This was an unexpected last gig of the year, at the Forum in Tunbridge Wells. Seven Story Down are a local band, but one that have been making decent strides into the national market - with gigs all around the south of England, and good interest from some fairly big record labels.
When they first came on stage, I was amazed at how young they looked, in particular the singer, who looked like he would struggle to get into the venue as a paying punter! Always a good sign, that a young band are already holding their own, and very encouraging for Tunbridge Wells music, that the kids are writing songs and playing gigs.
Seven Story Down as a band seemed to be well-organised and pretty tight, and had a good few decent songs, many of which would not have looked at all out of place if played by a touring act here. Radio Song in particular seemed to get a great reception from the audience, and in general the band seemed to be carrying the gig off very well indeed.
That was my first time with this particular Tunbridge Wells band, but they seem like one to watch, so I will look out for them in future gigs. I would not be surprised if a record deal isn't far away for them, as they have the songs and performance ability needed to impress a passing record exec.
26 December 2006
Watford vs Arsenal - Vicarage Road, Watford - Tuesday 26th December 2006
A very lucky 3 points, this. Following on from the entertaining game against Blackburn just before Christmas, Arsenal struggled in the main against a committed Watford side, who played in a way that would always have given them a chance at getting a result. Arsenal's determination, and ultimately something extra in the skill department, gave us the victory, but to be honest, we didn't look convincing for the 3 points at any time. Encouraging, though, because we have often failed to win games like this.Gilberto scored the opener, to make him just about the highest Arsenal scorer of the season so far. Amazing how well he seems to be playing, now that he has the added responsibility of the captaincy. He was always occasionally good at headers from corners, or at penalties, but now he seems to be firing in lots of both, with some close-range shots thrown in for good measure as well.
Watford's equaliser was an accident waiting to happen, after some good spells of pressure, and an Arsenal defence that didn't look like it was paying attention the whole time. A good move down the flank, defenders nowhere to be seen, and they were level - Arsenal had had the better of possession, but defensively had deserved what happened to them when Watford scored. For the remainder of the first half, I was getting increasingly amused at a mouthy home fan, who was wearing a shocking green jacket, and was standing up and gesticulating at the away section. Just on half time, he was thrown out, much to the delight of the Arsenal section.
The second half was equally unconvincing from Arsenal - I cannot honestly say that Arsenal convincingly deserved to win the game. But, win it we did - Van Persie got the ball just outside the box, and, in a carbon copy of one of his goals against Blackburn 3 days earlier, left the defender on his arse as he turned onto his left foot, then curled a beautiful shot across the keeper and into the corner.
We didn't deserve it, but you take lucky wins like this when you can get them. On leaving the ground, conversation was about how we must play better, how a better side would have beaten us, and how glad we were that we didn't live in Watford - truly a depressing town.
18 December 2006
The Sunshine Underground, The Maccabees - Islington Academy, London - Monday 18th December 2006
This was an O2 Live Session gig, for free, courtesy of XFM. In fact, they seemed to be struggling to give tickets away, as all of my mates that entered the competition, won tickets - and one was even offered more if he wanted them. Strange, because in the Sunshine Underground and the Maccabees, they had 2 of the most exciting up-and-coming bands in the country on the bill.
After an opening act that I only caught the final song from, it was The Maccabees who opened up my evening. I knew their single called Latchmere already, but not much else. They played a fairly short set, but I was very impressed with what I saw - they had very catchy tunes, and a good number of string potential singles in their set. Many of the crowd were obviously more familiar with them than I was, because they were playing to an already-converted audience at the front of the venue. I'll definitely look to see this lot again when I can - I suspect when they support somebody else that I'm going to see.
The Sunshine Underground were the headline act, again, a band that I'd previously heard a couple of songs by, and been impressed. If the Maccabees were "very good", the Sunshine Underground were "great". Pretty much every song sounded instantly good, which is always a great sign when hearing a band and their songs for the first time. The whole set was a huge party, and not knowing the majority of the songs really didn't matter - they were that good. I can honestly say that their set was a total revelation - I can't remember knowing so little of a band's output before going to see them, but emerging so converted in the space of one short set.
I will definitely be looking to see the Sunshine Underground again as soon as possible - but I fear that it may be in a much, much bigger venue than this. The more people they play to, the more they will convert - they will be a very big band by the end of next summer's festivals.
After an opening act that I only caught the final song from, it was The Maccabees who opened up my evening. I knew their single called Latchmere already, but not much else. They played a fairly short set, but I was very impressed with what I saw - they had very catchy tunes, and a good number of string potential singles in their set. Many of the crowd were obviously more familiar with them than I was, because they were playing to an already-converted audience at the front of the venue. I'll definitely look to see this lot again when I can - I suspect when they support somebody else that I'm going to see.
The Sunshine Underground were the headline act, again, a band that I'd previously heard a couple of songs by, and been impressed. If the Maccabees were "very good", the Sunshine Underground were "great". Pretty much every song sounded instantly good, which is always a great sign when hearing a band and their songs for the first time. The whole set was a huge party, and not knowing the majority of the songs really didn't matter - they were that good. I can honestly say that their set was a total revelation - I can't remember knowing so little of a band's output before going to see them, but emerging so converted in the space of one short set.I will definitely be looking to see the Sunshine Underground again as soon as possible - but I fear that it may be in a much, much bigger venue than this. The more people they play to, the more they will convert - they will be a very big band by the end of next summer's festivals.
16 December 2006
Arsenal vs Portsmouth - Emirates Stadium, London - Saturday 16th December 2006
Another home game against a team that Arsenal really should be beating if they want to win the League (or even challenge for it, or to challenge for a Champions League place). Despite Portsmouth's resurgence, and great form so far this season, this really should have been 3 points to the home team.
But, like too many home games this season, this was 2 points dropped. A shockingly pedestrian Arsenal display in the first half, coupled with a complete lack of any enthusiasm or atmosphere from the home crowd, and topped off by conceding just before the interval, made me quite close to giving up and going off to the pub at half time. The first half display really was pathetic - no urgency from anybody in particular in the Arsenal team, and strange selection plus an early injury to Ljungberg left us with something of a lightweight attack.
The start of the second half didn't get much better, as Pompey scored again, and the display showed no signs of picking up. Then on 55 minutes, Wenger introduced Adebayor, who has been one of our most impressive players for the last month or so, with more than a few goals to contribute too. Within 4 minutes, he had scored. Within another 10 minutes, we were level, and continued to throw everything at Portsmouth in search of the winner. But then, with 20 minutes or so to go, Arsenal seemed to ease off again, although thankfully not quite all the way back to the disinterested display from the first half.
It was a great comeback, and for 15 minutes, we could have blown any team in the world off the park - the main question is why we were unwilling or unable to do this for the rest of the game, and especially to go out attacking from the beginning. IN previous seasons, we have started well, blown teams away, but won the game after 20 minutes - we need to start doing that again.
Before the game today, I took a walk up to the back of the upper tier, behind the goal - my god that is high up! It was amazing how much the roof slopes down when you are at the back, and also amazing just how far away (both upwards and backwards) you are - this really is a very big stadium.
Finally, a word about the banning of national flags in the new stadium - utterly ridiculous, and yet another example of Arsenal's attempts to completely sanitise the matchday experience. No standing, no swearing, no inflatable mobile phones, certainly no fake photocopied banknotes, and now no national flags. Considering the flag days that Arsenal have held in the past, and how good our European away support looks with all the flags on display, this is another great way to completely kill any spectacle or atmosphere at football.
"We want to be inclusive, and we don't want to offend anybody", they say. Well. they have just offended thousands of people, but of course we are the people that they don't give 2 hoots about. I hope that when Arsenal are playing in a half-full, completely silent stadium, because they have driven all the real fans away, that they look back on this and regret it. Sadly, for one reason or another, I doubt they ever will.
But, like too many home games this season, this was 2 points dropped. A shockingly pedestrian Arsenal display in the first half, coupled with a complete lack of any enthusiasm or atmosphere from the home crowd, and topped off by conceding just before the interval, made me quite close to giving up and going off to the pub at half time. The first half display really was pathetic - no urgency from anybody in particular in the Arsenal team, and strange selection plus an early injury to Ljungberg left us with something of a lightweight attack.
The start of the second half didn't get much better, as Pompey scored again, and the display showed no signs of picking up. Then on 55 minutes, Wenger introduced Adebayor, who has been one of our most impressive players for the last month or so, with more than a few goals to contribute too. Within 4 minutes, he had scored. Within another 10 minutes, we were level, and continued to throw everything at Portsmouth in search of the winner. But then, with 20 minutes or so to go, Arsenal seemed to ease off again, although thankfully not quite all the way back to the disinterested display from the first half.
