I've been to see Gogol a few times before at the Hammersmith Apollo and was looking forward to seeing them at another venue (that I'd never been to, despite being a long-term Londoner) and about the idea of them doing an acoustic set. I had a quick look at their website on the day of the gig and it seemed like this was something they fancied trying, as a way of re-inventing themselves perhaps... I was actually a bit worried the gig might be a bit quiet. 'Acoustic' always brings to mind MTV unplugged sessions for me, which are great, but possibly not for a Friday night in Camden. Hmm.
I needn't have worried; this gig was pretty much indistinguishable from the others I'd been to - i.e. LOUD and wonderfully chaotic - and the constant pogo-ing, beer spilling and general "let's all pretend we're about to start a revolution" vibe was only heightened by the oh-so-Camden grot of the Electric Ballroom. The only slightly weird point was the Pink Floyd cover - didn't quite work for us and personally I think Gogol have no need of covering other people's work.
After generously delighting the crowd with two encores, Gogol bid us farewell and we stumbled out into the night, ready to take the revolution forward...or maybe just have another drink.
Electric Ballroom @
- London @
- Fri 18 Nov 2011 @
Favourite moment: The barman accusing me of stealing his 70p tip. (I thought i was picking up my change) @
Setlist: The usual! Plus "Another Brick in the Wall" cover. @
Opening act(s): No idea @