The Green Dragon and the Sleep of Reason

Superman Revenge Squad in action

I’ve played two gigs since last I blogged, which is more than usual. The first was aforementioned in my last blog entry, playing at the Green Dragon in Croydon with the lovely De’borah and the somewhat lovely Superman Revenge Squad. As you may have gathered, SRS have become my new favourite band; Birthday Boy Ben Parker was joined by a drummer (in the form of his brother, Nosferatu D2 fans), accordionist, keyboard player/saxophonist and cellist. It was pretty fucking great. The Angriest Dog in the World nearly made Mark the Sound Man and me cry, and Ben very graciously played his song Pupkin * (which features an ungracious slagging of Billy Corgan), after I celebrated Ben’s birthday with a cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ Mayonnaise. Which is a brilliant song, even if Billy Corgan can get a bit full of himself. There’s always room for a little sentiment.

*that’s not a typo, the song’s also about Rupert Pupkin, Robert deNiro’s fame-seeking and deluded antihero in King of Comedy. Think All About Eve meets He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not… ok, maybe not that deluded. But it is kind of a weird coincidence, now I notice it…

If Ben will let me, I’ll put up a video of a bit of their set so you can get a very rough idea…

Last night I played at The Sleep of Reason, a literary/poetry/music night in Shoreditch after replying to a last-minute request from one of the organisers. I played completely unplugged, which I don’t do very often, and it was a lovely intimate vibe in this little basement place in Shoreditch. If you were there last night, thank you for coming along; I had to leave immediately after my set to record Answer Me This! in Crystal Palace, so I didn’t get a chance to see the other musician who was on, or the short story and poetry readings that were taking place. Next time!