We recently described Midnight Rodeo as the kind of gang "you’d trust to soundtrack your life, crash your cousin’s wedding, and still make your nan a lovely cuppa the morning after." That said, the prospect of their hotly-anticipated homecoming gig at The Bodega was too much to resist. We headed down to 23 Pelham Street for another quick chat - and an outstanding performance...
I arrive at The Bodega at 5pm, pint in hand, and check my final notes ahead of tonight’s homecoming gig. The weather is typical of the summer/autumn transition; nothing but pure rain. As September is drawing to a close, I reflect on a Doors’ song: Summer’s Almost Gone. The fact it is still light is a consolation to the fact that autumn is now upon us. Maddy Chamberlain and Jimmy McBride, power couple and faces of psych art-rockers Midnight Rodeo have just finished soundchecking and come for a chat; both of them with cups of tea in hand and dressed in their swanky stylish outfits.
To say they are no strangers to playing The Bodega would be a criminal understatement, especially with Maddy’s work as a production manager for DHP. They’ve played many times since forming in 2021, and, as one of their tracks from new album Chaos Era suggests, the group frequent The Captain’s Table, the legendary meeting point that has gone down in Bodega folklore, and, as Jimmy, quips, “the meeting place for plots and schemes”.
Both are extremely grateful for the ten years spent in Nottingham with Jimmy being originally from Belfast and Maddy from Dudley. The sextet have, to use a poor cliche by my own admission, made a family network of their own. With the Bodega faithful waiting to welcome them, tonight is sure to be a special homecoming.
Heading into the venue, and the swarm of people huddled together is striking. Tonight is a sell-out, and even with the first support act having taken the stage, it is refreshing to see a plentiful crowd this early on. The back seems to be the only place available to stand within an arm's length of anyone else. This is where height becomes a big advantage.
The first of two supporting acts is Shoelace: a space-age lounge pop act with an affinity for the swinging '60s. The band combines raspy melodies with distorted guitars, that is until silence falls and vocals disappear. We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. The soundman seems to be in a world of his own tonight; a bad night at the office perhaps? The sound difficulties fill us with pity for the band as their sonic influences are an embarrassment of riches, to anyone who pines for soundscapes of the '60s or to any Stereolab superfan.
Following a moment of technical struggle, normal service is resumed.
Shoelace are upstart entertainers with the ability to move and shake as well as play music. Their fashion also does the talking. The band are dressed in plaid shirts with slimmed-back hair, the lead singer dressed in a Twiggy-esque pinafore.
The band shifts to a more mellow tone with halcyon notes from the organ, similar to that heard on Saturn 5 by The Inspiral Carpets, in addition to the delayed melodic riffs inspired by Richard Hawley and Scot Walker. The combination of garage punk and cosmic lounge pop is a cool way to embed the crowd into the mood for more music, more excitement.
Up next is Georgian, who, in her own way, was playing a homecoming gig, being from Nottingham and now based in Manchester.
Maddy and Jimmy are close friends with her having known her since “the early days of doing open mic nights at Jam Cafe," as Jimmy told me earlier.
The thing that’s immediately noticeable is that everyone in her backing band sports dark manes of brown hair and thick moustaches: very much reminiscent of the scene in Almost Famous where the young William Miller is trying to gain access to interview Black Sabbath, but is rejected each time until he is approached by the notorious music critic Lester Bangs (portrayed by the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman), who takes him under his wing, and is allowed access to the band up close.
However, looking at the music, it leaves a lasting impression. Similarly to Shoelace, Georgian takes influence from the European avante-garde as well garage rock and '60s psychedelia. There are more contemporary influences too such as Big Thief, Warpaint and The Dandy Warhols. There is an eeriness to her, like the scenes from Hammer horror films or Southern Gothic-fiction such as Flannery O’Connor. It’s music that certainly isn’t puddle-deep. Everyone around me is captured in a trance.
So, onto the main event. Midnight Rodeo were keen to ensure that this show would be a personal gift, not only to The Bodega, which has helped them so much, but to fans new and old.
The set opens with Strange Eyes a transient number that takes us on a cryptic adventure through sound. The swooping keyboards courtesy of Sam Potts give this number a fleeting motion like that of a flock of birds in motion. Cleanshirt and Daisy are both energetic tracks that keep you on your toes, glued to the stage. The twangy guitars intertwined once more with the keys give a desert feel, creating a Moreconi-esque soundscape that is complemented by the lighting and visuals from behind the set.
Daisy ups the tempo and unleashes the aura of chaos that this album is all about. Jimmy and bassist Harry take their time to get close and personal by jumping into the crowd and dueling with their sonic axes. Growl, on the other hand, captures not just the sound, but the fierce nature of Midnight Rodeo, as Jimmy warns us all that this song was inspired by “arseholes from America". His advice; "just don’t be an arsehole”. The chorus sums up the mood perfectly: “you can growl all you like, you’re still an arsehole, down here people can be so full of it." I’m sure we’ve all met them.
A Midnight Rodeo gig wouldn’t be complete without the use of percussion. Cowbells, tambourines and maracas, courtesy of Maddy, add a glowing touch to the set. As a frontwoman, she is completely in her element, confident in what she’s doing. The percussive elements reflect a different tone and layer of influence.
Again, before the show, Jimmy spoke of his interest in Latin American culture, and how that has shaped the band's sound on the album. El Medina is evidence of this, as is Dixon - the penultimate song in the set with the omnipresent cowbell rattling through the chaos.
El Medina starts with the intricate drum roll from Ferg Moran, which immediately conjures the influence of Steve Gadd and his intro on the Paul Simon classic 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, and then transcends beautifully into this vivid, jazzy number that causes a gentle wave amongst the crowd.
The set closes with Nothing to You, a warm 7-minute swooning through the gamut of emotions following a fall out. This is the ideal closer that captures the climax of chaos, and how it actually ends up with something emotive and tender. It is somewhat cathartic to anyone who has been in their own chaos era and now wishes to find their way out of it.
Just before exiting stage, Jimmy admits this will be the last show they’ll play in Nottingham for a while. This tour takes them to America, and while they are grateful for the opportunity to expose their music to a new audience, they understand the tempestuous nature that America finds itself in.
This was a night where the audience was able to embark on their own Chaos Era journey. The great part of which is the unknown, yet immense possibilities that it brings.
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