by Jo

Betsey Trotwood, 2nd June 2007

18 months, waiting for this one. Since the much mourned demise of Do Me Bad Things, Nicolai’s been writing, working, recording, This then is the first live outing for the results – an acoustic set in a tiny place. Intimate isn’t the word! I wasn’t going to miss this for the world, not after all I’ve heard and written already!
It wasn’t a long set, but it was packed with pure notes pouring effortlessly from the boy’s mouth. Nicolai’s building his band, but what better way to gauge the power and glory of a voice, than when it’s accompanied only by a guitar? A small crowd, but a very appreciative one. The songs are all familiar to me – I’m quite good friends with them, actually, but they do sound better live. That’s a good sign! When they have got a full band behind them, they’re going to rock the senses. ‘Blue Eyed Boy’ is a particular favourite of mine, but they’re all sweet and sharp enough to sting you to thought.

What WAS a surprise was ABBA’s ‘SOS’ – I didn’t know that was going to happen! It’s a tricky song, tackled with smooth skill. I’ve been at other band rehearsals where it’s been abandoned because it just didn’t work. Obviously it needs to be simple, stripped down to the barest bones – if you’re not ABBA of course. We did get the first verse twice, with apologies, but who cares? Singing along to the chorus was great fun!

First gig over. Nicolai can approach the rest with confidence – there’s nothing to worry about. He’s got ‘it’, he can sing, he’s pretty cute and his stage banter is a damn site better than some!

Tell us more stories, Mr Prowse. We’re listening very hard.

Setlist:

When I Fall Down
Sky Scraper
Blue Eyed Boy
Running Away
SOS
How Life Works

There are gigs organised, and more to come. See www.myspace.com/nicolaiprowse for uptodate listings. Also, from this gig: