It's Friday night, practically still dusk-like outside and there's a huge queue snaking down Rivington Street of techno loving cheapskates, and people out in Shoreditch, all of whom wish to be entertained for free. And who's to blame them? The fabulous Allez-Allez are the latest promoters to take the reigns for Cargo's Free Fridays, a new London town institution, and Cologne's Kompakt label are always very welcome in the neighbourhood.
Allez-Allez and 20jazzfunkgreats warm up proceedings well, and Luke Abbott from Cambridge is an unexpected treat on the billing.
So far so good. And now The Field's Axel Willner takes to the stage in quite comedy headgear (anyone there care to name that hat?), accompanied by his new buddies who make up a backing band to fully realise the live potential of the glorious 'From Here We Go Sublime' along with their imminent new record.
It is a much bigger sound than Willner's previous solo incarnation, and something of the blissfulness of the melody is now gone. What is gained is more dancey, bassier, bouncy, and most significantly, louder. This would have worked in a bigger space, but is slightly painful to tolerate in tonight's intimate environs. We endure half the set, before retreating through the tunnel to the bar area, where our ears are our friends once again. It's not quite the same next door, and we wish the new loud Field would only play in fields. However this does not stop me returning to the stage side, the pain no longer an issue, to enjoy 'Into The Ice', a brilliant, brilliant piece of music, which live is everything I want it to be and more.
One further point. We love Cargo - bookings have been truly brilliant as of late in a sea of rubbishness elsewhere (tip: check out their Erlend Øye after-party in a few weeks time) - but was it the lack of ticket buying that made people have a drink too many and get a bit rough and tumble? Is this a universal problem with free club nights at the weekend? Answers on a postcard please.
