Live: Sky Larkin at The Farmhouse, Canterbury
One of the things I always find lamentable about Kent is the lack of a quality music scene. Sure, you’d get odd bits and pieces at the Tunbridge Wells Forum, but that was about it for the entire county outside of unknown local bands playing in dodgy bars every now and again. It always amazed me how Canterbury, a city with a large student population, didn’t have any real full-time venue for indie music.
Welcome The Farmhouse. It’s about damn time.
The Farmhouse is operated by the same people that run Canterbury’s Lounge on the Farm festival, an event that is now entering it’s fourth year. The venue has actually been up and running for a while now, but this was the first opportunity I’d had to get down there.
The thing that most struck me upon entering was how unlike a typical venue it was. Sure, it had the usual bar, posters and tiny stage in the corner. But also sofas, a ton of tables and hell, even flowers in the toilets. See, the place is only a live music venue after 9pm. All day, it’s a restaurant, and it retains the laid back feel that comes with that right through the night.
First band on were The Goodtimes from Southend. They started things off pretty well too. Nothing sensationally original granted, but solid, fun rock and roll that kicks off the night perfectly. Next up were local Rochester band The Mind Without Maths. If I’m honest, they weren’t entirely my cup of tea, but they were decent enough.
Finally, and getting close to midnight before even stepping on stage, it was Sky Larkin’s turn. Now Sky Larkin are a band that I have been following on here for the best part of three years now. In that time they have gone from being an unsigned band with a few good songs to a signed band who has released their first album, toured all over the place and even supported the likes of Broken Social Scene and Conor Oberst.
This was the second time I’d seen them the live. That time they were a support to Los Campesinos! but two years later they are enough to attract a crowd themselves. The set itself is of course made up mostly of songs from their recent album The Golden Spike. Songs like Antibodies, Fossil, I and Keepsakes all come across particularly well, even if the last struggled with a minor incident instrument failure (see tweet below). The band seem much more rounded than that last time too, the three of them managing to fill the room with a melodic racket.
weareskylarkin twitter
Scoreboard tonight; 1 Stevie nicks style dancing injury, 1 broken 45yr old snare skin, 1 bottle vin rouge, 1 van rouge. Canterbury roolz kx
Upcoming gigs at The Farmhouse include Jeremy Warmsley, Maths Class and Eben. Details here.
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