PIP BLOM + PREGOBLIN – CHALK, BRIGHTON 20.2.24
Pip Blom is a Dutch singer songwriter who fronts an Amsterdam-based indie guitar band of the same name, signed to Heavenly Records. The band’s third full length album ‘Bobbie’, released on 20th October 2023, marks something of a shift of direction. Whilst retaining their guitars, the current three-piece lineup eschews live drums in favour of samples and programming, and utilises a range of gadgetry to produce a punchy powerful modern electronic rock sound that still retains a quirky indie charm. The combination seems popular, with the latest release generally well received. The band has been touring extensively to promote it, and tonight’s show at Chalk, promoted by Love Thy Neighbour, is the thirteenth date of the UK leg. They have one more show in London before heading around mainland Europe.
I arrive shortly after doors open at 7pm to take up my customary position on the barrier, only to find there isn’t one. The venue staff obviously think we’re going to behave ourselves. The stage is decorated in an artily minimalist way, with three large geometric shapes: a triangle, a rhombus and a parallelogram, if you like that sort of thing. I’m more interested in a stylish perspex drum kit, set up house right.
First up tonight, we have a bit of a treat in the form of PREGOBLIN, the project of Alex Sebley. The name is a play on pregabalin, an anti-anxiety drug that Alex used as a recovering heroin addict. A debut album, mischievously titled ‘PREGOBLIN II’ is due for release this Friday, 23rd February 2024. I’m immediately interested due to the main man’s connections as a Fat White Family collaborator. A co-writer of the hit ‘Touch The Leather’, he has also previously played with Lias and Nathan Saoudi in The Saudis. I have slightly mixed feelings as Alex’s previous recorded output seems eclectic to say the least, but any apprehension quickly dissipates when current Fat White Family guitarist Adam Brennan walks on stage and starts tuning up a white Strat. Taking his place behind the perspex kit is Sam Toms, better known as the drummer of psych band Temples. Dex Krenal straps on a violin bass, looking super-retro with big hair and a denim sherpa jacket. Alex walks on clad all in black, his blonde hair and dark sunglasses visually reminiscent of Julian Cope during his Scott Walker phase.
They open with ‘Roma’, a languid chorusy strum embellished with tumbling tom fills and lovely “oooh” backing vocals. It reminds me a little of The Velvet Underground, at least until a heavy psych playout of gloriously sustained guitar gets going. This is good stuff, and it’s a shame that the room is still filling up at this point, although the punters who are here are cheering enthusiastically. ‘Sort It Out’ is more upbeat, with a garage-psych vibe. Adam and Dexter provide a high “ooh la la”, and the end section again showcases some superb guitar, this time in a clipped trebly staccato. ‘Love Letters’ is slow, with a beautifully catchy refrain and occasional bursts of wailing lead, and Alex jangles some additional guitar on the vibey ‘Gangsters’.
There’s a nice glissando bass riff underpinning ‘Wimpy’, and the vibe is enhanced by Alex joining in on a slide whistle. Louis Armstrong sometimes played one, apparently, although readers of my age would immediately associate the sound with 1960s children’s TV show ‘The Clangers’. Alex apologises at the end for forgetting the words, although I hadn’t noticed, and I would forgive him anyway for reminding me of the much loved hamburger chain of my childhood: “I took her to a Wimpy, to show her my wimpy love.” Sam alternates rim shots and rack tom hits on ‘Snakes And Oranges’, another cracking tune. ‘Big Hitters’ starts slowly with a drawled vocal, and builds steadily to become increasingly Bowie-esque. The false ending doesn’t fool this savvy audience. The set concludes with the splendidly upbeat ‘These Hands’, the recorded version of which features Pete Doherty, no less. Alex is holding his mic stand high above his head, clearing the ventilation ducting of detritus from a previous confetti cannon blast, and the naggingly catchy vocal line is going to be stuck in my head for a while. “What are the little boys afraid of? They wanna be in bands cos they wanna be famous.” Of course we do. I’ve really enjoyed PREGOBLIN and can’t wait to hear the album.
