MIDGET + THE CONTRAST30th June 2000The guilty party, and pioneers of the scene, were of course three little boys, one called Andy (16), another called Richard (16) and the other called Lee (17). Adored by the grease monkeys, Smoking Lizards came and conquered South Kesteven, leaving their mark wherever they went (a stale stench of cider that could be smelt from Empingham to Bainton). In fact the Sheriff of S.K. eventually banished the little monsters from performing any more of their giggery pokery at any settlements smaller than Tinwell or Morton as of 1995. Something had to be done; the Lizards would have to re-invent themselves. So along came Midget and it all went serious. Many claim that Midget are the best present to be given to Stamford since the Mercury. For a band who have obviously made a good few people very happy over the last six years, it was none other than a treat to be notified of their decision to finally grace The Club With No Name @ The Park on Friday 30th June. Midget are living on brand loyalty, and they have every right to be. The venue was naturally well-attended, by 21+ year olds shouting 'Wheelbarrow' and hoping for a bit of nostalgia. Only people who've really grown up with Midget can rightly understand it all. For this reason historically the band would appeal to young people of any discipline. Force-fed to the masses, it was the idea of it - the event - that appealed to everyone, the music came second. Midget offered the chance for young people to give it large in the middle of nowhere. Whether you did it for the first time in a hedge, somewhere in Greetham to the sound of "Silly Little Rich Cow", or you can remember vomiting wildly at 16 outside the village hall in Ryhall or Thurlby to the roaring thrash of "Welcome Home Jellybean" it was irrelevant. People have memories and I'm sure Midget would want to be remembered for this. Forgive me if I'm wallowing in the past but I'm just wondering what the future holds for the band. The Midget of the year 2000 seem to be just as up for it, despite the peaks and troughs of the past three years. Tonight they were fired up, no doubt. Support came from The Contrast, a local band who have swapped and changed things around but finally now look to have found themselves. They are currently working with an American label... watch this space. Midget flew onto stage, commencing with a track from a band called Blink 182. This was good old fashioned fun from Midget with Andy impersonating the band in an American accent. It's just a pity that Blink 182 are a complete pile of simple shite who I wouldn't piss on and should be immediately thrown in the gutter with Offspring. Thankfully that only lasted for about 45 seconds, where in typically Midget style the band crashed into "All Fall Down". The set typically consisted of the same old classics that we have become accustomed to adore somewhat over the years, "Jellybean" (revamped with stop harmonies), "Silly Little Rich Cow", "The Day Of Your Life" and the highlight, "Ben Wants To Be A Secret Agent" to name a few. There was also some new material thrown in for good measure. The encore commenced with the Jack Docherty-endorsed "Invisible Balloon" who apparently commented "Mudjut..., rully guuuuuuuud!!" when later questioned on his thoughts surrounding the whippersnappers' then new single. The gig was very typical of everything that is and was always appealing about Midget, so it was only natural that the band should finish with "Parting Shot"... I only hope that this is not theirs! M.H., The Hexx 002 fanzine (18 Frognall, Deeping St James, Peterborough PE6 8RR) |