Peter Gabriel at the O2

As has been mentioned before on here, I’m a bit of a fan of Peter Gabriel – not hardcore “all the way back to the 70s”, but I like far more of his stuff than I dislike, and I’ll usually go and see him live. Mind you, I’m gobsmacked that it’s now six years since I’d seen him live – although I did end up missing (OK, not going to) the concert a couple of years back at Blickling Hall in Norfolk.

Anyway, when I saw about tickets coming available for a concert at the O2, I was there. It was in promotion of the “Scratch My Back” album which hadn’t even been released at the time, but *shrug* I don’t worry about things like that.

The gig itself was always going to be slightly strange. Gabriel’s done away with the general band stuff, and instead gone with a total orchestra, stripping down the songs and then orchestrating them. It had been billed as being no support, an hour of the new album, an interval, then another session with older stuff. It didn’t work out quite like that – everything started late, there was then a short (three song) intro by Anna Lünd – who’s also doing a lot of the backing vocals in the rest of the show. At that point the lights went back up, an interval of about ten-fifteen minutes, and then into the Scratch My Back section of the show. A fifteen minute interval that stretched to nearly thirty, then back to the final “older stuff” section.

All that aside though, it was a really good gig. The visuals were really impressive, doing stuff I hadn’t seen before with multi-layered screens, and almost holographic at some points. The sound was fantastic, and the orchestra were stunning. Some of the songs were just fantastic – particularly his versions of Arcade Fire’s “My Body Is A Cage” and Magnetic Fields “Book of Love”. The entire album was done live, which is quite an achievement in itself.

The second section was more of the same, but orchestrated versions of older tracks, including the crowd favourites. There were a couple I wish he’d done as well, but I think that’s always the way when it’s a gig covering nearly forty years of music. But he played (among others) “Digging in the Dirt”, “Signal to Noise”, “Mercy Street”, “Darkness”. “In Your Eyes” and (of course) “Solsbury Hill”, which still managed to be as whimsical as ever.

I’d have loved to see Sledgehammer done in this gig, or Growing Up, but I guess they’d be hard to do in an orchestrated version.

All told, it was a pretty great gig – allbeit a very different one to most of the ones I see, and very different to the previous Peter Gabriel concerts. But still, fantastic to see.

Pink at the O2 – 1st May

I’ve seen Pink in concert before – but it was many moons ago, back at the Manchester Apollo. In fact, having checked back, it was pre-D4D that I went, which gives a fine range on how long ago it was.

Anyway, at that point it was small venue and her first tour in the UK. She was fantastic then, but the stage was pretty minimal.

What a contrast to this tour. The Funhouse tour is – to say the least – spectacular, and a world away from that first tour. Right from the start, as Pink comes out of a magic box, you know it’s going to be something special.

I won’t give away the surprises in the show – suffice it say there’s a couple of superb covers of tracks I honestly never thought I’d say that about – but it’s a spectacular in every sense of the word. The really impressive part is where Pink also goes up on a trapeze – while singing “Sober” – and does so perfectly, even while doing the drops etc. It’s a truly impressive sight.

In fact, the entire show is stunning, from the lights to the multi-video-screen backdrop, the runway out into the audience, the trapeze and ropework, the entire stage set – it’s just stunning.

Well worth going to see if you get the chance.

The Alarm – Islington Academy

Many years ago, Herself and I were fans of the Alarm, but they faded out for a while, disbanded, reformed with different members, all sorts of gubbins. In fact, the only member of the Alarm who’s still there is the lead singer, Mike Peters.

Anyway, they released a new album earlier this year (which, frankly, we weren’t overly impressed with) but we still go tickets to go see them live. Well, less than £20 each, what the hell, we could always leave.

Finding the Islington Academy is an interesting experience – OK, once you’ve located the N1 centre and the main carpark, you actually see the entrance for the venue, but it’s tiny, and not the easiest one to find at all – there’s no signage that we could see from the street. Thank the lord for A-Zs.

Inside, the venue actually looks like a revamped Student Union. In fact, I suspect that’s exactly what it is. But it’s OK – small, max of about 500 people, I’d guess – but two bars, and generally OK. The support act, Sweet City Fire come on pretty quickly (not surprising, considering that for some bizarre reason there’s a 10pm fixed finish on the gig) and are surprisingly good. Not perfect, but not far off it either. They played for about half an hour, and were far better than most support acts I’ve seen. Definitely one to watch out for.

And then the Alarm. Considering that Mike Peters is also undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, and can’t be anything less than 45, he looks bloody good. Throughout the set, he was energetic, and commanded the stage totally. The people behind him are also bloody good, and you can see there’s a great dynamic in the band, that they’re there and enjoying themselves. And man, do they rock.

Thankfully the setlist was a real hotchpotch of new and old stuff, and coupled with an audience who obviously knew every single track inside out, it was a fantastic gig. The new album certainly sounds better when performed live, but I think we’ll have to reasses it at home too.

All in all, an utterly brilliant gig. Well worth the money…

Tracy Chapman – London. The Concert

So yes, as Gordon pointed out, a bit more about the gig itself.

