Review: The Lovely Eggs, The Cluny, Newcastle

For most of the last 12 years, The Lovely Eggs have been one of indie music's best-kept secrets.
The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle. All pics: Gary Welford.The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle. All pics: Gary Welford.
The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle. All pics: Gary Welford.

Holly Ross (vocals and guitar) and David Blackwell (drums and backing vocals) have slowly built up a small but dedicated following through playing intimate club shows around the country and releasing a series of quirky records.

In the last 12 months, however, the secret has started to get about just how good the married couple who make up the lo-fi psychedelic punk duo really are.

The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.
The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.
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That’s partly thanks to the continuing patronage of national DJs like Marc Riley, Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq.

But it’s just as much down to their steady touring, which sees them share their catchy brand of off-kilter music with fellow ‘weirdos’.

And then there’s the fact that their latest album, This Is Eggland, their fifth long player, is the best of their career.

This was the penultimate date on their third tour of the year promoting the record – a breakthrough year which has also seen them play the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool for the first time.

The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.
The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.
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It’s odd that's taken them so long, as they’re from just down the road in Lancaster, but you can bet they’ll be back – as long as they can get a babysitter for their five-year-old.

Being a touring band while raising a family has its difficulties, which is why they treat each gig like a party with their friends, rather than being paid to be 'the entertainment'.

That was certainly the case on Friday night, as they enjoyed a party with a mixture of seasoned Eggheads and others who were seeing them for the first time.

They charmed them all, and I bet everyone woke up the next morning humming Wiggy Giggy, the standout track from the latest album, and one of the most infectious earworms you’ll ever hear.

The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.
The Lovely Eggs at The Cluny in Newcastle.
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Songs from This Is Eggland made up most of the set, and they had the floor moving to the likes of I'm With You, Witchcraft and Big Sea.

There was a smattering of older songs, of course, with crowd favourites like **** It, Magic Onion and People Are ***** getting the crowd going.

The gig was even graced by a lone crowd surfer, which prompted Holly to say "it was like being in Seattle in the 1990s".

That might be over-egging it (sorry...), but you get the gist, and you can bet most of those present will be back next time The Lovely Eggs hit town.