Odd Creatures and two gallons of SNAKEMILK

Odd Creatures and (2/3 of) SNAKEMILK

21stMarch 2024, Voodoo Daddy's Showroom, Norwich

It’s Thursday night, so let me take you down, because we’re going to Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom for a proper visit.  Next to Gonzo’s Too, which is part of the same funky establishment on the top tip of London Street.  This is the reawakened alternative music venue that has moved from its  quirky oak-beamed room, up the rickety stairs, on Timber Hill. 

 

Now days you go through the double, abattoir-style plastic strip curtains to the bar area and then downstairs for the new location of this legendary Norwich venue.  There is a sofa pushed to each side wall of the room, the two familiar rugs and a very decent low-rise stage stretching across the back wall.  It’s a low ceiling and a regular shape by comparison to the original Voodoo’s.  All-in-all a very decent small performance space for Norwich, with a bar removed from the music, so you can hear the acts without the inane, drunken chat you get at some other places I could mention.   

 

I was  drawn to tonight’s show by the promise of discovering the London band, Erotic Secrets of Pompeii.  I have been lucky enough to visit Pompeii and its reputation as the Great Yarmouth of Ancient Rome, seemed well-justified.  What it lacked in audio-visual technology was more than compensated for by explicit graphics on walls, figures proud in pottery and some pleasure-assistive shapes of clay.  So, what could these Londoners add to appreciation of Ancient Rome’s seaside all-inclusive romp-fest? I thought that I wanted to know.

 

The deep well of the Norwich music scene was drawn from to wet the collected whistles of the disappointingly thin audience and what a deep well it is these days.  Odd Creatures describe themselves on Facebook as Delta blues garage rock two piece.  Some just might say ‘Think early White Stripes’ – justifiably and these two are equally thrilling to see in action.

Emma Thomas, is the visual focus. She is dressed in a black top, wears beige tartan strides, and tops off her spectacular make up, inspired by 70s Bowie, with some very red, red hair. Thomas just exudes love for playing drums alongside the darkly attired Nathan Pickett’s driving guitar. When a band so clearly love what they are doing and are so very good at it as these two, everyone gets excited.  This was a tremendous opening set.  Great tunes, high-tempo rhythms that sparked the kind of electricity the electric guitar was invented to generate.  Watch them climb the listings, many would happily pay to see these two creatures top the bill anywhere.

 

Their single release Down, available on Spotify, is well-worth a listen.  Was this where Hendrix might have headed had he not become more interested in the electro-jazzy-blues where he ended up?  Played as the penultimate track of this session, Down beautifully demonstrates the gifts that Nathan and Emma possess in one cracking composition. Give it a listen here.

 

As the duo of Odd Creatures smashed through their set, which was sadly too brief, they brought the slight crowd to life.  Odd Creatures were thrilling and their closing song, with its staccato breaks built to a crashing conclusion that drew shrieks of excitement and pure joy from their new fans.  What a buzz!  Thank you very much indeed, you beautiful Odd Creatures.

 

Needing to recover after that fierce bashing up, we were soon enough making our way to St James Infirmary with Robin Evans Esq. wheeling the swamp-mud covered trolley through the dirty blues corridors to the ward headed up, SNAKEMILK.

Booked as a solo act, Robin Evans Esq. travelled light last night.  He strolled in carrying just his guitar case and looking fine and dandy in his black embroidered shirt, black jeans and pointy cowboy boots, but he had come mob-handed.  He had his sidekick Jow Boomslang to do the drum thing. What we then had was two-thirds of SNAKEMILK, with only the final third, Jack absent. 

Absent Jack got a few mentions as Evans had to re-tune, ad lib (not that he struggles with that) and fill the moments between tunes that Jack would normally plaster over. 

Two Thirds of SNAKEMILK

It all went swimmingly, like a predatory Melanosuchus niger prowling the muddy shallows under an equinox moon.  Again, you have to feel sorry for the band that has to follow a moment like this.  Snake Milk Band were absolutely stunning. 

 

In a set blasted out of the quarry with the dynamite of his own tunes, Evans rocked the room like he’s been rarely seen.  Magnificently quiffed, we were dragged through Evans’ finest tunes, including Building A Plane, Midnight Radio, Quiverin’ and Louse.  Jow had to improvise his drum part to the Tom Waits tune Chocolate Jesus, which these two managed to lift from a slow drawling blues number, originally recorded on banjo and harp, into a high energy delta blues explosion.

When picking a tune, chopping chords, spinning out a solo or playing his beautiful National Westwood 72, Cherry Red guitar as slide, Evans was on fire.  The grand finale of Badger Milk has never tasted so good, so sharp, so thick, so strong.  Boomslang and Evans were in such good sync, what with the flashing lights and smoke and everything, this was something quite special.  This act could have been picked up and dropped onto a much bigger stage without missing a beat.  This is what live music is for.  Should they take a trip to Memphis they would go down a storm at Earnestine & Hazel’s on South Main Street, Memphis TN.

 

Having experienced the pure hit of these two opening acts, I was intrigued to see how Erotic Secrets of Pompeii would fare, but I couldn’t hang about, those secrets will have to remain hidden from me for now.  Exhausted from travelling the past two days and now wholly musically sated, I had to make my retreat.  What I saw initially was interesting, but it would be unfair for me to write any further.  My bed was calling me, sleep hounded me home. I had paid for my ticket and felt under no obligation to stay. You can find the Erotic Secrets of Pompeii on Spotify anytime you like.  Let me know what you think. I would be interested to have some views.

Spencer Ide

22nd March 2024