Special Needs, now called The Needs

27th July 2005 - The 100 Club

Ok so I met the lead singer in Bradley's Spanish Bar the year before and developed a little crush- I know I'm not special but hey, it gave me a lift for a little while and elevated my life out of the 'quiet desperation' category temporarily. Vodkaslut and myself have already been to see The Needs twice at the barfly, but this time it's just me and Bulmersbabe, my lovely Irish friend. On the way there we are standing in the stairwell and we realise that almost nobody else is paying to get in- how uncool are we? But onwards we go, and discover The 100 club to have a grungy but chilled-out, kinda school hall vibe, with an accessible stage and friendly bar staff. The audience is more heterogeneous than other gigs I've been to- with Japanese tourists and a lot more guy-type fans than have otherwise been observable. The pretty pretty girls are all very much in evidence however- ready to be seduced by Zach Stephenson's melodious crooning. Ah! And this he delivers- slightly intoxicated I suspect but hey, so is everyone else present- don't know why the band should miss out! The set is longer than usual and includes a performance of That Maddening Glare (with harmonica); a personal favourite due to it being performed a cappella on the occasion of the aforementioned Bradley’s encounter.

Afterwards, I consider making my way around to Bradley’s for a post-show tipple, but Bulmersbabe is much too mature and resists my oh so subtle hints ("Can we go to Bradleys *****, can we, can we?"). She has a fiancée to go home to after all- I'm really going to have to grow up sometime, but not quite yet!