It was a great comeback, and for 15 minutes, we could have blown any team in the world off the park - the main question is why we were unwilling or unable to do this for the rest of the game, and especially to go out attacking from the beginning. IN previous seasons, we have started well, blown teams away, but won the game after 20 minutes - we need to start doing that again.
Before the game today, I took a walk up to the back of the upper tier, behind the goal - my god that is high up! It was amazing how much the roof slopes down when you are at the back, and also amazing just how far away (both upwards and backwards) you are - this really is a very big stadium.
Finally, a word about the banning of national flags in the new stadium - utterly ridiculous, and yet another example of Arsenal's attempts to completely sanitise the matchday experience. No standing, no swearing, no inflatable mobile phones, certainly no fake photocopied banknotes, and now no national flags. Considering the flag days that Arsenal have held in the past, and how good our European away support looks with all the flags on display, this is another great way to completely kill any spectacle or atmosphere at football.
"We want to be inclusive, and we don't want to offend anybody", they say. Well. they have just offended thousands of people, but of course we are the people that they don't give 2 hoots about. I hope that when Arsenal are playing in a half-full, completely silent stadium, because they have driven all the real fans away, that they look back on this and regret it. Sadly, for one reason or another, I doubt they ever will.
11 December 2006
Work trip to Paris, France - 10th to 11th December 2006
Straight after the Chelsea game, it was straight to Waterloo for a Eurostar to Paris - to talk to a group of clients the following day. I arrived quite late on Sunday night, to the usual horrendous taxi queue at Gare du Nord.
After a bad night's sleep, it was up at a horrendously early hour (even worse considering that it was an extra hour earlier than that in the UK), to get to the conference. Held in a nice hotel in a very posh part of Paris, it had all of those small touches that the French do so much better than us.
The highlights of the trip came once the job was done. A cab back to Gare du Nord, which went past the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, through the road tunnel where Princess Diana died, and past the lovely Gare de l'Est building. I have not really seen Paris by road much before, as all of my previous trips have involved the Metro or walking, so this was good to see. After that, a fantastic steak frites for 11 Euros, the kind that in London is just impossible to get - even though it is pretty simple. Then the train home, with a very satisfied stomach.
After a bad night's sleep, it was up at a horrendously early hour (even worse considering that it was an extra hour earlier than that in the UK), to get to the conference. Held in a nice hotel in a very posh part of Paris, it had all of those small touches that the French do so much better than us.
The highlights of the trip came once the job was done. A cab back to Gare du Nord, which went past the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, through the road tunnel where Princess Diana died, and past the lovely Gare de l'Est building. I have not really seen Paris by road much before, as all of my previous trips have involved the Metro or walking, so this was good to see. After that, a fantastic steak frites for 11 Euros, the kind that in London is just impossible to get - even though it is pretty simple. Then the train home, with a very satisfied stomach.
10 December 2006
Chelsea vs Arsenal - Stamford Bridge, London - Sunday 10th December 2006
Arsenal's first game against the greedy, money grabbing little bastard Ashley Cole was long anticipated by Arsenal fans. A chance to give the disloyal fool some abuse, especially after his pathetic attempts to defend himself in his wailing autobiography.The build-up to the game (off the field) was dominated by the police and both clubs trying to stop Arsenal fans abusing Cole too much - especially with inflatable mobile phones and fake banknotes. Threats of arrest, searches, and numerous warnings to Arsenal fans not to try to get into the ground with photocopied pieces of paper - an utterly ridiculous situation, brought about by somebody's high minded decision that all this was homophobic. But as the Arsenal fans sang during the game "we're not homophobic, we just hate Ashley Cole".
Considering that Sol Campbell and Freddie Ljungberg have been the target of (real, not imagined) homophobic abuse for years, and that Manchester United fans regularly (and in huge numbers) sing "sit down you paedophile" at Arsene Wenger, it really is a bit rich from police, media and authorities to suddenly become interested in this, and to go in heavy on Arsenal fans.
Others are equally annoyed that, after ignoring abuse directed towards Arsenal people for years, all of a sudden people get interested. Coming a month after Robin Van Persie was hit by a coin thrown from the crowd at West Ham (about which nothing further has happened), some photocopies of money really aren't going to hurt anybody. In fact, even in this game, the hundreds of Chelsea fans making aeroplane gestures at our German keeper (despite the fact that the captain of Germany plays for their own team!) was far worse than anything any Arsenal fan got up to.
Inside the ground, the horrible machine that is Chelsea started winding all the away fans up, introducing Ashley Cole as the "greatest left back in the world". At half time, their MC led an old player around the pitch - when Arsenal fans booed, he tutted and said "and THEY talk about US having no class". Despicable club, and when you add their constant haranguing of the referee to the equation, it is easy to see how they are not well liked at all - but then they thrive on being hated.
The game itself seemed to go on forever from where I was sitting, the first half in particular. Cole being booed with every touch, and a pretty decently even first half saw relatively few chances. Chelsea players were in the referee's face for every decision, of course trying to get some advantage later on, and of course on the orders of their disgraceful manager.
With around 20 minutes to go, I had deja vu from the Manchester United away game - a solid enough and determined performance, keeping a clean sheet, followed by a late smash and grab. So, when Flamini scored with about 12 minutes to go, the celebration in the Arsenal end was amongst the most mental I have ever seen at an away game (certainly since Real Madrid in the Bernabeu anyway!)- the whole place went ballistic for a good 2-3 minutes after the ball hit the back of the net.
Unfortunately, Chelsea turned it up so much in the last 10 minutes, that eventually Arsenal were lucky not to lose 3-1. With Wright-Phillips and Robben causing havoc against tired Arsenal players, they created chance after chance. Essien scored with an absolute cracker of a shot with 7 minutes to go - I was sat right behind the path of the ball, and it was one of those that, as soon as it left his foot, you could tell it was flying in.
Several missed Chelsea chances later, and after one astounding miss from Hleb, the final whistle went - for the last 10 minutes, Arsenal were lucky not to have lost, and overall, Chelsea shaded the game, but it could easily have been all 3 points to Arsenal - we were not all that far away. A hugely encouraging performance, especially from players with an average age 6 years less than that of the Chelsea team. If only we could play like that every week at the moment, we would be in much better shape!
09 December 2006
Kasabian, Tenacious D, The Kooks, The Feeling, The Automatic, Boy Kill Boy - Brixton Academy, London - Saturday 9th December 2006
The second year in a row at XFM's annual "Winter Wonderland", supporting homeless charity Shelter. Last year, the event over-ran massively, forcing lots of people to leave early for trains home. The wasted time then was mainly filled by XFM DJs that nobody gave a toss about, satisfying their vanity and making spectacles of themselves. At the time, I bemoaned the fact that XFM managed to get so many great bands onto the bill, but just couldn't organise the event properly.
This year, there were even more, and even better bands on the bill. Thankfully, the event also went much more smoothly - less annoying chat on stage from XFM DJs, much shorter gaps between bands, and shorter sets - meaning that we saw Greatest Hits type material, and got less opportunity to become bored with some of the more ropey bands on the bill (but more about The Feeling later).
The first band I saw after getting in were Boy Kill Boy. I'd seen them in May, at around the release of their album, and was underwhelmed by the tameness of it all. Tonight, the sound in the venue was fantastic, and the band seemed to be much better - still very well drilled, but with some added rock and roll spirit again. Their set was quite short, which probably helped to maintain interest, but I enjoyed what I saw.
The Automatic were next on stage, and played all that you would have expected them to play. The majority were there for Monster, and obviously the set flagged a little after that - all the people that only knew that one song seemed to drift off towards the bar once it had been played. Again this set included all of their best songs, and unfortunately the awful cover of Golddigger again. A solid set for the 25 minutes that it lasted, but the upcoming NME tour will not be as easy as this for them.
The following band, The Feeling, were the revelation of the night for me. Having heard their dull music on the radio at great length before, I had no expectation of this being any good at all. But, it was a very mixed story. The band are clearly great musicians, and they rock when they play live. Unfortunately, what they play live are mostly Feeling songs, which are not very good at all - but they squeeze every last drop of quality out on stage. The one non-Feeling song they played was a cover of Video Killed The Radio Star, which was truly excellent. A great live band, which I was not expecting, its just a shame that the songs they write are so boring and average.
The original headliner for this gig, before Kasabian were announced, were to be The Kooks, so lots of the audience were there to see them - which meant lots of females. They played a fantastic set throughout, and reminded me of just how good some of their songs are. Having seen them acoustically a few weeks ago (and electric in a small venue at the start of the year), the electric version this time was a million times better. They sounded polished, but managed to sound raw and exciting at the same time. No new songs this time, but having heard some of those at the acoustic gig, I now can't wait to hear how good they'll sound plugged in.
Before Kasabian came on, we were treated to a brief cameo from Tenacious D, who came and played a couple of songs from their new film, plus the classics Fuck Her Gently and Tribute. This was amusing, but 4 songs were probably the most they could have got away with without boring people!
So then Kasabian arrived, to bring the night to what the NME described as a spectacular climax. Playing a 9-song set drawn mostly from their new album, they brought the house down. I last saw them live over a year ago, they were incredible then, and they seem to be getting even better now. Possibly a surprise, but the fact that they have sold out Earl's Court means that they are now a truly big-league band - their fans, and the level of support they enjoy, means that they are fitting pretenders to the "biggest band in Britain" title that Oasis have held for years.
Closing the set with amazing versions of Club Foot and LSF, the entire crowd left the venue singing LSF's chorus. A massive performance from a band that are becoming massive themselves - they just keep getting bigger and better.
This year, there were even more, and even better bands on the bill. Thankfully, the event also went much more smoothly - less annoying chat on stage from XFM DJs, much shorter gaps between bands, and shorter sets - meaning that we saw Greatest Hits type material, and got less opportunity to become bored with some of the more ropey bands on the bill (but more about The Feeling later).
The first band I saw after getting in were Boy Kill Boy. I'd seen them in May, at around the release of their album, and was underwhelmed by the tameness of it all. Tonight, the sound in the venue was fantastic, and the band seemed to be much better - still very well drilled, but with some added rock and roll spirit again. Their set was quite short, which probably helped to maintain interest, but I enjoyed what I saw.
The Automatic were next on stage, and played all that you would have expected them to play. The majority were there for Monster, and obviously the set flagged a little after that - all the people that only knew that one song seemed to drift off towards the bar once it had been played. Again this set included all of their best songs, and unfortunately the awful cover of Golddigger again. A solid set for the 25 minutes that it lasted, but the upcoming NME tour will not be as easy as this for them.
The following band, The Feeling, were the revelation of the night for me. Having heard their dull music on the radio at great length before, I had no expectation of this being any good at all. But, it was a very mixed story. The band are clearly great musicians, and they rock when they play live. Unfortunately, what they play live are mostly Feeling songs, which are not very good at all - but they squeeze every last drop of quality out on stage. The one non-Feeling song they played was a cover of Video Killed The Radio Star, which was truly excellent. A great live band, which I was not expecting, its just a shame that the songs they write are so boring and average.
The original headliner for this gig, before Kasabian were announced, were to be The Kooks, so lots of the audience were there to see them - which meant lots of females. They played a fantastic set throughout, and reminded me of just how good some of their songs are. Having seen them acoustically a few weeks ago (and electric in a small venue at the start of the year), the electric version this time was a million times better. They sounded polished, but managed to sound raw and exciting at the same time. No new songs this time, but having heard some of those at the acoustic gig, I now can't wait to hear how good they'll sound plugged in.
Before Kasabian came on, we were treated to a brief cameo from Tenacious D, who came and played a couple of songs from their new film, plus the classics Fuck Her Gently and Tribute. This was amusing, but 4 songs were probably the most they could have got away with without boring people!
So then Kasabian arrived, to bring the night to what the NME described as a spectacular climax. Playing a 9-song set drawn mostly from their new album, they brought the house down. I last saw them live over a year ago, they were incredible then, and they seem to be getting even better now. Possibly a surprise, but the fact that they have sold out Earl's Court means that they are now a truly big-league band - their fans, and the level of support they enjoy, means that they are fitting pretenders to the "biggest band in Britain" title that Oasis have held for years.
Closing the set with amazing versions of Club Foot and LSF, the entire crowd left the venue singing LSF's chorus. A massive performance from a band that are becoming massive themselves - they just keep getting bigger and better.
07 December 2006
Bromheads Jacket - ULU, London - Thursday 7th December 2006
I last saw Bromheads Jacket back in January, and was inspired enough to have wanted to see them again ever since. However, not being terribly well known, it was difficult to persuade anybody to come along with me - especially those that had to get into London from elsewhere. I therefore went to a leaving do at work, got drunk, then grabbed a mate from work and dragged him up to the gig - we arrived about 5 minutes before Bromheads Jacket came on stage.The band were as exciting as I rememeber them, the guitars sounded fantastically scuzzy throughout, and the singer's position, bending down and hunched over a microphone that was deliberately too low, made everything seem that bit more spontaneous. They spent around 45 minutes rattling through most of their excellent debut album, showcasing some of the quieter, slower, more poetic songs, as well as the rowdy punk rock tear-ups.
The venue was not full for this show, but those there were getting involved - a good sized moshpit, joined on at least a couple of occasions by the Bromheads Jacket singer - always a good thing to see. Bromheads Jacket seem to have stalled the growth of their popularity lately, this is a shame, and a few more people should get out to see them - the guitar sound is something very special - they rock!
04 December 2006
The View, Little Man Tate, Underground Heroes - Astoria, London - Monday 4th December 2006
Less than a week before this gig came the extremely pleasant surprise that Little Man Tate were going to be the support band - so possibly my 2 favorite new(ish) bands playing on the same night. I love it when stuff like that happens by accident! This was a crowd full of music lovers, with the gig sold out a long time ago, and The View having made considerable progress towards rock stardom since then. It began by entering the venue, and bumping straight into the "Wasted Little DJs", 2 rather annoying girls that are going out with members of The View.
First band of the night were Underground Heroes, who I had had the pleasure of seeing support The View before, at Tunbridge Wells Forum. I liked them then, have listened to a few of the tracks on their MySpace site since, and really liked them this evening. They mix parts of the Ordinary Boys, Arctic Monkeys, and Libertines, into a sound which is great for getting drunk and having a good time at a show. Seeing them live is really the only way to do them justice, because they sound like a band far more capable than their current position in the world of music suggests.
In a venue that was starting to get sweaty, next up were Little Man Tate. A huge bonus to have them on the bill, because I would have paid to see them headline, they played a set that was shorter and less intense than I had seen from them before - mainly, I guess, because they were playing to an audience that needed some winning over. So, the set was heavy on singles both past and future, and they acquitted themselves pretty well. A very different set to the triumphant, drunken headline sets that I have seen before, but a good one nonetheless. Not sure how many View fans they won over, but I enjoyed it!
Finally, The View. I have said a few times that this band are great, and should go far - and I will say it again. Following up a mammoth schedule of support slots, this was a different set - more songs, some new songs, slower songs, more interaction with the crowd. There must be a dozen or so tunes which, if included on their debut album in January, will help to make it one of the most exciting debuts for a long while.
The set was carried off with confidence, assurance, and with something to spare. The audience was very up for the gig, so the moshpit for Wasted Little DJs extended pretty much through the whole venue. There was beer flying everywhere, and all this at just about 9:30 on a Monday night. As the set drew to its close, with Posh Boys, new single Same Jeans, and Superstar Tradesman, the whole venue was going completely mad.
And with good reason, because this really was a fantastic performance, from what must be the most exciting new band in the country right now. Oasis started it, The Libertines were leading lights, Arctic Monkeys excited everybody. The View belong in this company - fantastic band, great quality and range of tunes, and awesome live. A "must see" band.
First band of the night were Underground Heroes, who I had had the pleasure of seeing support The View before, at Tunbridge Wells Forum. I liked them then, have listened to a few of the tracks on their MySpace site since, and really liked them this evening. They mix parts of the Ordinary Boys, Arctic Monkeys, and Libertines, into a sound which is great for getting drunk and having a good time at a show. Seeing them live is really the only way to do them justice, because they sound like a band far more capable than their current position in the world of music suggests.
In a venue that was starting to get sweaty, next up were Little Man Tate. A huge bonus to have them on the bill, because I would have paid to see them headline, they played a set that was shorter and less intense than I had seen from them before - mainly, I guess, because they were playing to an audience that needed some winning over. So, the set was heavy on singles both past and future, and they acquitted themselves pretty well. A very different set to the triumphant, drunken headline sets that I have seen before, but a good one nonetheless. Not sure how many View fans they won over, but I enjoyed it!
Finally, The View. I have said a few times that this band are great, and should go far - and I will say it again. Following up a mammoth schedule of support slots, this was a different set - more songs, some new songs, slower songs, more interaction with the crowd. There must be a dozen or so tunes which, if included on their debut album in January, will help to make it one of the most exciting debuts for a long while.The set was carried off with confidence, assurance, and with something to spare. The audience was very up for the gig, so the moshpit for Wasted Little DJs extended pretty much through the whole venue. There was beer flying everywhere, and all this at just about 9:30 on a Monday night. As the set drew to its close, with Posh Boys, new single Same Jeans, and Superstar Tradesman, the whole venue was going completely mad.
And with good reason, because this really was a fantastic performance, from what must be the most exciting new band in the country right now. Oasis started it, The Libertines were leading lights, Arctic Monkeys excited everybody. The View belong in this company - fantastic band, great quality and range of tunes, and awesome live. A "must see" band.
