We Were Promised Jetpacks – The Cooler

As is our way, the Lad and I turn up at the venue for opening time, conscious that this odd little venue has few spots that give a good view of the low-built stage. We needn’t have worried as for some forty minutes or so we were two of no more than a dozen inside the dubious confines of the Cooler. I must admit for some time I wondered if I had got the wrong date.

Finally spotting a schedule stuck to the wall we learned that there would be no support band tonight (surely there must be countless bands in Bristol keen for a live slot... promoters get your fingers out). Instead there was a DJ type who played a selection of non-offensive but reasonably nondescript tracks for the best part of two hours... ho hum.

Leading up to appearance time there was a steady but slender stream of punters to hear the rather excellent WWPJ – in the end perhaps amounting to, let’s be generous, 100 souls... where was everyone, I can’t be so ahead of the curve as all that, or maybe others aren’t as taken with this collection of young Scots lads as I?

WWPJ tumble down the stairs, through the ’crowd’ and onto the stage at a shade past nine thirty and proceed to blast out a very muscular set that amounts to the whole of their These Four Walls album. It must be hard to give it your all to such a meagre collection of people, but to my mind they did a more than passable attempt – despite being rather hung-over from the previous night in Amsterdam.

Apparently they are weary of playing Quiet Little Voices (see Drowned in Sound interview) but this didn’t show. Hard to pull out favourites but I must admit to being taken by Conductor and Ships with Holes. With just the one album to their name and with it all dispatched, after some words of thanks they exited the stage and back up the stairs at 10.25, leaving us also to make a sharp exit back home.

A slightly odd gig then – WWPJ we fine and enjoyable and you can’t help but think they would be better still with a larger crowd, one that had been warmed up by another band, and then a slightly expanded WWPJ cannon of tracks to hear. Don’t stop now chaps, there is much more to come you can’t help but feel, oh and do come back to Bristol. In the meantime babz54321 has posted a whole series of vids from their show at the Borderline just prior to the Bristol show...

WWPJ Myspace