Posted on July 27, 2018
15 minutes ago I see a facebook post and now I’m booting up my laptop for the first time this week - fuck where is my free time gone.
After 23 shows, Norm’s will end.
I’m busy on the last night
Norm’s has been my go to Friday night event from the beginning. Somewhere in my archive is my half finished review-ish post of the first Norm’s night. My archive is full of half finished Norm’s posts. Of the 21 nights I’ve been to 8. 7 out of the 11 Friday night gigs.
Why?
Stuff like this is use it or loose it. Only seven of the twenty one shows have made the venue a profit. Reading the post it’s clear there are other reasons but damn. Promoting is a tough trade.
I’ll be going down tonight. I want to shake Jason’s hand and thank him. Thank the regular barman, too. He’s been nice to me. And Emily on the door. She must know I think she’s a delight.
The Music
Of the 140 acts he booked I’ve only seen 26. Maybe that number includes planned future events and drop-outs.
Every night there was something worth seeing.
I’ll write a best of post. Cannibalise my drafts as an excuse to shout about new favouites (Lounge, Bad Apples, Soyuz Rats) and brilliant second shows (Ellie Bleach, Soyuz Rats, Gladboy, Simple City Dress, fukken Saturday Morning Breakfast Show - Doug Tandy is a fall asleep soundtrack and now has the warmest and softest associations in my heart , Happy Coloured Marbles third show ).
I kinda like Painted Heathers now.
What is Norm’s to me?
I never brought a friend to the Crypt. Invited people a couple of times but…
In a way I liked being there alone. Just watching other people interact. And I met a couple of nice people. Talked to an old friend. I’ve had a busy three months but even at the end of my most exhausting weeks I’ve been able to sit on that pew - there just is an old church pew - and listen.
I don’t write reviews, as such. This is more of a diary. For me a gig is not just about the music. It’s about the atmosphere and the venue and how expensive a lemonade is. It’s about the company and comforting routine.
I really struggle to write anything most days but this post is from the heart. This was a regular live music night that I will really fukken miss.
A list of what I have seen
April 6
Happy Coloured Marbles, We’ll be Detectives, Simple City Dress
May 4
Dr Clyde, Saturday Morning Breakfast Show, The Three of Us
May 11
Ellie Bleach, Painted Heathers, Vier
May 25
Georgia King, Eyera, Hali (missed Leifxmathi)
May 30
Luke Peter Foster, BlipTrip, King Porteous, Tipsy Lizard, Bootleg Bart
June 1 (until 10pm)
Lounge, Hugo Z (left before Marla)
June 8
Gladboy, The Bad Apples, The Lantern Men + DJ Col Wolfe
June 29
Soyuz Rats, Painted Heathers, The Cosmic Order
July 27
Renadeans, Vier, Space is Big
August 2
Sharkmuffin, Peach Club, Fever Machine, Elly Bishop