Last time I was at Evol, I don’t even think it was called Evol…I was 12 and with my mom (because she’s cool like that) watching Miss Kittin DJing, and really don’t remember much of the venue itself. So, for all intents and purposes, last Friday was my first time there – and it was all pretty surreal…

When we arrived, the street was suspiciously quiet and the situation inside only marginally better. There were 4 people at the bar (including the barman) and the place was silent apart from the TV that was on in the background. We waited for our beers and glanced at  the gritty sex scene going on above us. Jess asked me what we were watching, I said it looked like 8 Mile and my bearded neighbour turned and told me I was right. That was about all the smalltalk we could handle at the bar so we decided to explore a bit.

It’s a funny thing being the only people in a strange place…kinda surreal…there was a room at the back full of foosball and pool tables, something neither of us were expecting, and the room overlooking the dancefloor was lined with canvas-covered couches and walls that seemed to cry out for some kind of decoration. We considered all this as we sat and waited for Evol to wake up.

People started to trickle in slowly and the TV was gradually drowned out by talking and then music. The Wild Eyes themselves actually arrived pretty early and, like us, sat around waiting (for a decent-sized crowd I guess). Somewhere after 12, the girl next to me leaned over and said “What’s the name of this club?” I told her (about 4 times)…5 minutes later she leaned over again, “what time is the band playing?” I shrugged and told her I had no idea, but it was a good question…

It was somewhere after 1, when the place seemed as full as it was going to get, that the band took to the stage. Four bars in, the crowd’s reaction was mixed. The guys next to me were clearly in the wrong place and kept screaming mindlessly for dubstep – it was a struggle not to elbow them all in the ribs. Three songs in a guy tapped me on the shoulder, evidently performing a random survey, and asked ‘do you like this music?’ My answer that I loved the band seemed to floor him…it’s not often I feel in the minority for liking the music at a gig.

“Who do you think their crowd is?” Jess asked me as the hecklers started disappearing, leaving holes on the dancefloor, “and where do you think they are?” It was true, though there were some enjoying the music, you got the sense that most people hadn’t really come for the band – it was a really tough crowd, especially for a band seemingly so apathetic to the crowd. Jess found the right word in ‘inaccessible’; they really seem to get a kick out of not being easily accessible. “Play the hits!” someone screamed as they started clearing off the stage. “Fuck the hits” came the reply, I couldn’t help but laugh.

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Watching the Wild Eyes is an experience I’ll always recommend, check out their facebook profile over here.

Photos on Facebook here