Gig Review

Above all in life, music is my passion. It touches me like nothing else – I can listen to a song, close my eyes and open up my soul. Music lifts me and breaks my heart, makes me smile and reduces me to tears. I get the same exhilaration from it that others get from skiing down a mountain or swimming in the sea – it’s a visceral physical and emotional experience for me.

And whilst listening to recordings is great, there is nothing that can better watching a band play their music live, giving it all their heart and energy, and to feel that intensity and interaction between musicians and the audience.

I have been lucky in that I’ve spent my adult life in two cities renowned for music in the UK – Sheffield and Manchester. There is every type of venue within easy reach, from the 20K capacity Arena down through the 1500 theatres and down to the small, sweaty, up close and personal clubs and bars.

So I would like to share experiences of live gigs and hear about the bands you’ve seen and loved.

I’ll start off…

The Champs

Saw these last night in a small club in Manchester. They had 5 of them for the live set, although the band is really just two brothers, and they struggled with being cramped at the front of an already small stage (headliners not prepared to share kit, by the looks of it). But their sound was beautiful – haunting, light three part vocal harmonies weaving over a pulsing layer of guitars, keyboard and drums.

http://youtu.be/xl_bJqcP-zc

The Jezabels

They were the headliners at the Gorilla Club. I was interested to see them in a small venue – the last time I saw them, they were supporting Depeche Mode at the Manchester Arena, tiny little dots in the distance. This time, they were, at most, two feet from the punters. The singer is so tiny – she’s like a delicate little bird, but when she opens her mouth to sing, this huge voice comes out and soars up to the rafters. I was fascinated watching her move because she has a looselimbed, relaxed way of dancing and swaying that’s almost hypnotic. Certainly the guys in front of me were transfixed

I managed not to hold their lack of a bass player against them as the keyboard player made up for that, and the drummer worked incredibly hard, to the point of messing up one of the last songs, which they dealt with in a funny, modest way. They were all clearly surprised by the level of enthusiasm their set was greeted with, and the fact that the majority of the audience were singing along with the older songs.

http://youtu.be/XRTwz4Z1_ss

and because this is a bdsm thread...

...I suppose 'Hurt Me' is a better song to show what they can do. The drums are good on this too...

http://youtu.be/INaPSKmImbQ

Ugh, don't get around much anymore.

We did go see some nice danish guys a while ago though:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TlA6x74o7NA

Claudio Simonetti's Goblin

Nope, I'd never heard of him/them either.

He's the soundtrack composer used by Dario Argento for his horror films - Dawn of the Dead, Demons etc. I don't watch those either, but I was dragged along to this by an enthusiast.

The support act was a guy playing excerpts of other soundtracks from (I presume) the 1960's/1970's whilst showing clips of horror films with a common theme - naked women being stabbed/strangled/drowned by faceless men wearing black leather gloves. It got very tedious very quickly and after an hour and a half, I was ready to hit the bar and drown my sorrows.

Then Goblin came on, and they were totally awesome. The bass player and drummer were mesmerising - relaxed, seemingly effortless talent. I can't find a clip of my favourite tracks from Manchester, but this is from the London show a couple of days before. The sound isn't great, but it gives an idea of how good they were . And I do think it's funny when the band take pics of the audience

http://youtu.be/vmz5AnfojmY

Roger Waters

I don't get to gigs so much these days
All of my adult life, I have loved Pink Floyd. When RW took his touring version of The Wall to the London O2, I had to be there.

The staging was amazing, as the wall grew, the projections were clear and vivid, Scarfs illustrations as effective now as when they were first drawn.

Comfortably numb came on, one of my favourite numbers, rogers voice, full of angst, filled the arena. The chorus.... I was expecting Snowy White to fill the spot taken by Dave Gilmour on the original, but the voice was Gilmours, suddenly the whole of the arena went completely bonkers as DG appeared at the top of the wall, his guitar solo ringing, clean and crisp, perfect notes. As close as possible Floyd were together, Mason was drumming.

For that one song the whole gig was amazing. They won't play together again, I saw the end of an era, the animosities of decades put aside for one perfect song.

Teleman

This was the support band last Saturday, a bunch of very earnest young men with the seemingly ubiquitious Orwellian haircuts They were very contained and I wasn't sure whether this was nerves or their usual demeanour. I never felt that they were letting themselves go or putting themselves heart and soul into it which hopefully will come with more live experience. This was their closing song and was their most animated - possibly because they could see the finish line and ran headlong towards it....

http://youtu.be/ZYEoVI5EVxU

Maximo Park

Now this was a bit of a surprise. I've never seen this band live before and don't really know a lot about them, apart from they're a bit arty, well educated and write clever pop songs.

