- Live Reviews
Two firsts for me on Saturday night - this was the first gig I had attended in the back of the Brudenell (the Games Room) and secondly, I think the first gig I had been to where the audience for the support bands were bigger than for the main act.
It became clear that during the set of first band called, oddly (and dreadfully) Porl Whos, that they had bought a lot of family and friends to watch, especially as they are Leeds based and it was drummer Matt’s birthday. What wasn’t dreadful however was the noise they were making, and each song of the 30 minute set seemed to increase the noise and rapture of the audience, even the spaghetti western style instrumental. Think a young Arctic Monkeys, with swagger and confidence beyond their years, and you won’t be far off.
And talking of confidence, Doncaster’s Bang Bang Romeo have that in spades, especially their sassy vocalist Anastasia Walker. With a soulful bellow, similar to that of Alabama Shakes’s Brittany Howard, they also had the crowd rocking and rolling as the temperature inside the club neared sweatbox levels. Check out fabulous single Johannesburg.
And so to the main act of John J Presley, who along with drummer and keyboard player, sloped onto stage almost unnoticed to a crowd of approximately half of what it had been an hour and a half ago. Sadly most of them had decamped to the bar next door to continue the birthday party; however their loss was our gain.
Looking somewhere between Father John Misty and Josh T Pearson, the Birmingham based heavily bearded dude sure can play a down and dirty guitar. With a sound that his Facebook profile suggests is blues alt noir, the atmosphere changed drastically from what had come before, with an intensity you get from a growling vocal over an overdriven blues rocking guitar.
The keyboards and even a squeezebox used occasionally add another dimension to the sound however, which keeps the music varied and interesting. The fabulous single Honeybee then lead into Come to Me and the tremendous slide guitar gets an outing. The size of the crowd was irrelevant as the 11 song set ended with I'll At Ease, and clearly everyone had enjoyed the different level of musicianship we had just witnessed.
Intense, sweaty, dirty, fuzzy, at times psychedelic, and always compelling….looking forward now to that debut album.
Keith @kjsmith4082
- Live Reviews
What a show, what a band and it's only Tuesday night. Sentiments often quite rightly chanted after any gig by Danny and the Champions of the World on any day of the week.
This particular Tuesday we are at my old hometown venue, the delightful Colchester Arts Centre. An old church, now with a bar and a stage instead of pews. It has been transformed for many years now and is a fine venue and well worth a visit.
First up tonight was Magic Number, Michele Stoddart in Americana guise with an electric guitarist by her side. Certainly an additional string to her bow. Sweet songs and a charming couple.
A quick turn-a-round and Danny and the Champions of the World are on before 9pm. What follows is close on two hours of "The sensible Job" (the alternative is "running away with the circus" apparently), which means the six piece including a pedal steel and a Sax player blast through their ever increasing catalogue of good humoured riotous Americana.
Danny's voice gets gravellier and his enthusiasm for the task at hand seems to grow with every tour. This is a band that rarely rests and when they do, they are usually in the studio recording a new record as with this year's LP 'What Kind of Love'.
You will find that many of the songs are stories either, from the road or about the many facets of love and in love with the band the audience certainly are, after 20 minutes the crowd are dancing and at the two thirds point of the gig, we are all led on a Tuesday night conga around the venue by the band's Sax player.
A more brilliant and down to earth band as you could ever wish to encounter. Make sure you see them, next time they are in your town.
Pete
- Live Reviews
It was a cold 8th October 1994 when the Holy Bible tour arrived at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, fast forward 21 years and it's a cold and wet 1st June 2015 outside the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, inside Manic Street Preachers are performing 'The Holy Bible' album in full. At least a couple of things have changed in 21 years, the quantity of camouflage netting has increased about ten-fold as it now covers four sides of the stage and extends out over the audience and more significantly there is a gap and no microphone stage right, where Richey Edwards once stood.
'The Holy Bible' is largely the words of the troubled, challenging but often astonishing mind of Richey Edwards. It covers themes such as prostitution, racism, suicide, The Holocaust, self-starvation and it contains lots of words, so many that to fit the meter of the songs they are spat out like machine-gun fire which increases the anger and intensity of listening to, and I assume playing it demands.