02 December 2006
Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur - Emirates Stadium, London - Saturday 2nd December 2006
Spurs' annual trip to play Arsenal, and a renewed opportunity for their idiot fans to try and wreak havoc and destruction in the away end, and as much of the rest of N5 as they are allowed near. A usual trick for away fans at this game is to turn all the taps on in the toilets, then block the plugholes - football hooliganism at its truly most pathetic. Of course, they have significantly more mouth than trousers, so it was no surprise to see a complete absence of Spurs fans in the streets around the ground before kick off.
No Thierry Henry today, which was a blow, especially given the obvious need for a good result. After 2 away defeats, it was important to win today - but the added imperative not to lose to Spurs, and not to allow them to become the first team to beat us in our new ground, meant that a result was vital. Never mind, Rosicky was there for his first North London Derby, and Adebayor has proved that he can be enough of a nuisance to cause problems for an average team like Spurs.
As it turned out, Spurs team didn't really put up any kind of fight - they seemed to roll over and accept their fate - which was very strange for a derby match. Their performance was poor throughout, Jens Lehmann had virtually nothing to do all game, and they actually contrived to make a fairly average Arsenal performance look flattering.
Given all this, it was very slightly disappointing that all 3 Arsenal goals were in some way "controversial", giving both Spurs fans and the massed ranks of the media an opportunity to claim that it was all unfair, and generally detract from Arsenal's victory. Adebayor may have been a couple of inches offside for the first goal; and the last 2 goals were both from penalties, the validity of which could be argued over forever and a day. So, many people claiming that the referee (and Graham Poll does have a good track record of doing this), decided the game.
What this one-eyed, anti-Arsenal viewpoint does fail to take into account, is that Arsenal fans thought he had a shocker too. Spurs could have had 3 or 4 players sent off, and should have been in double figures for yellow cards. The fouls that Poll let them get away with were shocking, right from the word go, and their left back was extremely lucky not to have been sent off before he was eventually substituted at half time. Despite letting so many Spurs fouls go, Poll also continually interrupted the game at the wrong times with constant fussy whistling - a very frustrating referee for a big game. The photo here shows Spurs players arguing over one of the few decisions that didn't go their way, amongst a sea of leniency towards their fouling.
As is often the case, the Guardian/Observer review managed to pitch itself a step above the tabloid rubbish, most of which claimed that Graham Poll somehow cheated Spurs and their fans. Absolute rubbish - Spurs cheated their fans by playing so poorly throughout. Three decisions helped Arsenal get what they deserved, but a great many others did not. Which meant that it was great to see the perennial "leaving early" problem in our new stadium, confined exclusively to the away end, - which was half empty with 5 minutes of play left!
No Thierry Henry today, which was a blow, especially given the obvious need for a good result. After 2 away defeats, it was important to win today - but the added imperative not to lose to Spurs, and not to allow them to become the first team to beat us in our new ground, meant that a result was vital. Never mind, Rosicky was there for his first North London Derby, and Adebayor has proved that he can be enough of a nuisance to cause problems for an average team like Spurs.
As it turned out, Spurs team didn't really put up any kind of fight - they seemed to roll over and accept their fate - which was very strange for a derby match. Their performance was poor throughout, Jens Lehmann had virtually nothing to do all game, and they actually contrived to make a fairly average Arsenal performance look flattering.
Given all this, it was very slightly disappointing that all 3 Arsenal goals were in some way "controversial", giving both Spurs fans and the massed ranks of the media an opportunity to claim that it was all unfair, and generally detract from Arsenal's victory. Adebayor may have been a couple of inches offside for the first goal; and the last 2 goals were both from penalties, the validity of which could be argued over forever and a day. So, many people claiming that the referee (and Graham Poll does have a good track record of doing this), decided the game.
What this one-eyed, anti-Arsenal viewpoint does fail to take into account, is that Arsenal fans thought he had a shocker too. Spurs could have had 3 or 4 players sent off, and should have been in double figures for yellow cards. The fouls that Poll let them get away with were shocking, right from the word go, and their left back was extremely lucky not to have been sent off before he was eventually substituted at half time. Despite letting so many Spurs fouls go, Poll also continually interrupted the game at the wrong times with constant fussy whistling - a very frustrating referee for a big game. The photo here shows Spurs players arguing over one of the few decisions that didn't go their way, amongst a sea of leniency towards their fouling.As is often the case, the Guardian/Observer review managed to pitch itself a step above the tabloid rubbish, most of which claimed that Graham Poll somehow cheated Spurs and their fans. Absolute rubbish - Spurs cheated their fans by playing so poorly throughout. Three decisions helped Arsenal get what they deserved, but a great many others did not. Which meant that it was great to see the perennial "leaving early" problem in our new stadium, confined exclusively to the away end, - which was half empty with 5 minutes of play left!
01 December 2006
The Shakes - Water Rats Theatre, London - Friday 1st December 2006
A Friday night at the Water Rats, in London's salubrious Kings Cross, to see a friend of a friend's band. The Water Rats is known of course for being the venue for the first ever Oasis London gig, so no pressure to live up to anything there! The band, The Shakes, have been signed to Tough Cookie records for a little while now, and have even managed to get a couple of promising-sounding singles out there.
I arrived at the venue pretty late, so missed all of the support acts, but did at least have time to get to the bar for a quick pint, before heading through to the back room. A great venue, with a lower floor, and a raised back part, so that both tall and short people alike can all see.
The Shakes came on stage just after 10pm, and seemed to be getting an instantly great reception from a good sized hardcore of fans. A four-piece band, they play good old jangly indie pop songs, which sounded comfortingly familiar, but nicely fresh at the same time. The atmosphere was one of jubilation, almost like a party, attended by people that had clearly been following this band for a while.
As a newcomer, I was impressed enough to look out for them as they continue to build their fanbase. They sounded good enough, not terribly exciting, but a pretty decent band nonetheless. Probably more at the Keane end of the spectrum than at the Libertines end - but nowhere near as bad as Keane! I'll definitely go to see them again if I'm at a loose end and they are nearby.
I arrived at the venue pretty late, so missed all of the support acts, but did at least have time to get to the bar for a quick pint, before heading through to the back room. A great venue, with a lower floor, and a raised back part, so that both tall and short people alike can all see.
The Shakes came on stage just after 10pm, and seemed to be getting an instantly great reception from a good sized hardcore of fans. A four-piece band, they play good old jangly indie pop songs, which sounded comfortingly familiar, but nicely fresh at the same time. The atmosphere was one of jubilation, almost like a party, attended by people that had clearly been following this band for a while.As a newcomer, I was impressed enough to look out for them as they continue to build their fanbase. They sounded good enough, not terribly exciting, but a pretty decent band nonetheless. Probably more at the Keane end of the spectrum than at the Libertines end - but nowhere near as bad as Keane! I'll definitely go to see them again if I'm at a loose end and they are nearby.
29 November 2006
Fulham vs Arsenal - Craven Cottage, London - Wednesday 29th November 2006
After losing at Bolton - again on Saturday, what better than a nice trip to Fulham to make things all seem better. Not too hard to get to, friendly, nice pies and beer in the ground, loads of tickets, and the fact that we always beat them, not having lost since 1966, means that this is usually one of Arsenal fans' favourite away games of the season.
So, there were groans all round when Arsenal went behind inside 5 minutes, after a sluggish start, and caught out by great pace in attack from Fulham. That pace didn't really let up all game - Fulham comprehensively out-ran Arsenal, and we were struggling to keep up. An overly fussy referee didn't help (continually stopping quick free-kicks being taken), booking several Arsenal players for seemingly innocuous fouls, but the fact is that we were some way off the pace throughout.
After the second goal went in on 18 minutes, leaving us 2-0 down at Fulham of all places, many in the crowd turned on Alexandre Song - who was quite clearly well out of his depth. Singing "We Want Cesc Fabregas" (why Wenger didn't play him from the start, especially when Song is nowhere near good enough as a replacement, I have no idea) - that wasn't too bad; but some of our fans then started to boo Song - utterly unacceptable, and yet another sign that too many Arsenal fans have no idea.
A goal pulled back before half time, set up a thrilling (for a neutral) second half. Fulham could have scored from at least 3 fantastic chances. Arsenal had Senderos sent off with 25 minutes to go, and Fulham clattered the crossbar from the resulting free kick. Henry had a goal ruled out for offside, when it was marginal at best. Arsenal peppered the Fulham goal, but in truth were giving the ball away far too cheaply, and were beaten to every loose ball by a Fulham team that deserved the victory.
This means 3 away defeats in a row, with vital games against Spurs, Porto and Chelsea coming up. We have always struggled in November, so the fact that it is now over is some relief at least. But, 16 points behind the League leaders means that out title challenge is well and truly over, and the questions of "where do we go from here" are very relevant.
