So I caught Fat Freddy’s Drop on Saturday, through a nice wee chain of coincidences. Thursday night we celebrated ending the Dutch course, and an American girl from the course (thanks Heather!) told me sometime in the evening that “Some band from New Zealand, Fat Freakies or something, are coming here in June or maybe in July.” Of course I jumped down turned around picked a bag of whoopee (to coin a phrase) because I managed to miss them when they played Amsterdam in August last year. And that evening I also happened to run into Nic, another Kiwi I know here, and she hadn’t heard about the gig either, so I promised I’d send on the news. Friday I went online to check out the whens and wheres, and (jump down, turn around, another bag of whoopee), just in time for the gig the very next day. The coincidences kept piling up, Nic also knew one of the folk I dragged along (friend of a flatmate?) and the dude that I saw lurking around the stage entrance (“That’s Warren Maxwell, from TrinityRoots back when they still were, fabulous kiwi group, tragic they split up…”) turns out to play sax for Fat Freddy’s. (Yeah, I should have known this. So sue me.)

The gig went off, although the Sugar Factory was far too hot and a bit too loud. I walked off with a CD, in case anyone wants to check out the sound, although it doesn’t quite live up to their energy onstage.

And (jump down… you know the drill) the Black Seeds are going to be here in September. No news exactly when yet, but they’re touring again (Kiwis: catch the down home tour in August) and you can be very sure you’ll hear about it when I know what the plans are.

Oh yeah, and it’s really summer at last. Jump down, turn around…