Rather than a support band tonight we have a DJ set from music journalist and Manics biographer Simon Price. The tracks played appear to be a Manics approved list consisting of Public Enemy, Big Country, The Stones, The Mighty Wah!, Magazine, Dead Kennedys, Guns'n'Roses and as a finale with a little local flavour, Black Sabbath which generates a sing along to 'War Pigs'.
The stage lights turn from blue to red and The Chemical Brothers remix of 'Faster' welcomes the band on stage dressed in a 2015 reboot of the military gear they wore in 1994. James Dean Bradfield approaches the microphone “Hello Wolverhampton. We are Manic Street Preachers and this is The Holy Bible”. The blistering guitar riff which opens 'Yes' starts the enthusiastic leaping down the front, the chorus of ' ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart' is sung back to the band with surprising vigour. James apologises for The Holy Bible not being a party album but promises a more celebratory second half of the show.
'Revol' a song about perceived emotional failings of a list of political leaders is dedicated by Nicky Wire to “ the high cheekbones and brilliant intellect of Richey Edwards who once stood on this very stage”. Richey gets another mention as James informs us that 'This is Yesterday' was written on Richey's guitar which he then uses to play the track.
I should mention the unassuming presence of Sean Moore who hammers away on his drum kit throughout the show, driving the live sound along and leaving space for James to solo over the rhythm. There's a fine example of Sean's playing on 'PCP ', the last track on the album, which is introduced by Nicky “ let's fucking punk this up, PCP”. As the song ends there's a collective exhalation and an emotional and physical escape from the intensity of the first hour as a stream of sweaty bodies head to the bars.
After a 10 minutes break James re-appears dressed in a more sombre jacket, shirt and tie for his regular solo spot, tonight it's 'The Everlasting' from 'This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours', which James strums along to a click track and the audience sing most of the words.
The remainder of the band return now bolstered by regular contributors Nick Nasmyth on keyboards and Wayne Murray on rhythm guitar and backing vocals for the party section of the show. Nicky goes the opposite direction to James on the dress code with glittery face paint, a designer version of your favourite teenage denim jacket with band patches and studs on the shoulders all topped off with a white, sea captain's hat.
'Motorcycle Emptiness' revs the crowd up, Nicky is duck-walking around the stage like Chuck Berry during 'Walk Me To The Bridge'. The first surprise of the party set is the inclusion of 'Condemned to Rock 'n' Roll' which is the final track on their debut album and features a lengthy instrumental with a epic guitar solo.
A double whammy of 'Your Love Alone Is Not Enough' and 'You Stole The Sun From My Heart' played live feel superior to the recorded versions as they become more of a celebration of the emotional and physical connection between the band and the audience, whether it's the call and response sing along of the former, or James and Nicky leaping along with the audience during the chorus drop “ but you stole the sun from my heart, you stole the sun from my heart” in the later. In fact the band have talked about “losing it” in the act of performance and these two tracks illustrate this perfectly.
It's an odd choice then to drop the atmosphere with 'Golden Platitudes' from ' Postcards From a Young Man' which is a pleasant, reflective tune , but feels like the party pooper in this set. Fortunately the guitar intro to Ozzy's 'Crazy Train' leads us into the confrontational, attention- demanding, snotty post-punk of 'You Love Us' with Nicky scissor–kicking along to the chorus.
“... may all your gods go with you, this is A Design For Life” inevitably ends the show for the final, arms in the air sing along to the anthem of class conflict and solidarity amongst the working class.
The split set highlights what remains so special about the Manics, that they manage to combine songs with some difficult, or confrontational themes like those on 'The Holy Bible', with the celebratory, big tunes played in the second half . If you can give people something which might make them think or question, and have a celebration whilst doing that, then that's the best of both worlds
Alisdair Whyte
- Live Reviews
Just a couple of days after the controversy surrounding Mark Kozelek’s comments about a female journalist during the show at the Barbican in London, most of the pre gig chat in the car park prior to the doors opening, is what the heck was going to happen tonight, and which version of Mark Kozelek was going to turn up ?
Having been rescheduled from late last year when the band missed a connecting flight, and upgraded in size from the Brudenell, tonight's slightly surreal venue was the 800 seated capacity Irish Centre, best known as hosting Indoor League with Fred Trueman in the 70’s.
