Venue:
Portland Arms – Cambridge
Date: 07/05/2026
Well that’s a band I want to see again! Great fun. Despite the fairly low turn out, the band showed great enthusiasm and the songs (even the very new ones) were all delivered slickly with tongues often firmly in cheeks.
There’s already a long list of bands that are cited in the “if you like this then try Barbara” category such as Divine Comedy and ABBA but I would add Sparks and Deaf School to the list. I think it’s probably impossible for me to dislike a band with “bop showaddy” and “oo bop” in the backing vocals along with the constant harmonies.
One major problem/gripe though. The doors opened at 7:30. The main (only) act was on stage at 8pm!!! Now I have no real problem with this but that is not convention. There was nothing on the band or venue social media (that I could find anyway) that gave any warning of this. I missed the first couple of songs. The timings showed doors open at 7:30pm, finish time was shown as 11pm. With no warning, I think even starting at 8:30pm is a little (unconventionally) early. It was all over by 9:10pm. Personally, I’m in favour of early starts and it meant, with my drive back to Bedford (and negotiation of overnight roadworks) I was home by 10:30 and I’d be happy to do that more often. Portland Arms still remains one of my favourite venues but they’ve blotted their copybook slightly. Is it just me?
The audience:
I was surprised that the average age of the audience seemed very high, I’m not sure if there was anyone under 50 there. Perhaps the Spotify algorithm is failing the band. I know that’s the only way I would have heard of them.
It made me think..
How do bands that don’t fit into a particular category make inroads in this day and age?
Rock City in Nottingham has early starts. We went to see The Undertones supported by The Men They Couldn’t Hang and another band. We missed the first band, on at 6.30pm and barely made TMTCH at 7.10pm, having asked the lovely Marianne, merch lady for The Men for stage times on Facebook. Fortunately, she is very responsive as there didn’t appear to be any other info available.
Undertones were on about 8.30 and all over by 10pm I think.
I had same experience at Rock City. Went to see Baxter Dury support Primal Scream.
Missed half of his set because of the ridiculously early start time that wasn’t published. Then to top it all Primal Scream were awful. Left early and won’t be going back. Dreadful venue.
It’s because of the club nights afterwards.
I’ve seen both ACR and Field Music at the Rescue Rooms (essentially the bar round the back of Rock City) on Saturday nights.
Doors 7, support 7:30, headliner 8:30, end 10pm. There were lots of young people in too little clothing waiting to go in as I was leaving.
It suits me as I can drive back to Cambridge and be looking at the insides of my eyelids before I turn into a pumpkin.
It used to be similar at the Scala in King’s Cross. Early(ish) finish and swift turfing out to get the clubbers in.
Yes, handy for catching the last fast train home and getting to bed by midnight, rather than the slow train and home at 1:30am.
Very little attracts me up to London nowadays.
Is that the one that always ended with the Fall’s “Totally Wired?”
In response to the OP, I’ve had a very quick dig.
It seems the band booked the venue direct, without engaging a local promoter*, and didn’t arrange a support themselves. In which case, they can go on whenever they like.
Perhaps they wanted an early getaway to head off to their next gig in Liverpool.
(*) I live 10 minutes from the Portland Arms and I knew nothing about it.
Thanks for that insight. The sad thing is that, to me as a standard punter, it reflects badly on an excellent venue. I’m glad this wasn’t my first visit! The early start could be for any number of valid reasons but I think that it’s just courtesy to let us know the timings when they’re unusual after all. It’s not as if there are no channels available! I was lucky that my route to Cambridge was due to be closed after 8pm so I made sure I set off earlier than I normally would have done.
Seems odd to organise a tour and not promote it widely. I think I must have had a notification from Spotify as clearly it wouldn’t have been on any of Cambridge promoters emails that I get regularly.
I always find the event on FB, and the stage times are usually posted on there after the afternoon soundcheck.
I saw Van Morrison once in New York. On the ticket it said 7.30 SHARP. He actually started a minute or two before that. People were wandering in at 8.30 beers in hand trying to find their seats. Show ended at 9.
Yes, start and finish times should be clear. At the same time, I can see why venues might opt for an early start and finish time, if a significant proportion of the audience are driving and presumably won’t be spending much at the bar.
Ironically, I was planning to get a pint but when the band was already on when I arrived, I opted to forgo it to avoid missing any more of the gig.
