Fill the dancefloor

There was rump-shaking aplenty at Irene's last night as The Von Drats, Shanker and Romps and Mississippi Grover attracted a dancing-room only crowd to their sweaty gig. When I walked in out of the snow and rain the door the window of Irene's was clouded with condensation and my glasses fogged over immediately. I had to follow the sound of Shanker and Romps kicking off their set with Big Fenders to make my way to the back of the pub. It was pretty muggy back there.

Along with paeans to the Arboretum (which I later heard Jason Vaughn of Cold Coffee and Salty Boots singing it in the bathroom downstairs), birdwatching and bicycles, the duo debuted their new and appropriately named tune Rocking With Romps.


Shanker and Romps, Irene's, April 4, 2009

Up next was Patrick Shanks' former Knurling associate Greg Watson, a.k.a. Mississippi Grover, with a fine selection of tunes documenting the living dead, the soon-to-be-dead living, voodoo, witch doctoring (a cover of the John Mayall tune) and Merle Travis' Roll On Mississippi.


Mississippi Grover, Irene's, April 4, 2009

The Von Drats closed things off with an active set of surf and instrumental tunes, some complaints over the Evil Farm Children's alleged demolition of Peterborough venue The Spill's only Nintendo machine and a cover of The Bag I'm In (Fred Neil, no doubt via some grotty garage gremlins or H.P. Lovecraft) and The Belairs' Mr. Moto (among others). Apart from the gogo-dancing of Holly Von Drat, there was also plenty of twisting on the dancefloor.


The Von Drats, Irene's, April 4, 2009

The audience demanded and received an encore. A fine way to spend a Saturday evening.

• Show reminder: The Darcys perform at The Rainbow with Kevin Bartman.