A Cracking Good Gig: The Lovely Eggs

To say that I was excited to see The Lovely Eggs was somewhat of an understatement. I’ve somehow managed to miss them every time they’ve rolled through Leeds, but not this time. For some people, authenticity, independence, and DIY ethos are badges of honour, and if that applies to you, then The Lovely Eggs wear that badge well. Married couple Holly Ross and Dave Blackwell run their own record label (Egg Records, obviously) and have no manager, booking agent, or publisher. They do things their own way, and what a glorious way it is!

The Lovely Eggs makes you feel better about yourself and reaffirms your faith in humanity, emphasising that basically most people are decent and just trying to muddle through life the best way they can.The stage setup at the Brudenell is stunningly simple: a drum kit, a mic stand, a guitar, and some effects pedals. Dave’s drum kit is on one side of the stage, and Holly is set up on the other, with plenty of space between to allow Holly to totally wig out, which she does with gusto from start to finish. It makes you question why so many bands seem to have so much stuff!

Right from the get-go, as they launch into Death Grip Kids, there is a scuzzy sonic blast that defies the fact that there are just the two of them and which they keep up for the whole set. The Lovely Eggs blend garage rock, punk sensibility, psychedelia, humour, notherness, and weirdness into a unique musical soup that nourishes the soul.

The duo's warm, humorous humanity shines through from the stage. Holly chats about her mum and her thinking that the band is a hobby as she stops to take a photo of the crowd to send to her. She attempts to get the crowd to sing baboon (the end of Magic Onion) to the rhythm of D.I.S.C.O.—harder than it sounds—and consoles the Leeds fans to the playoff defeat with a singalong to F*** It.

The setlist is brilliant, heavily focused, understandably, on the new album Eggistentialism, but scattered with favs from the back catalogue. No encore (hurray); just blast through your tracks, have a good time, and head to the bar for a beer. Perfect.

Being in the same room as The Lovely Eggs makes you feel better about yourself and reaffirms your faith in humanity, emphasising that basically most people are decent and just trying to muddle through life the best way they can. Not many bands can do that. This has, so far, been my gig of the year. Do you like your eggs poached, scrambled, or fried? I like mine, Lovely.

The Lovely Eggs performed at The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds.