Drugstore, Headswim & Seafruit @ the Point, 15/09/00

It was surprising for a gig of this size to be held at the Point. Each of the bands playing could have had a reason to headline a gig here by themselves. Seafruit's audience may be small, but Headswim could have drawn in a fair crowd. But with the addition of Drugstore, it made this gig one of the most packed for while.

Seafruit then, not to be confused by Seafood, look a bit dodgy. The lead singer wore a white suit, and if people had carried fruits and vegetables in their bags it would have been a tempting target. Musically they were not very memorable. There were songs where the lead singer wasn't really singing, but more just speaking.

Meanwhile Headswim are 'that band who were in the charts with that song a couple of years ago'. Some bands could have felt that this hit would be a burden and refuse to play it, but Headswim didn't do that, and played it in the middle of the set. The new songs are a bit rockier, and dare I say it, sound like Pablo Honey era Radiohead. Yes it's our favourite music category... angsty rock.

Whoever put this tour together probably didn't think about putting similar bands together. So tonight Drugstore seem even better, especially after the no so exciting first 2 bands. They had technical problems at the beginning (the cello had a broken string) and so their set started with just Isobel and the guitarist playing some covers acoustically. Among the songs they played were Black Star and She Don't Use Jelly. Their version of the Radiohead song sounded even more amazing than the original version. When they finally started their proper set it was equally brilliant. They are another one of thos bands burdened by a one off hit, this time for them is even worse, as it was a duet with Thom Yorke. Again Drugstore didn't shy away. Instead they proved the song would have just worked as well without the guest vocalist. Isobel's voice alone would have been worth the entrance fee.