Another Friday night, another gig.

And this one started with a whole lot of panic - yours truly the worrier strikes again. See, I was meant to work until 5, and even with closing the shop, I had plenty of time and get on a train to make it to the venue for doors. And then, obviously, last minute, the owner decided we were to close at half 5, and my coworker needed me to count the till in the shop where I wasn't working, and I had to run to the train station and get on a Gatwick Express (also known as the least express thing that ever expressed) when my ticket didn't allow it. The more we randomly stopped on the tracks, the more the thought of giving up started clouding my brain because I was surely too late to see more than one of Murray's songs, and it turns out that if I had done a grown up, organised, unheard of thing like checking the stage times, none of this would have happened.

I made it to the venue with an hour to spare.

AN. HOUR.

I had to fill my sad stomach and start breathing again during the first act, Ellis Slater, so I don't remember all of it. I was in a haze of tap water, extreme heat from the outside and £1 roasted peanuts. I just remember a Depeche Mode cover, a really good one, come to think of it, and not much else.

Second up was Murray Macleod, frontman of one of my favourite bands, The Xcerts. It was more of a "The Xcerts sans drums" situation as bass player Jordan Smith was on stage too, providing lovely back vocals. If anyone even remotely knows me, I don't think they'll expect anything other than praise in there, so let's cut to the chase right away - it was a perfect set. Most of the songs played were extracted from the band's latest album, There Is Only You, but also featured a stunning cover of Weatherbox's The Drugs as well as oldies Slackerpop, surprising opener, and the outfit's staple acoustic track, Aberdeen 1987. (I might have been drowning in my tears by that point. She, Aberdeen 1987 and There Is Only You in just one set is tragic for my emo tendencies). The atmosphere was just plain nice - seeing The Xcerts play an acoustic show always feels like watching an old friend belt out your favourite songs with a bunch of jokes thrown in the mix. 

Headlining the evening was Vinnie Caruana, and if I am completely honest with you, I had no idea who he was. To the uncultured swine that I am, he was the name on every Slam Dunk or Hit the Deck line-up known to man and not much else. (Sorry) Then, I found out he fronted The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche, and despite the names ringing bells, it didn't help my case. I have seen I Am The Avalanche once, five years ago, and... Yeah. One support set in 2011 was not going to cut it.

As soon as Vinnie starts performing and interacting with the audience, I was hooked. He told stories about touring and almost marrying a British girl who needed a visa, and the "old friend playing your favourite tunes" feel became even stronger. What helped that sensation, of course, was the crowd participation, through epic singalongs and a guy who kept buying whiskey shots to Vinnie. The whole evening simply felt like watching your mates playing music at the local pub, it was nice and relaxed, a perfect fit for the summery weather.

The setlist, from what I understood, was a mix of The Movielife and I Am An Avalanche hits alongside Vinnie's solo songs, a perfect setlist to discover the man's impressive back catalogue as well as an ideal collection for the hardcore fan as requests were gladly taken. 

That was an overall lovely moment, full of good music, the kind of moment you want to enjoy with your friends, singing alongs until your lungs give up and you lose your voice. It was an evening to think about Movielife and Avalanche related memories for the fans and to discover an incredible performer for a newbie like myself.

More evenings like these. All day, every day, all that.

PS : The "Keep going to the restaurant where you used to go with your ex because it's yours" moment rang very true. Thank you, Vinnie.