Photo: Press
Held at the Relentless No. 5 Denmark Street in central London, Goffey himself seemed pleasantly surprised by the rapturous reception the gig received. With friends and family watching (and making up part of his band), the likes of Rhys Ifans, Andy Burrows and Gemma Cairney certainly seemed impressed. "It's like my birthday," Goffey deadpans, eyeing the crowd of familiar faces, including his son Frank, the charismatic star of the debut Vangoffey video 'Race Of Life'.
Below: Vangoffey 'Race Of Life'
Having previously played huge venues with both Supergrass and Babyshambles, Goffey clearly relished the opportunity to get up close and personal with a crowd. A touch nervous about debuting his new project ("My first ever gig playing at the front of the stage...I wish I was over there" he said, pointing towards his more natural position behind the drum kit) the songs quality shines through.
Vangoffey began with a series of jangly, thoughtful guitar pop. 'Trials Of A Modern Man' discusses the difficulties of juggling demands from work and family while 'Episodes' had a huge heft and a killer chorus - expect it to clobber indie dancefloors in the future.
After one false start (which he dealt with graciously), Goffey then introduced 'Race For Life' with a modest "This is Frankie's one". Even without his son's besuited lip-syncing to accompany it, the Blockheads' groove had heads nodding. Two further tracks followed - a vaguely euphoric Suede-esque number "Phil's Dummy" and "You You You", a track that features a spot-on sample that skewers a coke-addled chancer.
Below: Listen to You You You by Vangoffey
As the band completed their short set, someone behind Gigwise cried out "Five more songs!" They weren't alone. A genuinely thrilling live debut, we can't wait to hear what they do next.
Vangoffey's Race Of Life is out now on iTunes.
VanGoffey played:
Episodes
Trials Of A Modern Man
You You You
Race Of Life
Phils Dummy
