Alert the Audience isn't having much luck with local gigs by Scottish bands of late. First Glasvegas face the unfounded ire of a bunch of po-faced, (probably) crack-addled hecklers at their intimate Sunderland show, and now, less than a week later, JP Reid's fantastic post-rock outfit Sucioperro suffer an unwarranted technical horrorshow at Durham's new-born Live Lounge, of the kind that forces them to abandon the performance altogether after four all-too-short songs, on the grounds that it really, truly, is impossible for them to play.
Now, let's get one thing straight before we go any further: this is no Axl Rose prima-donna hissy fit. Firstly, Sucio aren't the type to disappoint their fans, irrespective of just how many they number. Sure, there are only a handful of punters here tonight (probably around 20 in total) but that's never stopped them before. One need only look to their other fairly recent North Eastern gigs for proof: one man and his dog turned up to the Trillian's show in Newcastle but that didn't stop them tearing a hole in the joint. The vast majority of folk at the York Stereo gig were there to support the preceding local acts but the 'perro gave it their all regardless. No, these guys are the very definition of consummate professionals and don't take such decisions lightly.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, from the moment JP strums the first discordant note and the howl of ear-piercing feedback muffles all semblance of melody and tune, it is painfully obvious to all and sundry that something is fundamentally wrong. Immediately following a relatively painful newbie from recent release 'The Heartstring and How To Pull It' (it's difficult to make out exactly what it is due to the sound problems), JP requests that the sound guy 'do the job he's fucking paid to do' and sort the damn thing out. Sadly, his pleas fall on deaf, or possibly dumb, ears and the calamity continues, Sucio trying desperately to disguise the fact that they sound like they're being forced to play in a wind tunnel. Things improve moderately during a passable 'Threads' but sadly, the dreaded squeals return and before long, JP is literally begging the guy to provide his band with conditions in which they can actually play to their fans without forcing everyone to wear earplugs. Sadly, we're not privy to his response, but given that Reid resorts to such drastic measures as asking the punters themselves whether they can do anything about the problem, we suspect he didn't take it too well. Cue one heartfelt apology to the attendees and a swift exit, never to return.
Interestingly, Durham doesn't take umbrage at such a decision. Where other crowds may have turned on their heroes, the handful of devotees and curious locals present tonight actually applaud in solidarity, recognising that yeah, what they were being forced to endure was decidedly sub-par. There is very little, if any, ill-feeling here, which says a lot about the integrity inherent in the band and a whole hell of a lot more about the poor Live Lounge, whose reputation of late isn't exactly glistening. If the owners aren't careful, the venue will make a name for itself as a place to avoid like the plague, and that's precisely the last thing that a sleepy city like Durham needs. There's no doubt that its opening was welcomed with justifiably open arms by a scene crying out for attention. Let's just hope it doesn't jeopardise its chances of a brighter future.
So, what to make of tonight, then? Well, the performance was a colossal disappointment by anyone's standards but then, Sucioperro know this. In the event, we bore witness to three people doing the only thing they could do when faced with such extenuating circumstances. JP's protest could be the wake up call that the Live Lounge needs and for that, perhaps we shouldn't write the night off as a complete disaster. Only time will tell, of course, and in the meantime, we have the promise on Twitter that the band will 'make it up' to us and there's one pretty gosh darn ace new record to tide everyone over. So just whip 'Heartstring' out, crank the volume up to 'ear bleed' and imagine what could've been.
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