Neil and I headed up to Cambridge for Scouting for Girls at the Corn Exchange. As with all Cambridge gigs, the night began in Wetherspoons. Tea, a bit of a catch up, lots of people watching, and the quiet understanding that two men of a certain vintage were about to spend the next couple of hours pretending the mid-2000s were only yesterday.
We wandered over to the venue in time to catch both support acts and watched the usual pre-gig ritual unfold. People drifting in slowly, the odd early pint, couples finding their spots near the front. Then suddenly you look around and realise the place is rammed. Oh, a gig is always vastly different when the only liquid to pass your lips is Pepsi Max.
Just before nine the lights dropped and Scouting for Girls walked on to a stage that was more than ready for them.
This tour celebrates fifteen years of Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which is one of those albums where you don’t realise quite how many songs you know until the band starts playing them. Then suddenly every chorus comes back to you like it never left.
Front man Roy Stride still has that easy, cheeky stage presence. Piano pop, big hooks and songs that feel like they’ve been written for nights exactly like this. A man who seems the happiest front man I’ve ever witnessed. You can tell he enjoys every single second.
To me, Scouting for Girls sit in a similar space to Half Man Half Biscuit, just with the sarcasm dialed down a notch. They’ve got that same knack for observing everyday British life, wrapping it up in catchy melodies and sending everyone home humming something.
The set leaned heavily into the hits and the Corn Exchange happily did half the singing for them. Every now and then you’d glance around and see complete strangers belting out the choruses together like old mates.
Heartbeat
Posh Girls
She’s So Lovely
And it struck me halfway through the show that this was exactly the lift I needed.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been a bit flat lately. Nothing dramatic, just one of those periods where everything feels slightly heavy and the spark goes missing. But there’s something about a room full of people singing daft, joyful pop songs at the top of their lungs that resets things a bit.
Two hours later I felt a lot lighter than when I walked in.
They wrapped the night up with “She’s So Lovely”, which turned the entire Corn Exchange into one big sing-along. It was the perfect way to end it.
By the time Neil and I made our way back to the car I had “Posh Girls” stuck in my head and that familiar post-gig buzz you get after a really good night out.
Home just before midnight.
A brilliant evening and, if I’m honest, exactly the mood-lifter I needed.
Sometimes a couple of hours of uncomplicated pop music does the job better than anything else.
Thanks as always to Neil for the company and the driving.
Setlist
- Famous
- Little Miss Naughty
- On the Radio
- This Ain’t a Love Song
- Gotta Keep Smiling / Come on Eileen
- 1+1
- Silly Song
- Posh Girls
- Take a Chance / Sing Along
- It’s Not About You (Acoustic)
- I Wish I Was James Bond
- The Missing Part
- These Are the Good Days
- Heartbeat
- Butterflies
- Elvis Ain’t Dead
Encore
- Michaela Strachan
- She’s So Lovely