So, there were groans all round when Arsenal went behind inside 5 minutes, after a sluggish start, and caught out by great pace in attack from Fulham. That pace didn't really let up all game - Fulham comprehensively out-ran Arsenal, and we were struggling to keep up. An overly fussy referee didn't help (continually stopping quick free-kicks being taken), booking several Arsenal players for seemingly innocuous fouls, but the fact is that we were some way off the pace throughout.After the second goal went in on 18 minutes, leaving us 2-0 down at Fulham of all places, many in the crowd turned on Alexandre Song - who was quite clearly well out of his depth. Singing "We Want Cesc Fabregas" (why Wenger didn't play him from the start, especially when Song is nowhere near good enough as a replacement, I have no idea) - that wasn't too bad; but some of our fans then started to boo Song - utterly unacceptable, and yet another sign that too many Arsenal fans have no idea.
A goal pulled back before half time, set up a thrilling (for a neutral) second half. Fulham could have scored from at least 3 fantastic chances. Arsenal had Senderos sent off with 25 minutes to go, and Fulham clattered the crossbar from the resulting free kick. Henry had a goal ruled out for offside, when it was marginal at best. Arsenal peppered the Fulham goal, but in truth were giving the ball away far too cheaply, and were beaten to every loose ball by a Fulham team that deserved the victory.
This means 3 away defeats in a row, with vital games against Spurs, Porto and Chelsea coming up. We have always struggled in November, so the fact that it is now over is some relief at least. But, 16 points behind the League leaders means that out title challenge is well and truly over, and the questions of "where do we go from here" are very relevant.
28 November 2006
The Killers - Brixton Academy, London - Tuesday 28th November 2006
When I got the tickets, I was really excited about this gig. Then I heard The Killers' second album, and the excitement faded a bit. It is OK, and the songs definitely start to grow on you after a few listens - but I guess everybody was expecting an instantly fantastic album (especially after hearing When You Were Young), rather than one that requires effort to start to like. So, I went to the gig very excited about hearing the older songs, but much less excited about the new stuff.
As it turned out, it was indeed a gig of two halves. But rather than a difference between the old and new songs, it was really the difference between the beginning and the end of the show. The band walked on to an elaborate stage set, and were sounding incredible right from the off. When You Were Young (quite possibly the best song they have made yet), Somebody Told Me, and Smile Like You Mean It appeared early on, and even the songs from the new album were sounding amazing.Then, the set seemed to lose its way slightly. A few too many new songs, and some slowed down and slightly lacklustre versions of some of the older ones, and the set was seeming to flag somewhat, about 2/3 of the way through. Obviously, this sometimes happens, and I definitely got the feeling that the band had blown many of their best cards right at the beginning, except for the few that they were obviously saving for the end.
When the end came, there was a magnificent version of Mr Brightside, which had pretty much all of the crowd singing. The encore included what was apparently the debut performance of their new christmas single, which sounded very promising indeed. The band finished up with All These Things That I've Done, which as ever was fantastic.
Definitely a mixed bag - outstanding at the beginning, outstanding at the end, but lacking something in the middle - and for a 75 minute set from one of the biggest draws in music right now, you may have hoped for something better.
20 November 2006
The Kooks, Plan B, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly - Union Chapel, London - Monday 20th November 2006
This was a unique gig, in a unique venue - the Union Chapel in Highbury holds only around 500 people, and they are all seated on church pews. It felt like a very hushed, reverential experience, to be sitting in church, watching such a stripped down, quiet, acoustic gig. In fact, the complete opposite to the over-the-top Flaming Lips show from the same time the previous week! People were whispering, not wanting to make too much noise in such an amazing venue.
First on stage were Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, whose lyrics and melancholy songs were probably ideally suited to an event like this. Getting the "swearing in church" barrier out of the way very quickly, they went through a 7-song set (I know because I got the setlist afterwards), which included a fantastic cover of Hot Chip's Over And Over. The chat in between songs was all about musicians being in a position to stand up and support what they believe in, which seemed like an appropriate message for a charity evening.
Next up was Plan B, possibly the act I was most excited about seeing - having not had the pleasure before. His lyrics are incisive, but very dark to say the least - and he did tone down some of the more gory excesses for such a nice venue. He really showed off his range of vocals and song styles during an excellent set, and proved to many that he is a real songwriter across a number of genres, not just a rapper. Playing solo with an acoustic guitar, he even burst into a rendition of the classic Tracks Of My Tears at one point in the set. A truly varied set, which won a great many of the audience over, and showed that Plan B is a very talented songwriter indeed.
Jo Whiley introduced The Kooks, and predictably, the crowd erupted - even in church! 2 members of the band arrived on stage, and launched straight into Seaside, appropriate really, since their normal opening song at gigs was perfect for this event. They played a good number of songs from their album, but also a clutch of new songs - the vast majority of which sounded very catchy indeed. I had wondered how their new songs would stack up against the old ones, but on this evidence, their second album should be great - I can't wait to hear more of some of the new songs.
In the middle of their short set, the band were joined by Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, for a Bob Dylan cover, during which the singer seemed to be rather trashed - he didn't seem to know what day it was. Increasingly slurring his words when talking in between songs, luckily this didn't affect the vocals! After a brief exit from the stage, The Kooks returned to finish with a version of Naive that was as riotous as you can possibly get in a quiet acoustic show!
All in all, a very special gig - and a great opportunity to see some fantastic songwriters in an amazing venue.
First on stage were Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, whose lyrics and melancholy songs were probably ideally suited to an event like this. Getting the "swearing in church" barrier out of the way very quickly, they went through a 7-song set (I know because I got the setlist afterwards), which included a fantastic cover of Hot Chip's Over And Over. The chat in between songs was all about musicians being in a position to stand up and support what they believe in, which seemed like an appropriate message for a charity evening.
Next up was Plan B, possibly the act I was most excited about seeing - having not had the pleasure before. His lyrics are incisive, but very dark to say the least - and he did tone down some of the more gory excesses for such a nice venue. He really showed off his range of vocals and song styles during an excellent set, and proved to many that he is a real songwriter across a number of genres, not just a rapper. Playing solo with an acoustic guitar, he even burst into a rendition of the classic Tracks Of My Tears at one point in the set. A truly varied set, which won a great many of the audience over, and showed that Plan B is a very talented songwriter indeed.
Jo Whiley introduced The Kooks, and predictably, the crowd erupted - even in church! 2 members of the band arrived on stage, and launched straight into Seaside, appropriate really, since their normal opening song at gigs was perfect for this event. They played a good number of songs from their album, but also a clutch of new songs - the vast majority of which sounded very catchy indeed. I had wondered how their new songs would stack up against the old ones, but on this evidence, their second album should be great - I can't wait to hear more of some of the new songs.
In the middle of their short set, the band were joined by Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, for a Bob Dylan cover, during which the singer seemed to be rather trashed - he didn't seem to know what day it was. Increasingly slurring his words when talking in between songs, luckily this didn't affect the vocals! After a brief exit from the stage, The Kooks returned to finish with a version of Naive that was as riotous as you can possibly get in a quiet acoustic show!All in all, a very special gig - and a great opportunity to see some fantastic songwriters in an amazing venue.
18 November 2006
Arsenal vs Newcastle United - Emirates Stadium, London - Saturday 18th November 2006
This was an identikit football match, in pretty much exactly the same vein as the Aston Villa, Boro, and Everton games already this season. Games against teams that we most certainly should be beating at home in the League. But, games in which we have gone behind (against the run of play), and then struggled to break down the opposition to even equalise, let alone to win the game. Our 4th disappointing 1-1 draw so far, and this more than anything else is costing us a decent crack at the title. Julio Baptista made his starting home debut (I think), today, and looked totally off the pace, which was a good summary for the team's performance really. Chances were created, possession held, but crucially, goals were not scored!
I was sat at the opposite end to my normal seat today, right next to the away section. This part of the stadium is for match-by-match ticket holders only, so there were far more "tourists" with cameras in this part of the ground. However, the view was fantastic, considering how easy it is for Silver members to get tickets here for most games - even though my row was so far forward as to have the crossbar in the way a little bit.
Nevertheless, a good position. It also brought home just how big our stadium is, and how bad at keeping noise inside. Sitting in the opposite corner to the Red Section, I think I heard noise coming from there on maybe one or 2 occasions at most, even though I coculd see them up and singing for much of the game. The away fans sounded loud and were pointing out that we were quiet, but I blame the size and acoustics of the ground!Arsenal really need to address this issue of how to win at home, or this could be a very long and difficult winter. I thought that we had turned the corner with the Liverpool win last weekend, but when another struggling team comes along (Newcastle started the day in the bottom 3!), we seemed to revert to struggling just as much. The next home league game is Spurs - surely we can beat them??!
