Hats Off To The Tolerable Gentleman

The Fiddlers Elbow has become a regular haunt for Progressive-Rock outfit Hats Off Gentleman It’s Adequate. Malcolm Galloway and fellow collaborator Mark Gatland, who both write and record all their material, possess a chemistry that has been honed through years of performing together.

Hats Off Gentleman It’s Adequate (Lisa Knight)

On Thursday night, this came across in their sense of humour, with quips about misrepresenting support at their shows going from three to seven whole people and how we’re losing certain species at an extinction level rate which might be worth a certificate from the Guinness Book Of Records if we had a planet left to hang it on, alongside serious subjects like deforestation, Holocaust denial and sentient robots.

Every time I watch them play, they always ask if we’re having a tolerable time and regularly comment on how bleak their material sounds. For me, they’re far too interesting an act to dwell on whether or not tackling social issues amidst tales of historical atrocities should be seen as anything other than informative.

Final Coil support Hats Off Gentleman It's Adequate (Lisa Knight)

Final Coil (Lisa Knight)

Unfortunately, Global Noise Attack were truck down by a virus, which prevented them from appearing, but Final Coil more than made up for GNA’s absence by playing an extended set in honour of their new album The World We Left Behind For Others. They entertained us with thirty minutes of headbanging after introducing themselves with an instrumental track that had successfully lulled me into thinking they’d be a more introspective outfit.

Final Coil (Lisa Knight)

Hats Off Gentleman It’s Adequate (Lisa Knight)

I think that everyone who attended would agree that the evening was enjoyable, venue hospitable, and that Hats Off Gentleman It’s Adequate’s decision to provide free pizza to attendees was beyond generous.

Words & photography by Lisa Knight at the Fiddlers Elbow for Hats Off Gentleman It’s Adequate on the 19^th of September 2019

Amy Macdonald @ Hammersmith Apollo (Kalpesh Patel)

Amy Macdonald Warms A Frozen Hammersmith Apollo With Heart, Humour & Huge Hits

“Are we having a nice time so far? Are we getting a bit warmer?” Amy Macdonald grins, peering out at a Hammersmith Apollo audience bundled into coats and scarves. It’s a question that becomes a running joke throughout the night — because despite the November chill and the decidedly frugal heating, Macdonald sets about warming the 5,000-capacity venue the only way she knows how: with humour, heart, and a powerhouse performance that leaves no seat unshaken.

&U&I @ Muthers Studio (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

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Bad Nerves @ O2 Institute, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

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