Friday, October 28, 2011
Bigger Brighter Better
From one night to the next, it's another act that's been around since quite some time ago, albeit on this occasion playing live with a full band for the first time in many years. Changes to the road layout around the venue make for more difficulty than usual to get the car parked somewhere, but I'm still inside for long enough to have got bored of how full the place is before the support set starts.
James Walbourne plays acoustic blues-folk-rock-pop, with some nice guitar solos and without the anodyne, soporific features of the Jack Johnsons of this world. His brother's supporting guitar and backing/harmony vocal work definitely helps and it's clear this is someone who's been on enough stages to have paid his touring dues. Man.
If I had a criticism, it would only be that the sheer variety of musical styling leads to a slight make-your-mind-up vibe, but I was still considering whether to buy the album as the set finished which means something about the impression made.
Now, there is no need to make any impression for the main act. Six years and one day previously I'd seen an acoustic set of solo material by Roddy Frame. A couple of years ago he did a handful of songs at the first Shared show in Birmingham but this time it's a set long on Aztec Camera material, and it's brilliant. There's something wrong with you if you can't share the inescapable pop joy of Oblivious, or the simple humanity of How Men Are - leaving some of the lines for the crowd to sing, Roddy comments how much he loves hearing blokes sing 'why should it take/the tears of a woman/to see how men are' to general amusement.
There's something a little newer in there too, White Pony is nice enough, but its' the older and older mobile hits jukebox that people seem to prefer. And how can I possibly criticise that? Somewhere in my heart there is a star that shines for bigger brighter better pop music. And then it's back out to the car for the less welcome return to reality and idiots on the car radio lauding the anticipated return of one not very good trick ponies the Stone Roses. If ever you needed an example of why the world needs the uplifting choruses of a Roddy Frame, that'll more than do!
The Crying Scene
Reason For Living
Back To The One
The North Star
Day Of Reckoning
Killermont Street
We Could Send Letters
White Pony
Bigger Brighter Better
Forty Days Of Rain
Sun
Oblivious
Walk Out To Winter
Pillar To Post
--------------
Hymn To Grace
How Men Are
Down The Dip
Birth Of The True
Somewhere In My Heart
James Walbourne plays acoustic blues-folk-rock-pop, with some nice guitar solos and without the anodyne, soporific features of the Jack Johnsons of this world. His brother's supporting guitar and backing/harmony vocal work definitely helps and it's clear this is someone who's been on enough stages to have paid his touring dues. Man.
If I had a criticism, it would only be that the sheer variety of musical styling leads to a slight make-your-mind-up vibe, but I was still considering whether to buy the album as the set finished which means something about the impression made.
Now, there is no need to make any impression for the main act. Six years and one day previously I'd seen an acoustic set of solo material by Roddy Frame. A couple of years ago he did a handful of songs at the first Shared show in Birmingham but this time it's a set long on Aztec Camera material, and it's brilliant. There's something wrong with you if you can't share the inescapable pop joy of Oblivious, or the simple humanity of How Men Are - leaving some of the lines for the crowd to sing, Roddy comments how much he loves hearing blokes sing 'why should it take/the tears of a woman/to see how men are' to general amusement.
There's something a little newer in there too, White Pony is nice enough, but its' the older and older mobile hits jukebox that people seem to prefer. And how can I possibly criticise that? Somewhere in my heart there is a star that shines for bigger brighter better pop music. And then it's back out to the car for the less welcome return to reality and idiots on the car radio lauding the anticipated return of one not very good trick ponies the Stone Roses. If ever you needed an example of why the world needs the uplifting choruses of a Roddy Frame, that'll more than do!
The Crying Scene
Reason For Living
Back To The One
The North Star
Day Of Reckoning
Killermont Street
We Could Send Letters
White Pony
Bigger Brighter Better
Forty Days Of Rain
Sun
Oblivious
Walk Out To Winter
Pillar To Post
--------------
Hymn To Grace
How Men Are
Down The Dip
Birth Of The True
Somewhere In My Heart
Sing Us A Song That We Know To Be True
There's only so many ways you can have a go at 'I've seen this band I like a few times and now I've seen them once again and I still like them' before even writing it gets boring, so it's good when something reshapes that position ever so slightly. In a brief fit of extravagance I'd bought a few tickets and then had a couple of other gigs come up around the same time and suddenly I'm a bit busy.