With no support, the latest 4 piece band and version of Sun Kil Moon took the stage promptly at 8.30, including the wonderful Neil Halstead on guitar, and the place fell silent….the tension was palpable as Kozelek took to the stage last, then quite carefully and deliberately rearranged his equipment, drink, towel, checked the tuning on his guitar, then approached the mic…with a whispered “hey folks”, they launched into Marietta, from his 2013 with Desertshore……wow ! We’re off…. So the song ended to rapturous applause, which was appreciated and thanked for, then the first chat with the audience about he hadn’t visited Leeds for 12 years, and it was nice, but “is it an over 55 year old community ?” , referring to the mainly balding, middle aged men audience, but said with a smile….He was joking folks ! He knows how to joke!
One thing to mention was that the entire show was electric, and there wasn’t an acoustic guitar used all night, so the songs were ever so slightly rearranged from the album versions, and in some cases for the better, including songs from latest album Universal Themes which your reviewer is still bitterly disappointed with..Quality not quantity Mr Kozelek please.
After the wonderful Carissa from 2014’s Benji album (“my masterpiece”…ironically stated, but it is), the first surprise of the evening was sprung on us when Justin Broadrick arrived on stage, thankfully not to play Napalm Death “songs” but to accompany Kozelek on Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes. Then quickly followed THE surprise of the evening, when following joking with Broadrick about now playing I Got You Babe, a young girl from the audience shouted out "play it" so quick as a flash, she was invited up on stage and they sang the duet…Go on Uncut - report on that…
So back to serious stuff, and the gruelling The Possum and Ali/Spinks 2 from the new album were endured before the beautiful He Always Felt Like Dancing from him album with Jimmy Lavelle from the Album Leaf was played. Fabulous.
4 more songs were interspersed with moans about his age, how tiring some were to play, how Halstead never puts on weight, how lovely the audience were and how hot it was, and the 2 hour mark had been reached.
I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love and Caroline were the 2 encores, and again he was quite wonderfully magnanimous about how lucky he was to be sharing these songs up on stage with his friends and to a lovely audience who were neither “heckling nor hassling” him.
I make no apologies of being a fan boy of Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon and the “very bad man" himself, nor do I excuse any off colour things he may have said, but let's lay off him eh ? I guess the spotlight is firmly on him, and any aspect of his behaviour is analysed and scrutinised under a microscope, and perhaps that’s deliberate from his side….any publicity is good publicity right ?
Tonight was wonderful, memorable, charming (best behaviour perhaps), emotional and long overdue. Controversy ? What controversy.?
Keith
Set
Mariette
Micheline
Hey You Bastards I'm Still Here
Carissa
Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes
I Got You Babe
The Possum
Ali/Spinks 2
He Always Felt Like Dancing
I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same
Dogs
Little Rascals
This Is My First Day and I'm Indian and I Work at a Gas Station
Encore:
I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love
Caroline
- Live Reviews
Considering the fact most of us would have thought the chance to see Ride again had vanished years ago, the fact that I am typing this is a small miracle.
I worked for years in record shops filled with employees who loved the band but never got a chance to see them, they were far too young. Here was our chance, all together, many of us who have moved on from retail and have families and new jobs, all here at the Danforth Music Hall to see Ride!!
The last time they played here, it was 1992. That year they played the same venue (RPM) twice, first with Lush (the show that I attended but can remember very little other then it was very loud and Ride may have played a much shorter set!) and the second, a show I missed that they played with Slowdive
Years later there were rumours of a reunion show at our NXNE music festival but that was just a rumour and nothing came of it
So here we are, in my favourite venue in the city, hoping we get the show we have heard so much about. Reviews from friends and online video reveal the potential of a pretty special night but is it wise to anticipate the same? Setting myself up for a fall?
Not a chance!
The sold out crowd gets treated to a fantastic 2 hour set of what seemed like everyone's favourites. I stood at the back of the venue and watched as friends and strangers looked at each other with that astonished " I can't believe I am hearing/seeing this" look on their faces.
I sat back marvelling at how great they sound...I don't recall them ever sounding this great but from the opener "leave them all behind" into "like a daydream" into "polar bear" and "seagull" all coming at you with a sweet wave of harmonies and fantastic drumming and guitar. We are barely 20 minutes in and the place is going bonkers.
