I LOVE THIS BAND.

Went to see The Decemberists on Saturday night, and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. In my opinion pop music, or in fact life in general, is lacking in accordions. And melodicas. And upright basses, banjos, glockenspiels, 12-string electric mandolin things...

Other brilliant things that come to mind:

• Signs on the doors when we got to the Zodiac, saying 'NO SMOKING AT THE ARTISTS REQUEST'. Hooray, a gig where I'd actually be able to breathe properly and not come home smelling like I've been rolling around in a giant ashtray. Or, as at Bedouin Soundclash, a giant bong.
  
  
• The fire alarm went off before the show started, which wasn't so good, but did mean we got to walk on the roof of the Zodiac which I don't think many people can claim to have done. Also, apparently Dodge, Tom and I have memorable faces as the staff waved us back in after the alarm saying they recognised us. I think that's a good thing anyway...
  
  
• The support band, Howling Bells were impressive, and their frontwoman has quite possibly the sexiest female voice I've ever heard (sorry Shirley). She wasn't exactly bad-looking either, and was in possession of fantastic red cowboy boots which were the envy of us all. I really regret not buying their album at the end of the show, but as I'd already bought a Decemberists shirt I thought it might be excessive to buy something else. I am foolish.

• Colin Meloy mocking us for our Oxford accents, saying he couldn't understand unless we spoke in American, which led to him prompting everyone in the venue to yell 'LET'S GO TO THE BARRRRRR!'

• Bassist and guitarist cocking their guitars like guns as the persussion demanded during This Soldiering Life
  

• Tambourine fight between Colin and Jenny. She throws a tambourine to him which sails past his outreached hand and has to be handed to him by the bassist. He then advances on her, brandishing the tambourine, and they start hitting one another's tambourine with their own until his own bejangled weapon falls apart and shiny pieces fall on the heads of the crowd below. Unfortunately I was on the other side of the hall so I have no jingly keepsake of my own, but as our posistions were AWESOME I won't complain.

• ACCORDION SOLO!!
  
  
• The freakout in the Bagman's Gambit which consists of all the band members making as much noise as they can for about 30 seconds before Meloy's voice comes floating in over the top. I think my ears broke a bit during that, but it was worth it.
  

• Also in The Bagman's Gambit, where the tune shifts between two notes before moving on to another chord, then on with the song. In the recorded version, this lasts about 16 beats in total. When they played it live, they held out on those two notes for as long as they could, until people were calling out for them to move on. With a serene little smile, Meloy indicates that he's about to move on, wait for it, wait for it... before moving to the next chord and lingering on that for just as long.
  

A big thanks to Dodge, both for bodyguard duties and for taking up the extra ticket without knowing what was in store- though I trust he was not disappointed. And thanks to Tom for spotting the tickets on sale in the first place, and for generally making my life FANTASTIC.

:)