I thought I was going to see some shoegazer bands at The Boileroom. Shoegazing’s back, isn’t it? “It’s been and gone. You missed it.” my friend Ivan says. I go along anyway.
In the end the band I see are Moscow Flyer, a rambunctious, charging, unclassifiable 5-piece whose maturity and confidence belies their bumfluff. Intense vocals are tempered with the sweet swooning of a violin or cello, the whole buffeted by Arcade Fire/Killers-style doom-laden retro-synth stabs. They kept the audience engaged, and have a nice line in between-song gags.
Having been away for a while, I can confirm that the Boileroom now has crystal clear sound, more tables and pulls a pretty good pint of Guinness. Unfortunately hunger got the better of me and I left before the rest of the bill could bring memories of the very early Nineties flooding back. Still, My Bloody Valentine are playing a lengthy series of gigs this summer, which will surely herald the return of the shoegazing scene in some form, and an extended celebration of itself.