It's pretty tough to pick my favourites from the night, "OX4" or "Vapour Trail" or the blistering "Drive Blind" or "Chelsea Girl", just how does one choose?
It really was a very, very special night at the Danforth Music Hall and to top it off? They end with a fantastic version on Stooges " I Wanna Be your Dog"
Looking back at the set list it really is all a blur when you add in "Sennen" "Cool your Boots" "Black nite Crash" "Natural Grace" "Twisterella" "Dreams Burn Down" "Time of Her Time" "Chromeo Waves" "Paralysed" "Taste" " and “Mousetrap".
I have read a number of reviews of the same show and at least two reviewers were so overwhelmed by the show, they apologised to their readers and said they got so excited they forgot to write notes and take any photos
That pretty much sums up the show and thankfully in a post gig conversation, we heard of a possible return visit in the Fall. Perhaps then I may try to take a photo or two!
Jim @totolondon
- Live Reviews
Camden’s Black Heart is a bijoux music venue resting in the shadows of the rock haunt Underworld, very much the junior venue. However last Sunday it was rocked to its core with a tech metal festival worthy of its more muscular sibling. Supporting the mighty Malefice on their nine date warm up tour was the very impressive Londoners Exist Immortal.
Touring on the back of their recent Darkness of an Age album (please see our recent review) this 5 piece certainly knew how to tease and please a packed Sunday crowd. It was the last night of the tour but, even so, they delivered an immense amuse bouche selection of pure metal power, in what seemed like the small back parlor of Ozzy’s quirky garden folly.
Pre-set the partisan crowd was already in the party mood and ready to deliver themselves into vocalist Meyrick’s hairy palms. Not happy until the whole room was rammed up against the stage did he declare the proceedings open with Imperator and a threat that no head was to be left unbanged for the next hour.
The set was very much the best of the album and delivered at such a level it felt that Armageddon had arrived with all the horses. Nice surprises too, as Will (friend of the band) guested on vocals for Liberator as Sam Rudderforth, who featured on the album track had not toured, and what a performance as he took his vocals from the stage to foray into the baying crowd. The set ended with a celebration as long time guitarist “Monty” announced he was leaving the band and tonight was his swansong, at which point the head banging went up to 11 in his honour for Omen Machine.
Monty will be missed but this band will go from strength to strength. This was not a venue too far but a venue far too small to contain the mind-blowing power of Exist Immortal. If you like it louder than hell then, like me, you’ll want to hear them. Speaking with Meyrick afterwards it was strange to hear him softly speaking about soon to be announced future tour news. Definitely news that Sunday’s crowd will look forward to.
Iain @docswallow
Set List:
1) Imperator
2) Delirium
3) The Participant
4) The Void
5) Liberator (feat Will, friend of the band)
6) Edge of Infinity
7) The Omen Machine
Members: Meyrick de la Fuente -Vocals Tom Montgomery - Guitar Kurt Valencia - Guitar David Billote - Bass/Vocals Charlie Bines - Drums
- Live Reviews
Wyvern Lingo - This is not bluegrass -
Despite the goofy directions from my generic fruit-based device, and always getting lost in this part of town, I did eventually make it to Shacklewell Arms to see Wyvern Lingo, an Irish trio who's debut release 'The Widow Knows' EP was released last year. The group has a strong r&b core with a light sprinkling of folk (hardly bluegrass, as was advertised), but the stand out feature is the strength of the vocal arrangements. Caoimhe Barry (drums), Karen Cowley (piano) and Saoirse Duane (guitar) all take turns on lead vocals, and blend together to create beautiful harmonies.
While 'The Widow Knows' shows some folk influences, tonight's performance fell more on the r&b side, with some funk and early hip-hip beats thrown in for good measure. Playing a mixture of tracks from their EP and hopefully forthcoming album, the overriding theme from the evening is that this is a group who, while obviously talented, also have the imagination to use it. Not content to rely solely on the their voices, they like to play around with musical arrangements, drop the beat, change tempo, add funky guitar riffs - this is a group trying to find the edges and having fun along the way.
Wyvern Lingo are currently supporting Hozier on his UK tour, and will be popping into The Islington on Saturday 30th May. This gig is free entry and I would highly recommend you check them out.