First of all, the Hammersmith Apollo is a sod to get to. OK, the parking in the area isn’t too bad, and it’s dead opposite Hammersmith Tube station, but it’s still something that, at street level, is a sod to get to. And we’ll gloss over £7.50 for parking.

Inside, the venue’s pretty stunning. However, as with a lot of the Apollos, and older venues in general where they seem to have been converted from theatres, the seating is a) tight and cramped, and b) uncomfortable.

Despite all that, the concert itself was stonking. She doesn’t do much on stage, yet there’s a certain amount of presence, for want of a better word. Not showy, just three people (and a bit of unidentified (pre-recorded?) percussion) doing what they do – and doing it bloody well. The standard well-known tracks (“Fast Car”, “Talkin’ about a Revolution” etc.) were all done, as were various items from all the earlier albums as well as the new one.

In addition, a couple of covers, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” added some variety, and a very much more rock-driven “Another Sun” which kicked things up a gear.

All told, an absolute stunner of a gig. Not much talking to the audience – although some members still insisted on yelling for tracks, or talking to her – just a pure-breed performance. Well worth the money, and the effort, and even of having to tolerate the fuckwits. Although it would’ve been better if I’d had a stungun…

Tracy Chapman – London. The People

It’s been a long time coming, but last night we went to see Tracy Chapman in concert.

And bloody hell, she was good – but the audience were a nightmare. In fact, a very similar crowd to that experienced by Skytower.

I don’t understand why people pay £35 per ticket to go and see a sensational concert, only to talk to their mates all the way through it. Or to text people all the way through – and believe me, in the dark, the screen illumination can be sodding bright, and fucking distracting. I also don’t understand the point of keeping on going out to get more drinks etc. You’ve paid thirty-fucking-five pounds to see this gig, yet you spend half of it walking to and from the bar, and/or fucking off the people around you by constantly moving. You stupid self-obsessed bastard.

As for people with cameras, I don’t quite understand why they’re incapable of turning the flash off. Quite honestly, the flash at that range isn’t going to do anything, although it’s quite likely to screw up your photos. The camera thinks it’ll be getting a lot more light (due to the flash), then doesn’t – because the flash is swallowed up by the distance – so you just get screwed up and dull shots. And then try, and try again – but always with the flash on. Twat.

Oh, and why is it that people insist on singing along with all the songs? You’ve paid to see the original artist sing them, not attempt to drown them out with your own toneless/tuneless attempts that – more than occasionally – also have the wrong words too.

Still, despite all of these tossers, the gig itself was stonking.

The Levellers – Oxford Brookes’ SU.

Well, we did make it in the end – and as normal photos will be posted later today, or tomorrow morning. I just haven’t sorted them off the camera yet.

Brookes Uni SU bar isn’t much of a venue, it has to be said. The people behind the bar had obviously suffered some kind of genetic cross-patch with snails, as was made evident by both their speed and their lack of anything resembling a personality. Quarter of an hour to get served, which takes the piss rather than serving it. (Yeah, they had Budweiser on tap, so serving piss is meant literaly)

On the other hand, the gig itself was pretty damn good. The support act, McDermott’s Two Hours were OK – perfect for the “crusty” image of the Levellers and so on. Irish, political, slightly odd, and with a fiddle player to die for. Supposedly they’re one of the main influences on the Levellers, so fair play.

The Levellers themselves were – to me, anyway – a bit of a surprise. In appearance they were far more “pub rock” than “crusty” – well, the bass-player fitted the bill, but the rest were strangely ‘normal’. I found the same with Offspring, among others – and the lead singer does remind me of Offspring quite a lot. Punk and rebellion-type music doesn’t really seem to have stayed with students and teenagers, but instead has grown-up and aged with its original audience.

Anyway, they were bloody good. Right from the start, they were stunning – loud, fast, and just how they should be. All the old favourites were played, along with stuff from the new album.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, even with the bunch of arseholes stood next to us. Oh, and the woman one of them was groping, who could only be described as “rougher than a badger’s arse in Autumn”. But they just provided amusement/bemusement. The gig itself was great.

Muse – MEN Arena

I last saw Muse about four years ago, when they supported Skunk Anansie. At that time they were just starting out, and frankly, they were shit. It put me off them for a long time, but then I got persuaded by friends that they had improved a thousand-fold since then, so I should give them another go. And in a rare fit of tolerance, I did.

What a surprise – they’ve changed themselves utterly from the dweeby little bunch of goits I’d seen before. The music is similar, and Matt Bellamy’s voice is still the same, but the attitude of the band has changed utterly. They’re far more confident now, and the stage show is light-years ahead of just about anything else in the genre. In fact the only person I can think of this year with a better stage set was (of course) Peter Gabriel.