PREGOBLIN:
Alex Sebley – vocals, guitar
Adam Brennan – guitar, vocals
Dexter Krenal – bass, vocals
Sam Toms – drums
PREGOBLIN setlist:
‘Roma’ (from 2024 ‘Pregoblin II’ album)
‘Sort It Out Down There’ (from 2024 ‘Pregoblin II’ album)
‘Love Letters’ (a 2020 single)
‘Gangsters’ (a 2020 single)
‘Wimpy’ (from 2024 ‘Pregoblin II’ album)
‘Snakes And Oranges’ (a 2020 single)
‘Big Hitters’ (from 2024 ‘Pregoblin II’ album)
‘These Hands AKA Danny Knife’ (from 2024 ‘Pregoblin II’ album)
The stage is set for the main event, with the geometric shapes now lit up and looking rather beautiful. The drums are cleared away, and the three players’ positions are set, each with half a flight case of electronic gizmos up on a keyboard stand. House right, gear geeks, is a Studiologic midi bass pedal, a sort of keyboard you play with your feet! I’m intrigued to hear that in action. House left is a set of drum pads, and at the back of the stage, a large touring flight case is sheltering a whole selection of guitars.
The room is pretty full now, and Pip Blom take the stage to enthusiastic cheering and launch into opener ‘Is This Love?’ Pip herself is centre stage, in a black dress with a matching Fender Mustang guitar. Her brother Tender is house left, sporting a nascent curly mullet and playing a blue Jazzmaster. I can see his flight case contains a control surface of brightly lit pads for launching sampled sounds. House right is Darek, a moustachioed figure in a blue polo shirt, who starts off on keyboards but soon straps on a Precision bass. The sing-song vocal line of the first number sits nicely over lovely flurries of rounded synth notes, and when the thudding rhythm parts kick in, the sound becomes epically massive. ‘Again’ has a poppy groove with an absolutely thumping sound. All this line-level gear chucks some serious output over a wide frequency range, and down the front it’s blooming’ loud.
“There are so many of you!” exclaims Pip, surveying the crowd before launching the brisk ‘I Can Be Your Man’. The bass pedal gets a run out during ‘7 Weeks’. It’s not easy to discern exactly what it’s triggering amongst the general morass of skittering electronics, but I’m seriously impressed by Darek’s deft operation of the unit. I can barely get it together to press a foot switch whilst playing bass, so can only marvel at someone who can play a separate keyboard line with their feet. Better not take me to see Rush, then. The disembodied drummer is doing a good job with some builds below the “start again” vocal motif.
Pip is considering how many times the band has played Brighton. “I think it’s about twenty times,” she speculates. “More than we’ve ever played in Amsterdam!” On ‘Not Tonight’, Tender is getting busy on the drum pads whilst Pip gets some heavy riffing underway on her low strings. I like the pop-rap feel of ‘Daddy Issues’, and there’s an appropriate wash of red light to accompany Pip’s breathy vocal on ‘Kiss Me By The Candlelight’.
‘School’ has a different feel to most of the material so far, being an earlier number from 2017. It’s a good old three chord thrash with some nifty stops. The crowd are getting into it and there’s a bit of dancing down at the front. There’s a really cute moment between numbers when Pip directs the audience’s attention to the merch seller at the back of the room. It’s Pip and Tender’s mum! Keep it in the family, eh? ‘Brand New Car’ has a lurching groove, and Tender is launching all manner of sampled sounds from his extensive control surface. The bass-led ‘Fantasies’ is very electronic, and then we’re back to guitars over the insistent throb of ‘Where’d You Get My Number?’. There’s a very stylish move where all three players take off their guitars simultaneously and move to their respective workstations. It turns out to be the last number of the main set, and the band leaves the stage briefly.
The calls for more are accompanied by an electronic thud and a flashing light show on the suspended geometric shapes. The band returns and plays a further four numbers, starting with the suitably bouncy ‘Tiger’. I’m rather taken with the catchy chorus and indie clang of ‘Babies Are A Lie’ and the bass-driven ‘Get Back’, with Darek riffing high up the neck. The lighting flits manically, and there’s a trippy breakdown to conclude song, set, and a fun evening’s entertainment.
Pip Blom:
Pip Blom – vocals, guitar, electronics
Tender Blom – guitar, vocals, control surface, drum pads
Darek Mercks – bass, keyboards, midi foot pedals
Pip Blom setlist:
‘Is This Love?’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘Again’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘I Can Be Your Man’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
7 Weeks’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘Not Tonight’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘Keep It Together’ (from 2022 ‘Welcome Break’ album)
‘Daddy Issues’ (from 2019 ‘Boat’ album)
‘Red’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘Kiss Me By The Candlelight’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘School’ (a 2017 single)
‘Brand New Car’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘Fantasies’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘Where’d You Get My number?’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
(encore)
‘Tiger’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
‘Come Home’ (a 2018 single)
‘Babies Are A Lie’ (a 2017 single)
‘Get Back’ (from 2023 ‘Bobbie’ album)