Gráinne @grainne4u
- Live Reviews
The anticipation for this gig had been building for sometime, well hope was always growing and with the demise of Beady Eye and Andy Bell being available real hope started to blossom. Then the Ride logo appeared in Barcelona for the Primavera Festival and the announcement came that the band had reformed.
Now it’s Bank Holiday Sunday, a sold out Roundhouse and the wait (of years for many) was finally over, Ride are back with us and opener ‘Leave Them All Behind’ from 1992’s ‘Going Blank Again’ was nothing sort of awe-inspiring.
Even though the band had played a BBC6 radio session a few days before and dates in Glasgow and Manchester in the UK that was really ignored by this reviewer, so as to try and experience the enormity of the occasion this Sunday night in London town.
What became evident on the every first song was what it is like to ‘live the dream’ after a wait of close on 20 years, the crowd moved again as one, arms aloft and voices at full throttle, this was no empty reunion this was the goosebumps on the back of the neck reunion!
‘Like a Daydream’ was a surprise second song in, followed by the opening reverb guitar of ‘Polar Bear ‘and the first visit to ‘Nowhere’. Straight into an epic ‘Seagull’ after that and the whisper of Loz Colbert being on top of this game on the drum stool was there for all to see on this song. The guy as was the band, tremendous all night long.
Sound was spot on and the temperature in the venue just continued to climb. This was an outstanding concert and one you just had to be at. All the classics 'Twisterella' led to 'OX4' and a simply stunning ‘Dreams Burn Down’.
There was still so much more to come, the first hour of the concert just zoomed by, an hour seemed gone in the blink of an eye.
‘Paralysed’, ‘Vapour Trail’, then ’Drive Blind’ from their debut EP brought the main set to a stunning climax. Not many dry eyes left in the house I doubt.
The encore brought three more classics, which finished with the first EP being revisited with ‘Chelsea Girl’.
Massive smiles from the band and audience alike.. Where do we go from here? Mark certainly seems to have the swagger and now the whole band are ‘on the button’ again who knows …… a new album? . See you at Field Day 7 June!
Pete
Set
Leave Them All Behind
Like a Daydream
Polar Bear
Seagull
Sennen
Cool Your Boots
Black Nite Crash
Twisterella
OX4
Dreams Burn Down
Time of Her Time
Chrome Waves
Paralysed
Taste
Vapour Trail
Drive Blind
Encore
Close My Eyes
Mouse Trap
Chelsea Girl
- Live Reviews
As part of a five band evening at the Wagon and Horses in Digbeth we have JPNSGRLS, which is pronounced “Japanese Girls”, although if you try an internet search with that description you may not be directed to a four-piece garage, punky-pop band from Vancouver.
Their first album 'Circulation' which was released in the UK in April has plenty of hooks, spiky guitars and a driving rhythm section and was featured on our daily 'Album to commute by' tweet.
JPNSGRLS played at Austin's SXSW this year and this week at Liverpool's Sound City, the band's reputation for energetic live shows and the album's big sound prove too much for the small stage in the backyard of the Wagon and Horses as during the first track's instrumental lead singer Charlie Kerr (wearing a white St .Vincent T-shirt which gives him bonus points) is down in the crowd and hammering on the front of the PA.
Kerr is the obvious focal point of the live show as he gyrates and dances like Jagger, wraps himself around the mic stand like Julian Casablancas, (his vocal style is somewhere between Casablancas' and Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro), but he's in competition with giant bass player Christopher McClelland, who during 'Smalls' is in danger of decapitating himself due to a combination of his enthusiastic playing style and the low overhead stage lighting.
'Circulation' is sung with Charlie lying on his back draped across the stage monitors, during 'Tiger' he's urging the crowd, which is gaining in enthusiasm, to join in with the 'Whoops” which pepper the track. Last song of their short set is the awesome 'Brandon', to avoid a visit to local A&E Christopher has abandoned the stage in favour of the standing stalls to hammer out the chugging bass parts and in the instrumental finale Charlie's dancing on stage with the St. Vincent T-shirt pulled over his head but without his shoes.
As yet there's no news of further UK appearances this year, but if you like an energetic band playing songs with hooks and huge guitars you really need to check out JPNSGRLS next time they visit.
Alisdair Whyte
- Live Reviews
By the time my favourite Brazilian/Irish/Norwegian and Liverpool based band All We Are took the stage at The Ritz, there was at least 50 or 60 of us watching. Thankfully, as their set progressed, the crowd and with it, enthusiasm did swell.
