Johnny Lloyd played at a small pub in Brighton yesterday,
his first tour since Tribes split. That will be the last I mention them, or as
Johnny put it after one song “don’t mention the ‘t word’”, out of courtesy. Any
worries that his solo material would need to be backed by other songs were put
to bed, as his new set of tunes were outstanding – far better than anything the
unmentionables produced.
His set was short but sweet at 8 songs, which is actually
quite long for someone who has no album yet. It was lovely to see Miguel on the
drums, and he relished playing the faster paced songs. There were worries
before he came on that perhaps his, so far, only slow paced material may be
dreary, but this was not the case. ‘Shoot That Silver’ was a particular
highlight, with fantastically-Rolling Stones-esque, jazzy guitar. Perfect Body
was another treat also, with a wry smile from Johnny after he announced it.
Previous material from his two EPs went down really well, with applause all
round when ‘Happy People’ was announced.
Whilst it is early days yet, next year could be big for
Johnny Lloyd. I would presume he will release an album perhaps next summer, but
until then the premise of what was on display here was more than enough to put
faith in him. As the man himself said, “see you in 2015”.
Johnny Lloyd played:
Joy Ride
Like I Did
Happy People
Perfect Body
Running Wild
Dead Beat
Shoot That Silver
Pilgrims