17 November 2006
The Belgrave Scandal - Cafe de Paris, London - Friday 17th November 2006
This was a big Belgrave Scandal gig, at the Cafe de Paris in London's famous Leicester Square. By the way, if you want to know what it feels like to be completely ripped off by a venue, I recommend this place. £3 for a bottle of beer (on happy hour!), £4 otherwise, and draught beer available at £3.50 for a HALF pint.
I know that their rent must be expensive, but is there really any need to mark the cost of beer up by quite this much? I had a distinct feeling that they encourage bands like the Scandal to play here - giving them half hour sets, so that they bring dozens of mates that the venue can then rip off.
The Belgrave Scandal, wearing their suits again, came on stage at around 8pm. Initially they were plagued by a big sound problem - which kept cutting the lead guitar out - how to make a band happy from the word go! Once this was sorted, however, the band tore through a largely familiar set, although they did also debut an excellent new song. This new song was so excellent in fact, that it could possibly be better than any of their others, given a few more listens. Always a very encouraging thing for a band, when their new songs sound as good as their older stuff, even on the first listen - their songwriting definitely seems to be going in the right direction.
Shockingly missing Take That Train out of their set, the band finished with a fantastic and energetic version of Soul and Power, to leave the sizeable audience of friends very happy. There were even loud shouts for more, which sadly was not possible, as I would have been up for another half hour encore!
Getting out of that expensive venue asap afterwards became a priority, so we relocated to a cheaper drinking venue nearby. Great band and a great performance, shame about the venue.
I know that their rent must be expensive, but is there really any need to mark the cost of beer up by quite this much? I had a distinct feeling that they encourage bands like the Scandal to play here - giving them half hour sets, so that they bring dozens of mates that the venue can then rip off.
The Belgrave Scandal, wearing their suits again, came on stage at around 8pm. Initially they were plagued by a big sound problem - which kept cutting the lead guitar out - how to make a band happy from the word go! Once this was sorted, however, the band tore through a largely familiar set, although they did also debut an excellent new song. This new song was so excellent in fact, that it could possibly be better than any of their others, given a few more listens. Always a very encouraging thing for a band, when their new songs sound as good as their older stuff, even on the first listen - their songwriting definitely seems to be going in the right direction.
Shockingly missing Take That Train out of their set, the band finished with a fantastic and energetic version of Soul and Power, to leave the sizeable audience of friends very happy. There were even loud shouts for more, which sadly was not possible, as I would have been up for another half hour encore!
Getting out of that expensive venue asap afterwards became a priority, so we relocated to a cheaper drinking venue nearby. Great band and a great performance, shame about the venue.
14 November 2006
Work trip to Stockholm, Sweden - 14th to 15th November 2006
A work trip for a night to a very cold Stockholm. I arrived at about 3pm, by which time it was already starting to get dark - and by around 3:30, it was pretty much completely dark. Everybody seems to take this as a cue to do everything else very early as well - we sat down to dinner in a restaurant at 6pm, and room service in my hotel gave up for the night at 9pm. There is pretty little to do apart from go to bed and try to keep warm!
In the morning, the "early" theme continued - it got light earlier than in the UK, and I was woken up by builders hammering in the room above me, at about 7am. All very strange, and not being a "morning" person, most unwelcome.
On the way back home, we were the subject of an interesting breach of airport security. We were sat on the plane, about to puch back, when the captain told us that 2 people had managed to walk into the departure lounge, through the baggage reclaim and arrivals areas. They were seen on CCTV, but not caught in time, so they managed to walk onto my plane without clearing security.
The plane was evacuated, everybody had to go back landside and clear security again, then the plane was thoroughly searched before we were all allowed back on. Somewhat worrying, but I'm glad they noticed before we set off! So, a 2-hour delay meant leaving a meeting in central Stockholm at 2:30, and arriving home at midnight! Who says that international travel is great fun?!
In the morning, the "early" theme continued - it got light earlier than in the UK, and I was woken up by builders hammering in the room above me, at about 7am. All very strange, and not being a "morning" person, most unwelcome.
On the way back home, we were the subject of an interesting breach of airport security. We were sat on the plane, about to puch back, when the captain told us that 2 people had managed to walk into the departure lounge, through the baggage reclaim and arrivals areas. They were seen on CCTV, but not caught in time, so they managed to walk onto my plane without clearing security.
The plane was evacuated, everybody had to go back landside and clear security again, then the plane was thoroughly searched before we were all allowed back on. Somewhat worrying, but I'm glad they noticed before we set off! So, a 2-hour delay meant leaving a meeting in central Stockholm at 2:30, and arriving home at midnight! Who says that international travel is great fun?!
13 November 2006
Flaming Lips, Midlake - Hammersmith Apollo, London - Monday 13th November 2006
Lots of people go to see bands live, and describe the experience as "amazing". I have even done it myself, on many occasions. But, the word "amazing" simply does not do this gig justice - it was without doubt the most incredible gig I have ever seen, by any band, ever. I am not the hugest fan of the Flaming Lips' music, but their live show is so magnificent, that this does not really matter at all - I defy anybody not to enjoy this.
I had even seen the Flaming Lips play on a couple of occasions before - once at Reading at around the turn of the century, and once at Glastonbury in 2003. Even that didn't properly prepare me for how good this was.
The support band were Midlake, an all-American band who had made the day trip to London from France, just to play support. They sounded very much like Mercury Rev, and took advantage of the video screen to deliver some great visuals during their set. They certainly didn't rock, with keyboards and soft vocals preferred to heavy guitar usage, but they were very good.
The Flaming Lips set started during the interval, when the band came on (as they always do), to tech their own instruments, so that the sound is exactly as they want it to be. Then, after a brief gap, a town crier appeared on stage, telling us how the band had been in trouble with the health and safety police on their tour so far. A dazzling video show later, and Wayne Coyne appeared at the side of the stage, in his giant bubble, and proceeded to go for a walk/stumble across the heads of the crowd.
Racing straight into Race For The Prize, it really hit me how good the sound was. The visuals just got better, with streamers, smoke, tickertape, and giant green balloons released into the room. Looking around, it was an almost overwhelming experience, with so much madness going on all around. There were a dozen dancers dressed as Santa Claus on one side of the stage, a dozen dressed as elves on the other side, and people dressed as superheroes running around all over the place - truly mad.
The highlights just came too thick, and too fast, for any words to do them justice. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song was "dedicated" to George Bush, and sounded incredible. She Don't use Jelly featured a fantastic reprise, and again sounded amazing. For the encore, they played a blinding version of Bohemian Rhapsody, with both sound and visual completely overwhelming. Then, after almost 2 hours, they fired a ton of tickertape into the audience, and walked off stage.
It is impossible to do a show like this justice, there are not enough superlatives I can use to describe it. U2's Zoo TV tour took live shows to another level, back in 1993, combining sound and visual to create an amazing show. The Flaming Lips take this several steps further, quite unlike anything you could possibly experience elsewhere. Amazing, incredible, fantastic, they deserve all of these words and more. If you haven't seen this band live, you have no idea of just how unbelievable a live gig can be. Beg, steal or borrow a ticket next time they are in town.
I had even seen the Flaming Lips play on a couple of occasions before - once at Reading at around the turn of the century, and once at Glastonbury in 2003. Even that didn't properly prepare me for how good this was.
The support band were Midlake, an all-American band who had made the day trip to London from France, just to play support. They sounded very much like Mercury Rev, and took advantage of the video screen to deliver some great visuals during their set. They certainly didn't rock, with keyboards and soft vocals preferred to heavy guitar usage, but they were very good.
The Flaming Lips set started during the interval, when the band came on (as they always do), to tech their own instruments, so that the sound is exactly as they want it to be. Then, after a brief gap, a town crier appeared on stage, telling us how the band had been in trouble with the health and safety police on their tour so far. A dazzling video show later, and Wayne Coyne appeared at the side of the stage, in his giant bubble, and proceeded to go for a walk/stumble across the heads of the crowd.
Racing straight into Race For The Prize, it really hit me how good the sound was. The visuals just got better, with streamers, smoke, tickertape, and giant green balloons released into the room. Looking around, it was an almost overwhelming experience, with so much madness going on all around. There were a dozen dancers dressed as Santa Claus on one side of the stage, a dozen dressed as elves on the other side, and people dressed as superheroes running around all over the place - truly mad.