Playing songs from their self-titled recently released debut album, the band peddle a cool, rhythmic, harmonious style of music somewhere between The XX and Wild Beasts. Whilst the album itself can feel a little soporific, live the band are more animated than expected, including the drummer who plays standing up. Ebb/Flow, Feel Safe and Keep Me Alive get the crowd swaying, if not pogoing, and it’s a perfectly pleasant start to the evening. Even the girls from PINS next to me were enjoying it.
Obviously, the bulk of the crowd had come to see Mew (me for the first time actually), and it was a genuine mixed bag of ages and genders. Sadly, again the crowd wasn’t anywhere near capacity, with the upstairs and balcony actually closed, however those present were clearly determined to have a great time. All in black, the 5 members of the band arrived on stage individually, took to their instruments and launched into tracks 2 and 1 from new album +- (Plus Minus) Witness and Satellites, the latter to great applause as it is also a single.
What strikes already is lead Dane Jonas Bjerre’s extraordinary voice - falsetto or at least unusually high pitched, it has a fabulous clarity and power that I was hoping would carry the Mew sound in a live setting. What also strikes me is that I’m not sure I’ve seen a more unassuming (or even awkward) lead singer. He seemed almost overwhelmed by the support and love the crowd were giving the band, or as he is also a performance artist, was it an act ?
Either way, it didn’t make one iota of difference to everyone there who just seemed to go more bezerk at each passing song. More new tracks such as The Night Believer and Water Slides sat alongside older favourites such as Snow Brigade and Silas The Magic Car.
Next, and for the first time during the evening, Jonas strapped on a guitar and played the first riff of Amy I Wry ?, No from Frengers, and the sprung wooden floor of the old dancehall showed it’s fantastic flexibility , and again it was tested to its limits as they went straight into stadium friendly anthem 156. That was special, and couldn’t be topped…or so I thought.
The bass player and lead guitarist were the most verbose of the band, and again seemed to be genuinely moved by the adoration of the crowd, especially as they hadn’t played Manchester for nearly 10 years.
So after the final stripped down medley of Clinging to a Bad Dream/The Zookeepers Boy/Louisa Louisa, the main set was over and it was a short wait for the encores.
New track My Complications was first up, but it was almost instantly forgotten as the first guitar notes to Comforting Sounds rang out. This was a genuine moment in the midst of all the gigs this year and I’ve got goosebumps thinking about it and as I write this. If there’s a more euphoric, emphatic and blissful song to end a gig, then I’m not sure I know it.
What a fantastic night. Why has it taken me all this time to see Mew? It won’t take as long to see them again. Some people were in tears as we were leaving the venue (me nearly), and some people were on the pitch…. They think it's all over…it is now.
Keith
@kjsmith4082
- Live Reviews
It’s always a bonus when you book a gig and the support band is also a favourite of yours, and so it turned out on Saturday with the fabulous Slow Club first up at the Apollo.
With only a half an hour slot, the band played songs from most recent album Complete Surrender, starting off with Tears, instantly showing off Rebecca’s fabulous singing voice. One thing to note however was how dimly lit they were, even when introducing the band Rebecca suggested the bass player was in the shadows.
Is it the venue or the band themselves who are responsible for the lighting ?? From row G, upper circle of the 3500 capacity Apollo, everyone was in the shadows ! Suffering Me and Everything Is New were other highlights of the six song set, as they said their goodbyes and thanked Alabama Shakes for inviting them on tour.
On came Alabama Shakes 30 minutes later, and the contrast couldn’t have been more marked. A hugely professional stage show and dazzling light show with nine of them on stage for the most part, including 3 backing singers….. (not sure I can remember if I’ve been to a gig with backing singers before…)
Brittany Howard is certainly star of the show, as both front woman, guitarist and huge bellowing voice of the Shakes, and she’s into it straight from the off telling us it’s their final night in the UK and they’re gonna make it count. Clearly they do, and they launch straight into Don’t Wanna Fight from new album Sound & Color. The intensity at which she sings seems to be turned up a notch live, and it's a full on soulful assault on the ears. Future People, first single from the new album is up next, starting as it does on record with the strained voice effect, then almost pitch perfect as per the album.
