A night out to see Dodgy always proves to be an enjoyable one. Not only do you get to hear some cracking tunes but the relaxed atmosphere, cosy venues and great banter always make it a favourite. One interesting twist on the night was that rather than having the same support for the whole tour Dodgy had adopted an “open mic” night type of affair with in our case four acts playing before the main event. The venue we were at was part of the Mary Hare school for the profoundly deaf and so it was appropriate that the first act were from there. The belted out six numbers and were pretty good. Got to give them credit for getting up there in the first place. Next up were a couple of weak solo artists before the final support, Darling Boy, who I had thought were a band but turned out to be an individual supported by others a la Duke Special. He (they?) had a real good energy about them that reminded me of The Zutons. And then it was time for the main event. The tour had been advertised as being acoustic but actually it was semi-acoustic and, somewhat weirdly, no drums, though we were treated to tambourine and “egg”. The music was great but the inter song chats were even better, giving a good insight into the band, particularly when there was a dispute over whether a song was to be played or not (as it was crossed off on the set list)! I also respect Dodgy’s honesty in saying that it gets a bit “tedious” playing the same things over and over which is why we got to hear three songs by other artists that I wasn’t familiar with. If this is what it takes to get them to come out on a Wednesday night to Newbury then I am all for it!
Don Toliver
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