black lips

So last night I finally saw my favourite band The Black Lips play live, but how did I end up jumping around on the stage with a microphone in my hand singing with the band???

The black lips at Manchester sound control. Thursday 28th August 2014.  I bought 2 tickets a few weeks ago but didn't really advertise the spare one very well to my friends and with nobody really keen on a last minute Thursday night out I went by myself and stayed over being as I've a day off work on Friday. 

 
I was surprised at first that a small venue had not completely sold out but they don't go in for glossy in your face over promotion, they shy away from being too fashionable.  The understated back drop to the stage is just a big white sheet with black lips and some cartoon flowers in spray paint, balloons and toilet rolls are being thrown about until there's trails of paper draping from the rafters all around the stage.

 The band are genuinely enjoying themselves on stage, dancing around, interacting with the crowd rather than some bands I've seen who just seem to be bashing through another day on tour.  As their hour long set bounces along the crowd get more excitable which culminates in a mass stage invasion on their last song "bad kids" at which point it was impossible to hold myself back and leapt over the barrier to join around 30 other stage invaders, I happened to be right next to a mic stand and so rather incoherently helped the them through the second half of the song.  

 The band seemed to enjoy the chaos and came hugging and shaking everyone's hand as we clambered back off the stage.  Despite turning up on my own with two tickets in my pocket I had a great time. two tickets = double fun?