No one seems to know anything about the band ‘Barbara’ neither do I. But I am aware of them how I don’t remember but I have 2 E.P.s by the band and they are great examples of great pop music. I get the Divine Comedy/Sparks comparisons, however Barbara are a bit more ‘poppy’ which really isn’t a genre that I’m a fan of. Then again if it’s good…
Just back from seeing Public Service Broadcasting here in Singapore.
Tickets said 8pm (no mention of doors). Band started at 8pm. Good job we actually arrived 5 mins before the start time. I usually expect about 30 mins after published start time.
I got one of theirs on the recent CD Swapathon (so-called because one of us still hasn’t come up with the goods) and very good it was too. The one with the soundtrack quotes (Leslie Howard channeling R. J. Mitchell) from the First Of The Few/Spitfire movie. Spiffing stuff! Do they do that one live?
They certainly do.
Here’s a clip from the NZ leg that proceeded their arrival in Singapore (I don’t see any clips from last nights concert yet)
What did you think of PSB? I saw them about 18 months ago and while I enjoyed them, I don’t think I need to see them again.
I think they’re exceptionally good. They have adopted a signature idea and have been able to adapt and mould it thrillingly into a wide-raging series of contexts, all of which being wonderfully evocative in different ways, from the visceral tension of the Race For Space material to the more reflective dreamscapes of The Last Flight. It’s also no harm that they are gifted musicians.
I thought they were excellent.
It helped that I’m a fan of their records anyway. But good small venue (only about 300 capacity) with good sound (it wasn’t mixed too loud like some small venues) and a great setlist covering most of their albums made for a very good concert.
As @black-type says below, they are all very good musicians
I saw them in Brisbane last week, and thought they were brilliant. I particularly liked, you can see it in the NZ vid above, how they had a guy on stage filming with a tiny camera, and it was then displayed on the screens in real time. Hardly anyone there, possibly due to the Deftones playing the same night.
Pop music should be like sport… ‘we are going to start at 8 p.m.’ = the thing starts at 8 p.m.
No exceptions to the rule.
If that had been the norm over the years, I’d have gone to a lot more concerts.
I’ve been soooo bored at so many venues just waiting for it to start.
Completely agree re start times and going to more concerts…I can’t tolerate waiting about these days, especially at a standing gig. For starters it’s too physically challenging with a bad back and having had a knee replacement and secondly it’s just a bit, we’ll, rude.
Well you have to wait for the artists to either sober up or for the drug dealer to visit. Stones at Shepherds Bush Empire in 1999 was the former, Ronnie Wood being the culprit. I think support Sheryl Crowe finished around 9, Stones came on after 10.30, great show especially in such a small venue for them, but by the time it was over The Tube had stopped running. Expensive taxi right across town to my hotel. Mark Ellen was stood right in front of me
I remember asking the promoter at a Davy Spillane concert what time he was coming on “When we’ve sobered him up”
At another concert Iain Matthews came on the next day as it was after 12 to do his encore.
I’ve been following Barbara since I saw them supporting Haircut 100 in 2023. I also saw them last year at our local theatre/live arts venue in Beverley, and will be there for their return this November. They are very much a cottage-industry outfit, and hitherto have conducted all their management, promotion, marketing, distribution etc between themselves and perhaps a handful of friends. This has been endearing as they always provide a personal touch and little extras in all their communications, which I feel creates a great sense of connection.
I’m on their socials and emailing list, and am aware that, presumably because they are growing in recognition and popularity, they have been putting the word out that they are looking for a manager. Not sure about the current state of this, but such an appointment may enable such issues as those described above to be addressed. However, I do hope that any ‘progress’ into becoming a more professional outfit doesn’t undermine their enormous quantity of charm and whimsy.
Nothing at all wrong with early-start gigs as long as it’s publicised. Very bad form to not publicise an early start.
The pub jazz gigs I go to on Sunday evenings start (fairly) promptly at 7pm. Finish around 9:15. They advise punters to arrive by 6:30 if they want to order food. The timing is to do with the pub’s music license. A lot of Sunday evening pub gigs start early because of licensing conditions.
Generally, a lot of venues don’t really like to tell you the start time, rarely before 8:30 if it’s just one band/artist, because they want you to be in buying your drinks there and not up the road somewhere, before the band(s) come on. Less drinks are going to be sold once the music starts (until the intermission, anyway).
Just discovered Bab’s online site and bought the debut album.