So I was expecting quite a middle class polite audience. WRONG..... Standing at the front, I was listening to tales from others around me of how aggressive the crowd always gets and comparisons of war wounds thus sustained. I still didn't quite believe it until the band came on, everyone went mental and I found myself having to get physical in order to survive the various limbs that were flailing at some speed in my direction.

Anyway, they are an extremely good live band. Paul Smith is an engaging front man - a bit odd looking but with an interesting voice and a good line in self-deprecating humour. I was fascinated by the drummer who seemed to be doing something very complex with his feet - until I realised that he was just dancing a little whilst playing

The only disappointment was that, because they're promoting their latest album, they missed this one out - it's off the previous album but is still one of my favourites.

http://youtu.be/kPVeJDoqZDc

Nine Below Zero

Before tonight, the only thing I knew about this band was that they released a album in an ugly dayglo green which an old boyfriend from my student days owned. I don't think they ever had a hit.

But they were surprisingly good, playing rhythm and blues in a style crossed between Dr Feelgood and early Jam (in fact, they dedicated one song to Wilko Johnson). They're clearly an experienced live band and their effortless skill hinted at years playing on the road. I thoroughly enjoyed the set, even though I wouldn't ever have classed London R&B as a favourite genre of mine, but this one particular song stood out for me - more melancholy and subtle than their others:

http://youtu.be/AoPZA9FF6wE

I'm a Jazz fan

The Detroit International Jazz Festival is one of our nation's premier jazz festivals and it is free!

Last yes, I heard Ahmad Jamal and his band play--it was amazing

Now mind you, Jamal is in his nineties and he hasn't missed a beat. Here's "Poinciana"

Dig the rhythm section

The Stranglers

Now this was always going to be a hoot . One of the original punk rock bands, they've long had a dangerous reputation and I didn't expect that age would have mellowed them too much.

I didn't really know any of their early stuff apart from the chart singles, but Aural Sculpture has been a favourite album of mine for a long time. It always struck me how oddly gentle and melodic it was compared to their punk beginnings.

So I expected the crowd to be raucous and enthusiastic, and I wasn't disappointed. With so many punters, the majority of whom being somewhat the worse for wear, there was bound to be a little over exuberance, which can quickly descend into something ugly. But apart from a little catfight between a couple of women, it was all very friendly. Because of the crush, if those around you were jumping up and down, you got carried along regardless. There was a point during Five Minutes (link below) that I found myself being Riverdanced to the right at some speed, but, as if there was a balancing law of nature, eventually we headed back to our original positions. So all was well.

http://youtu.be/j5UfE2BbYSQ

JJ Burnel is a great bass player - very understated but skilful - and he's got a unique loping, relaxed way of moving that is instantly recognisable. He was always the pinup, and although he must be mid-fifties by now, he's still a great looking guy I've never actually seen underwear being thrown at a musician before, but he left the stage a pair of lace panties and a scarlet bra to the good. And no, they weren't mine.

They played most of their early hits (except for Go Buddy Go) but, to my great surprise and pleasure, they played Skin Deep which is my all time favourite. Well worth the bruised feet I've brought home...

http://youtu.be/j5UfE2BbYSQ

Vijay Iyer

Saw Vijay Iyer a few years ago at the Detroit Jazz Festival.


His bassist is Stephen Crump and the incomparable Marcus Gilmore spanked the skins. Despite the cold temperature, the trio made magic and thrilled the audience.

As an introduction, try "Human Nature"

An explanation of Iyer's philosophy is "Accelerando"


Iyer is quickly becoming a favorite

I went to listen to my friend's band a while back and only now remembered this thread when I listened to his stuff on youtube to brighten the rainy morning. Their genre is strange, but strangely addictive: they mix Finnish schlager with Balkan folk. I remember being very puzzled when I first met him and he told me about his band and the stuff they play, but after the first time I saw them live I was sold.

Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha - Tanssi tanssi!

Today I'm gonna go see Hemma Beast. It's a band made up of some of Finland's best jazz musicians, and Finland's probably most famous classical violinist often plays with them, too. They get together once a month to improvise and play whatever they audience asks them to play. They also always play one medley that's really long and consists of a hundred or so snippets of other songs. The gigs are great and funny, too, so I'm already looking forward to it.

