You want Weird Wednesday? We’ll show you Weird Wednesday!
Let’s start with the venue. The Purple Turtle gained a certain amount of international notoriety in 2017 when CCTV caught footage of a man casually walking into the Reading pub after having been knocked over by an out-of-control bus outside. As anyone who has ever spent any time in the Berkshire town will attest, this is the sort of thing that could only happen at the Turtle. It’s a lot more upmarket than it used to be, and a cracking spot for live music, but weird shit is the norm here, and that’s just the way it is.
Then there’s tonight’s headliner, Tea Eater. Led by rubber-chicken-toting Gustaf percussionist Tarra Thiessen, and billed on their own website as a ”weirdo band from Brooklyn”, the New York art-punks have blessed us with two undeniably quirky albums, containing such song titles as ‘ET vs Jesus’, ‘Invasion Of The Bee Girls’, and ‘Cosmic Coconut’. You get the picture.
The unusual subject matter only tells part of the story, though. Their recent second album, I Don’t Believe In Bad Luck, is one of the best rock albums of the year so far. It rocks heartily, it has great variety, and it’s incredibly well written. In terms of style, start at early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, add a little Breeders, and a bit of early-’90s alt/grunge, and you get somewhere close. The result is an album that is fun, thought-provoking, and exhilarating in equal measure.
Tonight is night nine of a sixteen date run across Europe, and the first in a country where tea is something that is eaten as well as drunk. Thiessen appears disappointed to learn that her band’s name actually makes some kind of sense here. Sorry, Tarra!
The trio, with Thiessen being joined on this tour by bassist Vram Kherlopian and drummer Charmaine Queroi, begin their set by putting their hoods over their heads and spinning, Ring A Ring O’ Roses style, around the area in front of the stage. Some folks wandering through from the bar to the beer garden look confused. Bless them.
For the small-but-enthusiastic group of folks who are actually here for the show, though, the fun starts quickly. Opener ‘Cecilia’ is a rattling garage rock blast, ‘Jack Nicholson’ is a touching homage to the movie As Good As It Gets, and ‘Little White Dog (In A Gated Community)’ is a lovely psychadelic swoon, in the style of the Dandy Warhols.
The positive vibes that emanate from this band are palpable. Even while singing the punk rock rebellion of ‘Fuck The DMV’, the band are full of smiles. They are here to have FUN, and their joy is hugely infectious.
Thiessen goes full Karen O on ‘The Waffle Song’, if Karen O sang songs about car salesmen from Mars who like waffles. Like everything else tonight, it’s catchy as anything, and totally charming.
Definitely the highlight of the night, though, is the crowd participation on ‘You Again’. Thiessen mock-accusingly repeats the title phrase to each audience member in turn. As the crowd cotton on to this, they come up with some very funny expressions in response, particularly on the second or third time around. Very well played Reading, absolutely brilliant.
Tea Eater are a little weird, it is true, but they are just so much more than that. Musically, they are incredibly accomplished, and their songs are terrific. Above all, though, they are an incredibly fun live act.
As we all walk away at the end with our Illumina-TEA membership cards – which I may or may not have almost accidentally deposited in the payment machine at the Oracle Car Park afterwards – we are just full of joy. This is definitely a club that you’ll want to be a member of.
