After reuniting in 2012, Brighton-based band The Popguns brought their indie-rock sounds to The Chameleon for a sell-out show...
It was a return to Nottingham for The Popguns with a sell out show at The Chameleon, which some visitors found hard to find. I haven’t been in since lockdown and I’ve missed the place - smarter but still quirky.
STOP THE PRESS! As I was writing this, The Chameleon revealed that they have been told that the landlord is selling up and they need every penny to recover from the Covid losses. Go and support them, and let’s help them have more sell out shows like this one!
Support came in the form of a rare acoustic set by The Proctors and having seen them a few times with the full band, this was an intimate and very different evening, but no less excellent.
Familiar songs took on a different slant; a good proportion of the crowd arrived early to witness them.
The evening however clearly belonged to The Popguns. “This is cosy,” Wendy said as she took to the stage. The Popguns are a band that has always deserved far more attention than they get.
“Who saw us in 1990?” I’m happy to say I was one of those who did at Venus on Stanford Street; the venue is now a solicitors, but you can still see the old stage area at a lower level to the reception.
The crowd were asked to move forward so that people could get into the room and Wendy she said she felt like she was in a zombie movie, as everyone shuffled forwards awkwardly. Well she must have known she was safe and we didn’t look that bad! Nearly Halloween though and the decor at the bar, complete with dismembered heads had probably set her imagination going. No such fear in the songs with crowd pleasers such as personal favourite Landslide and Waiting for the Winter together with some of the new ones, including Caesar, the last few Popism EP records being available on the merch stall. Wendy’s voice soared through the night and the whole band were clearly enjoying themselves as they danced and jumped around. Not as much luck for the crowd as it was so jam packed, but never the less there was happy movement and lots of singing along.
Coming back through the crowd for the encore, Wendy remarked that walking through the crowd was like getting married again and it only needed some confetti.
A happy crowd recalling times past, enjoying the present and looking to the future. A wonderful night all round.
The Popguns performed at The Chameleon on 26 October 2023
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