Bearing in mind that I’d managed to avoice purchasing anything by Muse before, I’m now beginning to think I should get at least one of their albums, and give it a try. Yes, I’ve changed my mind that much about them. Really, the only thing that could have improved the gig for me was to know the songs better – and even without that, it was still a stunning concert, culminating with a storm of ticker-tape being blasted over the audience. I’ll let the pictures say the rest…

Massive Attack, Queens Square, Bristol

Back in April, I saw Massive Attack live in Manchester as part of the tour for the 100th Window album. As concerts go, it was an absolutely stunning one, particularly having waited for rumty-tumty years to see them live. Soon after that, they released information that they would be doing an open-air concert in Bristol (their hometown) on August Bank Holiday Monday. Suffice it to say, yours truly got tickets for it, and has been looking forward to it ever since.

As more information became available, it turned out it wasn’t just going to be Massive Attack, but was instead going to be an all-dayer (well, about 10 hours all told) with a variety of bands. The final line up was : Lupine Howl, Martina Topley-Bird, The Bees, Goldfrapp, The Streets, and (of course) Massive Attack. Definitely worth the £22.50 per ticket.

First things first, the organisation in Queens Square was – in general – superb. Really the only minor detraction was the bizarre insistence at the gates that any bottled drinks had to have the caps taken off, and thrown away. I have NO idea why this was relevant (some people were saying it was so they couldn’t be used as missiles, but if that’s the case then why provide bottles and cans inside the venue?) but it was insisted upon, and was a complete pain in the arse. Once that minor hurdle had been covered and entrance had been managed, it just got better and better. The entire area had been covered in a kind of plastic tile, (I assume) to protect the surface underneath. While not perfect (I think my arse is still embossed with the manufacturer’s name) it was probably a smart move on the part of the organisers – and I’d imagine will make it very easy to clear up afterwards too. The entire site was well organised, more than enough facilities etc. – the only complaint I heard was that the bars were rigidly busy, but with 20-odd thousand people who weren’t allowed to bring alcohol into the area, I suppose that’s hardly a surprise either.

There’s a lack of photos purely because the new digi-cam’s zoom really wasn’t up to it.
• Lupine Howl
  I’d never heard of Lupine Howl before today, and on the face of things I doubt I’ll hear much of them again. I’ve been wrong before, but if I am, it’ll take a while to happen.They came on and performed a couple of reasonable covers, then made the mistake of performing some of their own stuff. Bad move. Very derivative, and with very little to allow them to stand out from the crowd. Yeah they were completely competent, and being sixth on the line-up sucks, but no, not at all impressed. And the cover of Led Zep’s “Misty Mountain Hop” towards the end of the gig was deepy ill-advised, as well as utterly shonky
• Martina Topley-Bird
  Martina used to provide the counterpoint vocals for Tricky, particularly on the Maxinquaye album, before he disappeared up his own arse at a rate of knots. She’s just released her first solo album, Quixotic, so (I assume) most of the material was from that. And on the face of the thirty-odd minutes she performed, I’m getting the album. Lupine Howl should have watched and learned – the sheer range of musical types was impressive, going from an Alabama-3-esque intro into swamp rock, blues, pop, and a couple of others. Impossible to pigeonhole, except perhaps as “Bristol trippy” – on the strength of the performance and music, she’ll continue upwards at a rapid pace.
• The Bees
  Again, Bristol-based, the Bees were – well, better than Lupine Howl. That’s about as fair as I can be.
• Goldfrapp
  I’d seen Goldfrapp on Jools Holland before, but really didn’t know any of their stuff all that well. In that context, they were bloody good. There were a couple of ear-drum shattering high-notes and distortion-bound pieces, but on the face of the sound-system’s performance for the rest of the event, I can only assume that the distortion was intentional. About 80% of the set was exceptional, but the other 20% was enough to make me slightly less sure about getting more stuff by Goldfrapp. All things considered though, it was a bloody good set (even with Ms Goldfrapp doing some very rude (simulated) things with the Theremin (apparently “every girl should have one” *grin*) and really started getting the crowd going.
• The Streets
  As with Goldfrapp, I’d heard a lot about The Streets, but to my knowledge I hadn’t heard any of their stuff. (Turns out I had, but only one track) Their reputation preceded them, so it was definitely a matter of interest to see them – and I have to say they were good. Not my favourite kind of thing, as I never did get into the rap style of music all that much – but I can see the strength they have, and why people like them they’re different to a lot of thestuff that’s out at the moment, which is always a good thing in my book. Very impressive.
• Massive Attack
  The main act – and right from the start, we’re in a totally different sphere. These people know how to do a show. I’d wondered how they’d improve on the Manchester gig, and even whether they could improve – but believe me, they could. This was a home-town audience, and they pulled out all the stops. It was a stunning concert even if you’d seen others in the tour – there were enough differences to keep it interesting. One of the best new parts was the wall-screen displaying a globe, tracing their route through the tour, totting up the mileage (kilometerage, to be accurate) and displaying how they’ve travelled, right up to the gig in Bristol. The mileage this year is a stunning 35,000Km – makes my weekend look positively sane. The entire 90 minutes they were on stage were fantastic – truly atmospheric, storming sound system, excellent lighting, the entire gig was fantastic.

All in all, an absolutely stunning day, and well worth the money.