"All good things must come to an end". It's a saying you hear a lot and there are times in your life when you must deal with great losses. As a music fan, you have to always be prepared to lose great bands as nothing lasts forever and music is an ever-changing thing. However there are times when you get a real shock and must deal with an unexpected end to one of your favourite bands. That happened for me this week.
The Darien Venture have been one of my favourites since I stumbled on their music in late 2008, and first saw them live in early 2009. I still remember the day I found their Myspace (through friends and fellow Ayr band Trapped in Kansas) and was immediately taken by them as they had a song about my favourite movie, Back to the Future. '1.21 Gigawatts' is to this day a go-to song for me when I need to cheer up and has always been a live highlight, it features the catchy hooks that TDV do best. It is also my current ringtone. The song is that good, and I discovered it and the band through good old Myspace. Remember those days?
I could name a good few performances of Darien's that rate highly on top gigs lists, from that first time I saw in Captain's Rest in March 2009 right through to the recent EP launch, with Glasgow Podcart's 2009 Christmas party and Rocktoberfest 2010 right in the middle. Their live shows were always energetic and you could count on the crowd to be right damn rowdy by the time their set would come a close. They never quite had the on-stage banter of other bands but there's definitely memorable moments there too, who else talks about falafel on stage?
Scottish bands have been remarkably kind to me over the years and that includes the TDV boys. Only the second time I saw the band I already received a free t-shirt, just for putting a few videos on YouTube. I still have that t-shirt and you can still watch those videos. They'd always thank me for coming and tease me about the future, as well as just have a good laugh. It's always brilliant when you learn that a band you love are just as brilliant human beings as they are musicians. Liam, Kyle, Jonny and Dave are lovely fellas, as well as very talented.
This band have been one of Glasgow's best hidden gems throughout my entire time knowing them, I've always believed they deserved bigger and better and their recent EP release 'A Kite, A Key and A Storm' (which was my first review on this blog) could definitely have offered them that. I certainly believe that EP was the best thing they've produced and I was eagerly excited for what was to follow it. Unfortunately this is no longer to be, the band is no more. I will always have their music to go back to, as well as countless memories from their shows over the years. The end has completely caught me by surprise, and it wasn't really an end you'd like for some of your favourites but these guys are tough and they are talented and I definitely believe they'll have something else for me to get my teeth into soon. But The Darien Venture will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Thanks for the memories and the music.
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