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What concert have you last been to #3

Teenage Fanclub at Birmingham Town Hall last week and Greta Van Fleet at Manchester Arena on Sunday.
TF are unlikely rock stars these days but great fun (and at a super venue).
GVF are a good band playing at a poor venue (hate the big barns). They were over indulgent at times but a good show nonetheless.
 
Last night My Darling Clementine at Manchester’s Stoller Hall.
The venue is the concert hall for Chetham’s School of music where the duo’s daughter is a student.
They performed their own work, some Elvis Costello covers and some of Mike’s solo work.
The highlight was that most songs were accompanied by a student from Chethams. We had a cellist, a trumpet, a French horn, a saxophone and a recorder as well as vocal accompaniment on the finale.
The sound quality was outstanding.
Came home buzzing.
 
Archive at EartH Sunday 26th Nov.

Not a band I know very well but in various forms they have been going for over 20 years and this was apparently the last date of their European tour.

They do what they do very well. It seems to be mainly gothy with a heavy drum, bass, rhythm guitar sound sometimes augmented by keys. There is little ornamentation or rhythmic variety.

Powerful back lighting is aimed into the audience with liberal strobe use when the intensity of the music occasionally steps up a gear. A keyboard player spends more time arm dancing in time to the simple rock beats than playing his instrument, his frame and his arms become visually striking sillhouetted by the powerful backlighting and strobes. Almost Bez like but anchored to the spot. How the band look remains for most of the time a mystery as they are in a shadowy gloom.

The songs are long, sometimes portentious with a heavy sound that often gets heavier as the song progresss. Occasionally on some songs a repeating sequenced synth part creates a little more sharpness and groove. The singers have powerful voices but in the gloom it is hard to see their expressions. The woman who sings has an excellent voice and I particularly like the one song on which she keeps repeating phrases like "I need a drink" creating a sense of dehumanisation. The songs are generally doomy and the two at the end are angry, the last one apparently aimed at anyone who wants to stop us having a good time.

The place was full, the sound was excellent, for me the band were musically unambitious but good at what they did. Sometimes It is great just to get out see a band you haven't seen before live.
 
this afternoon

Abba Voyage - so clever, what a show and so much love for the music. Really remarkable. Some of the music of my childhood, makes you think and reflect.

Even if you think you don't like Abba - just go.....
 
gintonic said:
this afternoon

Abba Voyage - so clever, what a show and so much love for the music. Really remarkable. Some of the music of my childhood, makes you think and reflect.

Even if you think you don't like Abba - just go.....
Click to expand...

We took Mum earlier this year, and loved it. Also found it quite emotional, which surprised me.
I don't know anyone who's been, and hasn't been impressed - it really is remarkable.
 
Billy Bragg in the new Bristol Beacon... 40 years on for BB, encore was the full debut EP ripped through in 17 mins
 
IQ at the O2 Academy Islington. Had to run early as the train company won’t pay their staff enough.
New stuff sounds promising but the sound and venue were awful, and the band were not gelling at all. Shame about Peter’s voice.
 
Post punk with weapons grade bass at my workplace last night. Jah Wobble and band playing "Metal Box-Rebuilt in Dub" plus a blistering rendition of "Public Image" at Edgehill University in Ormskirk.
 
Ocean colour scene at the finally finished revamped Bristol beacon. Amazing as always Steve cradock is an amazing guitarist with Simon Fowler still sounding brilliant on vocals
 
Madonna at the O2 in London on 5th Dec. Not really my cup of tea, but partner is a huge fan so I got us tickets as her Xmas present. At £285 each they were not cheap. This was a greatest hits tour celebrating 40 years in the industry. When I read there was to be no live band I started worrying but the reviews have been positive so I decided to embrace it for what it was… which by and large was hopefully a ‘show’ running through her ‘best of’ back catalogue of which there is plenty to go at.

Firstly she was late on stage by about an hour ten minutes, no problem for us as we had driven but others had to leave early to get trains… not good.

Secondly the acoustics at the O2 are dreadful and this was the worst sound I have ever heard there. The bass was just over powering and obliterated everything else much of the time.

As for the show a lot of it was focused around theatrics and various musical interludes where starts of songs would be hinted at and then peter out. Several times the crowd stood up to dance to a ‘classic’ only for it to stop and morph into something rise.

There were some good bits - Burning Up, Live to Tell, Ray of Light and Hung Up but overall it was a disjointed show full of self indulgence.

Very very disappointing and my partner, despite being a huge fan, felt exactly the same way.
 
Went to see The Blockheads last night at the Fleece in Bristol last night. Great gig, Chaz Jankel headed the lineup that had changed little since Ian Dury’s days…and he died in 2000! Vocalist was Mike Bennett who mirrored Dury’s approach and humour, the music included punk, reggae, rock and music hall. Many of the original tracks were covered including Wake up & make love, Plaistow Patricia, Inbetweenies, Blockheads, Hit me with your rhythm stick & Sweet Gene Vincent. Oh, Sex and drugs and rock’ roll which was brilliant.

The band has one of the finest current UK rhythm sections in my opinion.

A really enjoyable evening, strongly recommended if the band is playing near you.
 
Hackedepicciotto last night at Rich Mix London - Excellent


hackedepicciotto by Pete, on Flickr


Only saw this was on a few days ago and glad I did.
They are playing at The Pig in Hastings tonight, well worth catching if you're in the area
 
BC Camplight, shoehorned onto the tiny stage at Hebden Bridge Trades Club last night. An absolutely rollicking show. Quite brilliant.

Back there Frid/Sat for two Michael Head shows
 
Fun Lovin' Criminals at the O2 Academy in Liverpool last night. Great gig despite Huey Morgan no longer being in the band. Excellent support too from Short Sharp Scratch.
 
Cult Figures by Pete, on Flickr

Then the last train back to London at Midnight

CF again last night at the Hope & Anchor with Micko & the Mellotronics ( missed Helen McCookerybook who was on first)
 
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