I know what it’s like to work with your spouse. Sometimes it’s bloody hard work. So Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Walmsley have my respect for being married and managing to front a very, very good band.

Date: October 4, 2015

Venue: Bodega

Being married can be stressful. Being married and working with your spouse can be a real grind. But being married in a band…that takes things to a whole different level.

But for Jeremy Walmsley and Elizabeth Sankey, that’s life. They are Summer Camp when they’re not Mr and Mrs Walmsley sat in front of Corrie eating a curry.

Jeremy, a north London folk troubadour who’s enjoyed minor solo success, and his wife Liz make an art-rock/new wave kind of noise comprised of shared harmonies, 80s-inspired electronica and Jeremy’s skill with his axe, while their cohorts on bass and drums complete the line-up.

Jeremy rocks the geek look, with trademark Lego hair and glasses. His wife, meanwhile, is radiant; sweetly pretty with long, curly brown locks and the voice of an angel.

Their output is a cinematic sweep of odes to love, loss and longing, with each song sounding like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie. Fresh, for example, is pure 80s sass, perfect for The breakfast Clubbers.

Beyond Clueless is actually the soundtrack to the film of the same name (check Netflix), while the clap-happy Better Off Without You is Cyndi Lauper sound tracking an 80s chick-flick.

Their set, although largely excellent, is not without issues. Elizabeth is forced to awkwardly entertain the crowd with tales ranging from Thai food to Sainsburys stocking Christmas crackers in October while her hubby messes about with a laptop cable, to no joy. “This is my worst nightmare”, she utters into the mic, her face etched with a growing annoyance at her partner’s dithering. But actually, this down time gives her the opportunity to engage with us with the afore-mentioned banter and joke about her husband’s ‘dick pics’ being shared via Bluetooth. They weren’t, for anyone planning a search.

They end with Elizabeth in the crowd as they cover Four None Blondes’ What’s Up, a song which many of the crowd won’t remember from 22 years ago. On tonight’s evidence, despite Elizabeth’s “WTF Jeremy!” moment as technology failed them, it appears that marriage is bliss after all.