The highlights just came too thick, and too fast, for any words to do them justice. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song was "dedicated" to George Bush, and sounded incredible. She Don't use Jelly featured a fantastic reprise, and again sounded amazing. For the encore, they played a blinding version of Bohemian Rhapsody, with both sound and visual completely overwhelming. Then, after almost 2 hours, they fired a ton of tickertape into the audience, and walked off stage.It is impossible to do a show like this justice, there are not enough superlatives I can use to describe it. U2's Zoo TV tour took live shows to another level, back in 1993, combining sound and visual to create an amazing show. The Flaming Lips take this several steps further, quite unlike anything you could possibly experience elsewhere. Amazing, incredible, fantastic, they deserve all of these words and more. If you haven't seen this band live, you have no idea of just how unbelievable a live gig can be. Beg, steal or borrow a ticket next time they are in town.
12 November 2006
Arsenal vs Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London - Sunday 12th November 2006
This was the first reasonably big game at the new stadium, against a Liverpool side who were struggling with a poor away record so far this season. They were without an away win, but had admittedly played Man Utd, Chelsea, Bolton and Everton, so some pretty tricky games - nevertheless, they had lost all of them. Coupled with Arsenal's difficulties in winning at the new stadium, and this was a potential disaster waiting to happen. I was eager to see how the crowd would perform, and also how the players would react to their first big game in the new home.
As it was, this was probably the worst performance by a Liverpool team that I remember seeing. Things were reasonably even until Arsenal opened the scoring in the first half, but after that, Liverpool (and Steven Gerrard in particular) just seemed to disappear. All three Arsenal goals were bad goals for any defence to concede, especially one which has hopes of winning the League.
The crowd seemed much better for this game than any of the previous games - although this was really a "warmup" big game, before the real big game against Spurs in 3 weeks. More people standing, more singing, and generally a crowd more up for it. Although, you can still only very rarely hear the sound made at one end of the ground from the other end - sound just seems to evaporate in the stadium.
This result leaves us 10 points behind Manchester United, admittedly with a game in hand - so whilst a morale boosting win, we are still some way off being genuine title contenders, at least at the moment. Still, wins against Liverpool and Man United prove that we could be at least.
As it was, this was probably the worst performance by a Liverpool team that I remember seeing. Things were reasonably even until Arsenal opened the scoring in the first half, but after that, Liverpool (and Steven Gerrard in particular) just seemed to disappear. All three Arsenal goals were bad goals for any defence to concede, especially one which has hopes of winning the League.The crowd seemed much better for this game than any of the previous games - although this was really a "warmup" big game, before the real big game against Spurs in 3 weeks. More people standing, more singing, and generally a crowd more up for it. Although, you can still only very rarely hear the sound made at one end of the ground from the other end - sound just seems to evaporate in the stadium.
This result leaves us 10 points behind Manchester United, admittedly with a game in hand - so whilst a morale boosting win, we are still some way off being genuine title contenders, at least at the moment. Still, wins against Liverpool and Man United prove that we could be at least.
09 November 2006
We Are Scientists - Brixton Academy, London - Thursday 9th November 2006
Brixton Academy, for the excellent We Are Scientists. Last time I saw them was in Philadelphia in June, in a much smaller venue, where few people had heard of the band. Some contrast then, with the first of 2 sold-out nights at Brixton, ending a mammoth UK tour. Brixton Academy was the emptiest I have ever seen it for a "sold out" show - it was busy, but there was plenty of space to move around at the back - actually a much better experience than normal.
The main support act were Hot Club De Paris - I had heard great things about this band, and they certainly seemed to have a hardcore of fans towards the front, who gave them a great reception. A three piece from Liverpool, they sounded to me like a watered-down version of the Futureheads - with both vocals and music not as strong as them. Part of that could have been the sound, especially playing in such a big venue - but I thought that their sound was quite lightweight. Some of the songs were Ok enough, but they didn't really capture my imagination.
For We Are Scientists' walk-on song, the sound of Against All Odds by Phil Collins started to wail out from the speakers. A classic tune, and as the band walked on in the dark, the crowd was going mad. After the first chorus of the song, a big drum beat comes in, and the band started actually playing the song from this point. The guitars sounded grinding, the vocals sarcastic, and everybody was loving it - you can tell a good song if it is possible to cover it well in a different style, and they pulled it off amazingly well.
After that early highlight, the rest of the set didn't disappoint at all - the band went through their debut album, and played a good number of new songs as well, which sounded mostly excellent, especially given that it was the first listen to them. I did notice that many of their songs are played slower live, which was slightly annoying, as I think their songs sound better when they are played nice and fast. But no matter, they sounded excellent, and their banter between songs makes them one of the funniest bands around as well.
Saving This Scene Is Dead until near the end, the place erupted when they started playing it - with good reason, a rocking version of an excellent song. The Great Escape was their last, before another cover for the encore, which the NME Review of the gig seemed to particularly love. What a good band We Are Scientist are, good tunes, and they really rock - a good recipe for a great night out.
The main support act were Hot Club De Paris - I had heard great things about this band, and they certainly seemed to have a hardcore of fans towards the front, who gave them a great reception. A three piece from Liverpool, they sounded to me like a watered-down version of the Futureheads - with both vocals and music not as strong as them. Part of that could have been the sound, especially playing in such a big venue - but I thought that their sound was quite lightweight. Some of the songs were Ok enough, but they didn't really capture my imagination.
For We Are Scientists' walk-on song, the sound of Against All Odds by Phil Collins started to wail out from the speakers. A classic tune, and as the band walked on in the dark, the crowd was going mad. After the first chorus of the song, a big drum beat comes in, and the band started actually playing the song from this point. The guitars sounded grinding, the vocals sarcastic, and everybody was loving it - you can tell a good song if it is possible to cover it well in a different style, and they pulled it off amazingly well.
After that early highlight, the rest of the set didn't disappoint at all - the band went through their debut album, and played a good number of new songs as well, which sounded mostly excellent, especially given that it was the first listen to them. I did notice that many of their songs are played slower live, which was slightly annoying, as I think their songs sound better when they are played nice and fast. But no matter, they sounded excellent, and their banter between songs makes them one of the funniest bands around as well. Saving This Scene Is Dead until near the end, the place erupted when they started playing it - with good reason, a rocking version of an excellent song. The Great Escape was their last, before another cover for the encore, which the NME Review of the gig seemed to particularly love. What a good band We Are Scientist are, good tunes, and they really rock - a good recipe for a great night out.
07 November 2006
Work trip to Bornem, Belgium - 6th to 8th November 2006
Another trip to sunny Bornem, this one was defined by the incompetence of a certain British airline - that is almost their name in fact - British Airlines or something. They managed to cancel my flight, then to "misplace" my bag.
Never mind though, it only took them 2 days to reunite me with it, by which time I picked the bag up, and carried it straight back home again. In the meantime, there were at least a dozen flights between London and Brussels, most of which they failed to put my bag on. And, I also spent about 2 hours on hold on the phone to them, trying to find out what on earth was going on. So, a 2-night trip to a very small town, with just the clothes I was standing up in, and no toiletries - not ideal.
One experience I did unexpectedly have was of Belgian railways - who unsurprisingly seemed to be much better than their UK counterparts. Even a small town like Bornem, on a single-track branch line, has 2 trains an hour to connect to busier lines into Brussels and elsewhere. The trains are on time, clean, and reasonably fast given the number of stops they make.
The place was a good degree colder than London, with a real wintery air - foggy and crisp in the air. Coupled with the fresh country air, this was a good way to clean the system, even if I was unable to wear any clean clothes! British Airlines, you should be ashamed of yourselves!
Never mind though, it only took them 2 days to reunite me with it, by which time I picked the bag up, and carried it straight back home again. In the meantime, there were at least a dozen flights between London and Brussels, most of which they failed to put my bag on. And, I also spent about 2 hours on hold on the phone to them, trying to find out what on earth was going on. So, a 2-night trip to a very small town, with just the clothes I was standing up in, and no toiletries - not ideal.
One experience I did unexpectedly have was of Belgian railways - who unsurprisingly seemed to be much better than their UK counterparts. Even a small town like Bornem, on a single-track branch line, has 2 trains an hour to connect to busier lines into Brussels and elsewhere. The trains are on time, clean, and reasonably fast given the number of stops they make.
The place was a good degree colder than London, with a real wintery air - foggy and crisp in the air. Coupled with the fresh country air, this was a good way to clean the system, even if I was unable to wear any clean clothes! British Airlines, you should be ashamed of yourselves!
05 November 2006
West Ham United vs Arsenal - Upton Park, London - Sunday 5th November 2006
There can't have been much police leave allowed in London today. Spurs played Chelsea, but before that, Arsenal travelled to the salubrious surroundings of Newham, to play against the market traders and jellied eel merchants of West Ham. Every time I go there, I am reminded that shitholes are not just the preserve of northern away games - we have them in London too! See also: Tottenham.
On the back of a frustrating couple of games, with dogged opposition defending and wasteful Arsenal finishing on show, there was a sense of optimism that we would put things right in this game. If only because West Ham had spent most of the previous 2 months losing to anybody they could find to lose to. With blinding lunchtime sunlight hampering our view, the game kicked off.
