The Lovely Eggs @ District, Liverpool – 05/08/2021

You know the feeling.

That nervous anticipation of going to a gig.

Could this be the best/worst thing I’ve ever seen? What ale are they going to sell? Is it worth getting there early for the supports?

Now factor that in with the dread/excitement (delete as applicable) of being in a crowded room of sweaty people for the first time in sooo long, and this is one strange pre-gig feeling.

We’ve done the socially distanced, all seated gigs and the massive in a field, next to no-one all-dayer, but this is the first proper one back.

And who better to return to than The Lovely Eggs, at the last date of their tour, which has been cancelled more than famous racists have on Twitter.

Black Country, New Road @ Future Yard, Birkenhead – 20/06/2021

We first saw them many, many moons back at such venues as the Lomax and Magnet (both no longer open, hope we are not jinxing District) and the heart has been warmed seeing them get more and more popular with each of their album releases, whilst still doing everything very much on their own terms.

And their latest, 2020’s I Am Moron has garnered great praise from all quarters, leading to them enjoying their largest Liverpool appearance to date.

The husband and wife duo, Holly and David, enter the District stage and are treated as returning heroes as they kick into Long Stem Carnations from I.A.M.

(Incidentally, if you are interested in how they enter the stage, they have some wonderful videos of David’s trip from backstage to stage door for each venue on this tour, oh the glamour!)

Tonight’s set list showcases the great versatility of their sound, from the wonky psychedelia of Wiggy Giggy and Magic Onion to the all out thrash of Still Second Rate and This Decision, whichever way they say what they want to say, they are never superfluous, always sharp, they give their message and go.

13 Questions with The Lovely Eggs

They admit that they don’t get to Liverpool as much as they should, and on this showing they really should play here more, the two way respect between them and their audience is heartwarming.

Encouraging the crowd to stagedive like the good old days (leading to some great images on their Facebook page), the crowd in turn garner them with gifts, a plastic synth and guitar combo for their young son, and shots from the bar for themselves, this is one well-loved outfit.

They save their best for towards the end with two of their perfect earlier tracks, I Like Birds (But I Like Other Animals Too) and the much loved Don’t Look At Me (I Don’t Like It) and it’s sadly over all too soon.

There was nothing to worry about, normal service is resumed, and it feels like the good times are coming back soon, as hopefully so will the Eggs.