There’s not a huge amount of banter with the crowd, however an amusing passage is when, between songs, a guy attempts to mimic one of Brittany's screams, which seems to genuinely surprise her. His name turns out to be Eric, and she dedicates Shoegaze to him. Nice touch.
Biggest cheer of the night is when they play the fabulous Hang Loose from first album Boys & Girls (although disappointingly they don’t play Hold On from the same album).
Again, on a slightly disappointing note, they leave the stage after only an hour, and an hour and a quarter after coming on stage, and 2 songs for encore, it’s all over.
Never mind, for as long as it lasted it was a fabulous, intense show from the singer and exceptional guitarist Brittany Howard and her backing band.
Keith @kjsmith4082
- Live Reviews
Here's a quote from the film 'Prime' staring Uma Thurman as she discovers the age of the guy she's dating “Oh, my God! You're a child...I have t-shirts older than you”. Tonight at Brixton Academy proudly wearing my 1997 “FURRIES” t-shirt (which miraculously still fits) I feel some connection with Uma Thurman for the first and probably last time in my life.
Super Furry Animals dissolved in 2009 after the album 'Dark Days/Light Years', the band members headed off to pursue a variety of projects. As there was never a formal split there was a faint glimmer of hope (perhaps a 'Glo in the Dark' b-side of 'Something for the Weekend' which actually gets played tonight) that they would get back together someday.
The main reason (or should that be mane as that's the English translation of their 4th album 'Mwng'), for the tour has been declared as the 15th anniversary, and re-issue of that album which is itself notable as: it's entirely sung in Welsh, regarded as the best-selling Welsh language album of all time and was mentioned in the UK Houses of Parliament.
Walking on dressed in white, paper boiler suits to the intro track of instrumental '(A) Touch Sensitive' which, the band play the latter half of. Next it's '(Drawing) Rings Around the World' the title track from the same album for the first audience shout along “ring, ring, ring, ring, rings around the world”.
The appearance of the slightly evil-looking red bear from the cover of 'Radiator' on the giant back screen is a prompt for the band , with the addition of two trumpet players, to play 'Demons' from that album followed by the Welsh-calypso of 'Northern Lites'. Heralding a mini-set from 'Mwng' the cover star, a pipe-smoking, goat alien is now on the screen. The unjoin-in-with ability of 'Mwng' drops the atmosphere a little but what it lacks in comprehension is more than compensated by some of the loveliest melodies in the SFA catalogue.
'Hello Sunshine' the track they reputably nearly sold to a globally-known manufacturer of brown, fizzy drinks is well sung down the front by those wishing to “ming” with each other. The mad light show and lasers really kick in during the surprise inclusion of 'Zoom!' from the 'Love Kraft' album.
For an extended encore they've raided the dusty props cupboard as the horned keyboard and Red Power Ranger's helmet make their reappearance for a brass and techno version of 'Slow Life' which was a previous set opener. The bouncing pop of 'Golden Retriever' with the title animal still sprinting across the back screen leads onto their own 'Bohemian Rhapsody' or 'Paranoid Android', the multi-part Receptacle for the Respectable' which starts as a sweet melody, ends as a psychthrash out with distorted vocals via an instrumental passage which on the album features Sir Paul McCartney providing rhythmic crunching of carrots and celery, Gruff replaces Macca tonight on celery (a significant section of which is currently in my freezer and is open to any sensible financial offers).
A likely strategic purchase of 2 pint cups of lager by a group at the front is in readiness for the final track we all know is to come, so when the chorus of 'Man Don't Give a Fuck' kicks in its arms, legs, bodies and beer in the air. Most of the band temporarily depart leaving the lasers and Cian Ciaran to manipulate 10 minutes of techno from his kit, as the blips and beats reach climax the full band return to finish the track dressed as two characters not seen since the 'Guerilla' tour and Bunf, Guto and Gruff as the yetis from 'Golden Retriever' who had reportedly been assassinated many years ago at Hammersmith Odeon, for the grand ending to the night.
The reception for SFA live return has been extremely positive and based upon this set list, of which they could have replaced half and not diminished the overall quality of the evening, the trippy visuals and crazy lights and laser it's not surprising. Perhaps it's time to release this Super Furry Animal from its cage full time.
Alisdair Whyte