With other stuff being fitted in around making it to the gig, at least the electronic communications possibilities of the modern world make it simple to catch up with expected stage times and avoid rushing only to sit around waiting for hours. In an uninteresting coincidence it's seventeen years to the day I first visited this venue, and though a couple of rooms have gone through slight changes of name over that time, and it turns out it's also the single venue I've visited the most (among two hundred and odd).
Something different to challenge my tastes is never a bad thing, and support act Louise Distras provides plenty to challenge me. Just her voice and a guitar make for a powerful combination, but sometimes the power gets in the way of the song; there's no denying the passion but when the voice goes beyond the mighty rasp of Bonnie Tyler at her most momentarily foghornish into a slightly unfocused roar it produces something that I'm not going to buy so I can sing along with it on my own. There's nothing wrong with what she's got to say for herself, it's just my middle-aged ears would prefer a slightly different delivery!
New Model Army fit into a category something like 'bands I know I like but don't rush to buy every single album on release day', and the last time I saw them it was a trifle unsatisfactory, largely due to that particular venue I gather. This is a short flurry of only five gigs, and that alone makes it rather more of a special occasion than just another show in a long tour.
There are songs from the last couple of albums that I don't have, naturally, but there's more than enough familiar material to keep me engaged between the people on the shoulders of the people on the shoulders formation acrobatics displays.
Purity sounds immense, and the encore starting with Get Me out and finally ending with No Rest threatens to take the roof off the place. Today was a good day.
Setlist in full:
Island
No Greater Love
Christian Militia
Rumour & Rapture
See You in Hell
Today Is a Good Day
Disappeared
The Attack
States Radio
Autumn
Orange Tree Roads
Rivers
Knife
Purity
Ballad of Bodmin Pill
Whirlwind
---
Get Me Out
High
No Rest
'Sing Us A Song That We Know To Be True' is a line from Purity.
_
With other stuff being fitted in around making it to the gig, at least the electronic communications possibilities of the modern world make it simple to catch up with expected stage times and avoid rushing only to sit around waiting for hours. In an uninteresting coincidence it's seventeen years to the day I first visited this venue, and though a couple of rooms have gone through slight changes of name over that time, and it turns out it's also the single venue I've visited the most (among two hundred and odd).
Something different to challenge my tastes is never a bad thing, and support act Louise Distras provides plenty to challenge me. Just her voice and a guitar make for a powerful combination, but sometimes the power gets in the way of the song; there's no denying the passion but when the voice goes beyond the mighty rasp of Bonnie Tyler at her most momentarily foghornish into a slightly unfocused roar it produces something that I'm not going to buy so I can sing along with it on my own. There's nothing wrong with what she's got to say for herself, it's just my middle-aged ears would prefer a slightly different delivery!
New Model Army fit into a category something like 'bands I know I like but don't rush to buy every single album on release day', and the last time I saw them it was a trifle unsatisfactory, largely due to that particular venue I gather. This is a short flurry of only five gigs, and that alone makes it rather more of a special occasion than just another show in a long tour.
There are songs from the last couple of albums that I don't have, naturally, but there's more than enough familiar material to keep me engaged between the people on the shoulders of the people on the shoulders formation acrobatics displays.
Purity sounds immense, and the encore starting with Get Me out and finally ending with No Rest threatens to take the roof off the place. Today was a good day.
Setlist in full:
Island
No Greater Love
Christian Militia
Rumour & Rapture
See You in Hell
Today Is a Good Day
Disappeared
The Attack
States Radio
Autumn
Orange Tree Roads
Rivers
Knife
Purity
Ballad of Bodmin Pill
Whirlwind
---
Get Me Out
High
No Rest
'Sing Us A Song That We Know To Be True' is a line from Purity.
Labels: gigs, New Model Army
