Several years ago I used to be at this venue regularly. There used to be plenty of the sort of rock 'n' roll and punk bands I like playing there. Then the ale prices started going up and trade going down - along with less of the sort of bands I like and more bad metal bands. Then it shut. Again. There seems to be a bit of a repeating pattern here - Barfly and 12 Bar Clubs anyone? Anyway, Nambucca re-opened a couple of years or so ago after yet another massive and expensive refurb. The stage area at the back is much bigger and better - more like a proper music venue than the back room of a pub. However, they have inexplicably demolished the old bar and rebuild it on the other side of the room. I can't see any point in doing that at all and it's seems a huge waste of money - what were they thinking? Oh yes, and there is no more real ale, the beer quality has gone down as the prices have gone up even further - and the music seems to be mostly indie band instead of rock 'n' roll. So I have hardly been to Nambucca in the couple of years since it reopened. I stopped going to the Barfly regularly a few years ago for similar reasons. However, in a rare turn of events tonight they have actually booked a band I like.
It's
Duncan Reid and the Big Heads. Guesting on guitar is Mauro Venegas - lately of
Johnny Cola & The A-Grades and currently in
The Godfathers.
Regular guitarist Sophie prowls the other side of the stage and keeps the energy level very high with a dynamic performance.
If you are wondering why there appears to be a Welsh flag draped over the mic stand; It's to do with football, the World Cup, and the fact that the two girls in the band (Karen the drummer being the other one) are from Wales.
This band are terrific live. Frontman Duncan has a strong punk rock background as he used to play bass in
The Boys - known back in the day as 'The Beatles of punk' due to their knack of writing songs with catchy pop hooks. Duncan has retained his pop influence along with keeping a punk edge - he writes songs which get stuck in your head and are as good as any pop song you'll hear on the radio. But when he gets on stage with The Big Heads what you get is a really good rock 'n' roll band.
Duncan Reid and the Big Heads now have two albums under their belts and many more quality pop/punk songs than they can possibly fit into tonight's all too short set. However, they still manage to squeeze in a couple of classics from Duncan's old band The Boys: the brilliantly catchy 'First Time' and 'Sick On You' - which was originally by London's infamous
Hollywood Brats - a punk band before anyone had even invented punk. Tonight's short but sweet set from The Big Heads was great fun - let's hope it's not too long before they are playing in London again...
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