Hemma Beast playing Iron Maiden's The Trooper. Everyone's using only one hand.
Hemma Beast playing MacGyver Theme and Smoke on the Water.

seela said:

I went to listen to my friend's band a while back and only now remembered this thread when I listened to his stuff on youtube to brighten the rainy morning. Their genre is strange, but strangely addictive: they mix Finnish schlager with Balkan folk. I remember being very puzzled when I first met him and he told me about his band and the stuff they play, but after the first time I saw them live I was sold.

Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha - Tanssi tanssi!

Today I'm gonna go see Hemma Beast. It's a band made up of some of Finland's best jazz musicians, and Finland's probably most famous classical violinist often plays with them, too. They get together once a month to improvise and play whatever they audience asks them to play. They also always play one medley that's really long and consists of a hundred or so snippets of other songs. The gigs are great and funny, too, so I'm already looking forward to it.

Hemma Beast playing Iron Maiden's The Trooper. Everyone's using only one hand.
Hemma Beast playing MacGyver Theme and Smoke on the Water.

Click to expand...

Looks like you are going to have lots of fun today.

The first video made me feel sad that it seems like I'm going to have to do without my Balkan fix this summer.
Still liked it though.

Young Brando

These were the first of three support acts last night. They only got to play a short set, maybe five songs in total, but they were competent and interesting to watch, even if they weren't particularly original. I was surprised when I went searching for the link below - since this video was shot, they must have employed a stylist who has cut their hair short and made them look about five years younger

They were a good band though, and I'd be happy to see them again.

http://youtu.be/yrGUvQM7b78

EofE

Support band number two.

Picture this. The band scamper on stage full of energy and enthusiasm, and the drummer starts to play the unmistakeable intro to Smells Like Teen Spirit, followed by the bass and guitar. That was a bit of a surprise - doing a cover when you're the support at an Arena gig - but not as much of a shock as when the singer joined in, trying to sing Billie Jean over the top. I was stunned and horrified - I'd be hard pushed to think up a worse mashup.

I turned to husband to see what he thought and he said "We've seen some crap in our time but this is dreadful. We've watched bands whose PAs have blown up which were better than this" etc etc.

Their own songs were no better. They were out of tune, unoriginal and annoying. I can usually find something good to say about any band, but the highlight of their set was when they left the stage.

I'm not even going to bother looking for a link.

Hollywood Ending

Third and final support act.

I'd never heard of them but there were a couple of rows of girls sitting behind me who were word perfect.

They bounded on full of energy and played some good pop songs. Personally I thought the vocalists didn't have strong enough voices to fill that size of venue, but when I checked today, it was their first night as support, so maybe they were suffering from nerves. Still a pretty good performance though.

http://youtu.be/w4NwvvmQ_cE

McBusted

Bless them.

Two very good English pop bands, McFly and Busted, reworked into a supergroup. Ironically, the band member who left Busted to make 'serious' music and effectively ended their career is also playing Manchester soon, but in a tiny little club. Wonder how he feels seeing his ex mates playing an Arena?

Anyway, I've always had a soft spot for both these bands. They're very good musicians, write clever and surprisingly complex pop songs, and individually they were always entertaining to watch. And last night was no disappointment. They played the main hits from both their careers, they were funny and energetic, and looked like they were having an absolute ball. I love it when the band are having a good time.

They even managed to use both bass players without it sounding odd and the fact that the one original member was missing was totally unnoticeable. I won't be surprised to see them continuing as one band when this particular tour ends.

Anyway, here are a couple of links from both bands:


http://www.muzu.tv/busted/year-3000-music-video/252638/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yle1YEjmGf0&feature=kp

Rush/Foghat
The only concert I ever attended was the Rush/Foghat concert played at the Nassau Coliseum (17,000) during Rush's Moving Pictures tour. I think that was either in 1981 or 1982.

Brought my second girlfriend there. It was for her as much as for me. We both loved Rush. I liked Foghat, though not as much.

A friend of mine worked at the coliseum and told me I should edge up to the stage "Everybody does it." Instead, we stood on our seats in the back of the floor section. We didn't smoke anything but we were so stoned off our gourd when we left there it wasn't funny.
They had a huge television screen over the stage which showed live action and prerecorded footage.
At one point I remember they blasted the audience with huge intense lights which had everybody streaming tears. That wasn't too cool.

