these days consist of a bunch of bands, content with merely playing their music and buggering off, with “in house music” being played off a CD over the PA while everyone sits� and watches them lug their shit off/on stage.

Once upon a time, things weren’t quite so dull. “Going out to a show” meant non-stop entertainment all night. The Odyssey Christmas show at The Globe was a nice reminder of how things used to be.

All thanks to a decent sized stage and a curtain, they managed to have a magic act, a ventriloquist, a burlesque pantomime show, a yodeller, short films, animations etc, all going on while bands set up behind the curtain. Some of the acts were a little cheesy and predictable, but there was a real focus on keeping the audience entertained from start to finish. Where quality material was lacking a little, the overall fun vibe more than carried the night.

Of the bands playing, I only managed to catch The Royal Engineers and The Kidney Thieves, both of which were extremely good at what they did. Royal Engineers had a Brit rock kind of sound ( reminded me a little of stone roses etc) and look. Kidney Thieves were a lot more chaotic and experimental, but didn’t take themselves too seriously.

Nights like these take the emphasis off musicians being rockstars or scenesters, everyone’s an entertainer. It also offers something for everyone, and could be a sneaky way to introduce the uninitiated to original live bands�
Two thumbs up!! Odyssey take note: more of these shows NEED to happen!! On a regular basis!!