It is always nice to see a gig off the beaten track and so I had been eagerly awaiting visiting The Lot since the announcement of this Green Party charity night.
I was immediately impressed with the venue (a converted church that has most recently been a ‘Sports Bar’) with its balcony that hangs over head housing a nice seating area and standing room only downstairs.
Action Group took to the stage looking a little uncomfortable but soon got into their stride and showed the kind of exuberance that made such a mark on me after their album launch recently at Cabaret Voltaire. Sadly that night, they had not yet received their album to sell to the hordes but having since picked up a copy of debut LP ‘Greed’ I can safely say it is one of my highlights so far this year and the fact they are from Edinburgh makes it all the more satisfying. Songs like ‘Breaking Windows’ with its Pixies influenced riff are a joy to behold when played live and the band really enjoy themselves on stage too. Guitarist Pete’s mischievous tomfoolery is endearing and when he squelches the intro to Wham’s ‘Wake Me Up’ on the synth you can’t help but love this band. Indeed throughout the gig I find myself with a broad grin especially during my own favourite ‘Let’s Face It’ which sounds like a Monkees song done by Nirvana. Their influences are worn on their sleeve from The Beach Boys through to Pavement and Sonic Youth but they manage to create a fresh sound and anyone in the crowd unfamiliar with them are more than converted by the end of their short, but highly entertaining, set. As they are putting away their gear, Pete cheekily continues to advertise their album for sale at a mere 5 pounds – the smart people come forward and pick up a copy and I’m willing to bet it’ll be a firm favourite with them already!
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