Paying huge money to go to a concert to watch a television screen of what was happening on stage seemed somehow very poignant to me, and while I did go to a pub or two to see musicians in the days after, that was my last concert I'll ever attend.

Bare Naked Ladies and Creed are among the few others in the South Florida area I listened to at local bars before they became known.

LWulf said:

Rush/Foghat
The only concert I ever attended was the Rush/Foghat concert played at the Nassau Coliseum (17,000) during Rush's Moving Pictures tour. I think that was either in 1981 or 1982.

Brought my second girlfriend there. It was for her as much as for me. We both loved Rush. I liked Foghat, though not as much.

A friend of mine worked at the coliseum and told me I should edge up to the stage "Everybody does it." Instead, we stood on our seats in the back of the floor section. We didn't smoke anything but we were so stoned off our gourd when we left there it wasn't funny.
They had a huge television screen over the stage which showed live action and prerecorded footage.
At one point I remember they blasted the audience with huge intense lights which had everybody streaming tears. That wasn't too cool.

Paying huge money to go to a concert to watch a television screen of what was happening on stage seemed somehow very poignant to me, and while I did go to a pub or two to see musicians in the days after, that was my last concert I'll ever attend.

Bare Naked Ladies and Creed are among the few others in the South Florida area I listened to at local bars before they became known.

Click to expand...

You didn't go to any more concerts, just because of this experience? You know, not all concerts are like this. But, the larger and more popular the band, the larger the venue. And, to get closer to the stage, you pay more for those seats, but you also risk your hearing. I remember one concert where I had 6th row center isle seats. I had a ringing in my ears for several days after. I also had front row center isle seats for Arlo Guthrie tour. That was a great concert. I was right up front and my ears didn't suffer a bit.

As for the bright lights, I've seen other bands that did that, too. While it could be mildly disturbing because you're basically sitting in the dark and then a bright light nearly blinds you. I don't think it would cause me to stop going to concerts. So, I guess we're just different in that respect.

DVS said:

You didn't go to any more concerts, just because of this experience? You know, not all concerts are like this. But, the larger and more popular the band, the larger the venue. And, to get closer to the stage, you pay more for those seats, but you also risk your hearing. I remember one concert where I had 6th row center isle seats. I had a ringing in my ears for several days after. I also had front row center isle seats for Arlo Guthrie tour. That was a great concert. I was right up front and my ears didn't suffer a bit.

As for the bright lights, I've seen other bands that did that, too. While it could be mildly disturbing because you're basically sitting in the dark and then a bright light nearly blinds you. I don't think it would cause me to stop going to concerts. So, I guess we're just different in that respect.

Click to expand...

You wouldn't be impressed with my reason that I generally don't go to pubs to listen to bands either. One of the last ones was Creed. They played really good music which we all enjoyed, then they started asking for requests. There was a fairly unanimous request for Metallica (this was before their "You are stealing money from Metallica!" years).
Eventually Creed started playing a fairly excellent rendition of "Enter Sandman" but then stopped abruptly before too long and shouted out "Devil worship!"
All the patrons pretty much collectively went to the bar for a drink and Creed ended early that night.

I never used to be keen on arena gigs for exactly the reasons LWulf mentioned. I didn't see the point in standing in a aircraft hanger, watching a band play on a distant stage, or simply watching a TV screen.

But I've noticed a big change in recent years. I can only imagine that there has had to be a serious rethink in the music industry as to how they can continue to make money in the face of reduced profit thanks to downloading and Internet file sharing. And the result has been positive moves to make large venue performances more attractive. The last few that I have been to have incorporated clever devices to move the band from the main stage to a smaller one towards the back of the hall, so that everyone gets a close up view at some point. So even those people who can only afford the cheaper seats still get a reasonable performance to watch.

The sound quality and lighting shows have all been excellent, and not deafening at all. In fact, when we went to watch Depeche Mode, it was almost too quiet - the conversation between a bunch of guys behind us was still audible over the music, which was mildly irritating at the time.

LallyH said:

... In fact, when we went to watch Depeche Mode, it was almost too quiet ...

Click to expand...

Is that because they played "Enjoy the silence"?

Oh come on, you HAD to know that was coming?

LWulf said:

Is that because they played "Enjoy the silence"?

Oh come on, you HAD to know that was coming?

Click to expand...

Of course - it was just a question of time...