Unfortunately, though, this was a classic example of sod's law. Arsenal just didn't really turn up for the game. I don't know who was wearing out number 4 and 14 shirts, but they didn't look anything like Cesc Fabregas or Thierry Henry, judging by the performances. Arsenal spent the entire game huffing and puffing - not really doing very much at all - not really attacking, not really creating chances, just having their midfield play broken down by very determined West Ham players.
After about an hour, West Ham chucked 2 strikers on, clearly sensing that all was not well with Arsenal. Shame that one was Teddy Sheringham, because a sense of dread came over the away section, as if it was obvious that he would score against us. As it turned out, he didn't - he just set up the winner, a classic sucker punch with about 3 minutes left on the clock.
Nobody really deserved to win the game I thought (especially as Arsenal had a stonewall penalty turned down), but our insipid play was just asking for a late winner like that. Rosicky looked OK in parts, Toure gave 100% as usual, but as a team, we just weren't at the races today.
In fact, the only result of the day was that Fabregas punched Teddy Sheringham in the stomach, just after the final whistle. The boy is doing everything right to become an Arsenal legend - played badly today, but punched our most hated player of the last decade. Well done Cesc.
On the back of a frustrating couple of games, with dogged opposition defending and wasteful Arsenal finishing on show, there was a sense of optimism that we would put things right in this game. If only because West Ham had spent most of the previous 2 months losing to anybody they could find to lose to. With blinding lunchtime sunlight hampering our view, the game kicked off.
Unfortunately, though, this was a classic example of sod's law. Arsenal just didn't really turn up for the game. I don't know who was wearing out number 4 and 14 shirts, but they didn't look anything like Cesc Fabregas or Thierry Henry, judging by the performances. Arsenal spent the entire game huffing and puffing - not really doing very much at all - not really attacking, not really creating chances, just having their midfield play broken down by very determined West Ham players.After about an hour, West Ham chucked 2 strikers on, clearly sensing that all was not well with Arsenal. Shame that one was Teddy Sheringham, because a sense of dread came over the away section, as if it was obvious that he would score against us. As it turned out, he didn't - he just set up the winner, a classic sucker punch with about 3 minutes left on the clock.
Nobody really deserved to win the game I thought (especially as Arsenal had a stonewall penalty turned down), but our insipid play was just asking for a late winner like that. Rosicky looked OK in parts, Toure gave 100% as usual, but as a team, we just weren't at the races today.
In fact, the only result of the day was that Fabregas punched Teddy Sheringham in the stomach, just after the final whistle. The boy is doing everything right to become an Arsenal legend - played badly today, but punched our most hated player of the last decade. Well done Cesc.
04 November 2006
Lucid, The Belgrave Scandal - Pleasure Unit, London - Saturday 4th November 2006
Saturday night, so a night out. It is a very rare occurrence that I go out on a Saturday night, unconnected with football. Despite living in London and all that, there just isn't much call for a big night out on a Saturday, when everybody else is out too. But a Belgrave Scandal gig in East London managed to tempt me out of my hovel for a couple of hours.
The band were wearing suits tonight, and went on stage to an almost completely empty Pleasure Unit. This is known as a decent, if slightly dodgy, gig venue, Mr Doherty and Good Shoes are amongst the people to have played there fairly recently. Maybe the suits were homage to the mod history of the venue, or an attempt to create themselves an image.
Very soon into the Belgrave Scandal's set, the venue started to fill up, so that by about the 4th song, there were a good 50 people in there (which is pretty full for a venue of that size). The newcomers hadn't come to see this band, so it was a good chance to test them out on some unknowns. In general, they went down very well indeed - there were people dancing, clapping and cheering - all for a band that they had never seen before, nor heard before. That was my first time testing them on a new audience, and they went down very impressively. Those songs must be good!
This was a Scandal set like the Bullet Bar 6 weeks ago - get on stage, bash the songs out with minimum fuss or chat, then get off again. I like it when they do it that way, and now an independent jury seemed to like it too.
After the Belgrave Scandal came a band called Lucid - fronted by a very young-looking guy, they sounded very American, reminding me of early 90s grunge bands. They sounded very good, bit a little too much into the formula for my liking. After they had finished, I headed home, to leave the East Londoners to the rest of their Saturday night out - newly converted Belgrave Scandal fans and all!
The band were wearing suits tonight, and went on stage to an almost completely empty Pleasure Unit. This is known as a decent, if slightly dodgy, gig venue, Mr Doherty and Good Shoes are amongst the people to have played there fairly recently. Maybe the suits were homage to the mod history of the venue, or an attempt to create themselves an image.
Very soon into the Belgrave Scandal's set, the venue started to fill up, so that by about the 4th song, there were a good 50 people in there (which is pretty full for a venue of that size). The newcomers hadn't come to see this band, so it was a good chance to test them out on some unknowns. In general, they went down very well indeed - there were people dancing, clapping and cheering - all for a band that they had never seen before, nor heard before. That was my first time testing them on a new audience, and they went down very impressively. Those songs must be good!
This was a Scandal set like the Bullet Bar 6 weeks ago - get on stage, bash the songs out with minimum fuss or chat, then get off again. I like it when they do it that way, and now an independent jury seemed to like it too.
After the Belgrave Scandal came a band called Lucid - fronted by a very young-looking guy, they sounded very American, reminding me of early 90s grunge bands. They sounded very good, bit a little too much into the formula for my liking. After they had finished, I headed home, to leave the East Londoners to the rest of their Saturday night out - newly converted Belgrave Scandal fans and all!
01 November 2006
Arsenal vs CSKA Moscow - Emirates Stadium, London - Wednesday 1st November 2006
One of those nights, for sure. Over twenty shots on target, plus at least another 6 opportunities that went right across the face of goal - had anybody touched them, they would have gone in. Seriously, Arsenal could well have won 5-0 or more this evening. The fact that they didn't was mostly down to wasteful finishing, not helped by CSKA's resolute defending - they have still not conceded a goal in the competition this season. So, an annoying 0-0 draw, and work still to do in this group.
In his programme notes, Thierry Henry had a well-justified dig at some sections of Arsenal's support (myself NOT included, I might add), who keep shouting "shoot" whenever a player gets within 2 miles of the goal, and who start moaning when we are not 3-0 up after 20 minutes. Stick together and support the team, he said.
Quite right too. The bloke that sits behind me, who I am growing to completely detest, said to his mates towards the end "we have played completely shit tonight". Yes mate, we dominated posession, had well over 20 shots on goal plus countless other opportunities, played some brilliant football, and in fact did absolutely everything but score. I know that putting the ball in the back of the net is quite important, but to call a performance like that "shit" really shows how much many Arsenal fans know about football.
That is now 2 home games in a row where we have struggled to break down a team that defended well in depth. To be fair, we created more than enough excellent chances this evening, it was "just" the finishing that was missing. Breaking down and killing off these annoying teams like Everton, CSKA Moscow, Middlesbrough, and Aston Villa, could be the conundrum of our season, just as "winning away from home" was the big issue last season. We seemed to have solved the away victory problem, only to replace it with a distinct home victory problem instead.
In his programme notes, Thierry Henry had a well-justified dig at some sections of Arsenal's support (myself NOT included, I might add), who keep shouting "shoot" whenever a player gets within 2 miles of the goal, and who start moaning when we are not 3-0 up after 20 minutes. Stick together and support the team, he said.
Quite right too. The bloke that sits behind me, who I am growing to completely detest, said to his mates towards the end "we have played completely shit tonight". Yes mate, we dominated posession, had well over 20 shots on goal plus countless other opportunities, played some brilliant football, and in fact did absolutely everything but score. I know that putting the ball in the back of the net is quite important, but to call a performance like that "shit" really shows how much many Arsenal fans know about football.
That is now 2 home games in a row where we have struggled to break down a team that defended well in depth. To be fair, we created more than enough excellent chances this evening, it was "just" the finishing that was missing. Breaking down and killing off these annoying teams like Everton, CSKA Moscow, Middlesbrough, and Aston Villa, could be the conundrum of our season, just as "winning away from home" was the big issue last season. We seemed to have solved the away victory problem, only to replace it with a distinct home victory problem instead.
31 October 2006
Air Traffic - 100 Club, London - Tuesday 31st October 2006
A trip to the "legendary" 100 Club, to see rising band Air Traffic - signed to a record label recently, and with a couple of decent singles under their belt already. As ever at the 100 Club, the gig was pretty packed, and pretty smoky also - there never seems to be any possibility for any air to move around in there. This was the last date of a nationwide tour that had seen them fully exhaust the club circuit.After a support band whose name I didn't manage to catch (because the singer was guilty of some random mumbling between songs, and that was about it), Air Traffic came on stage. In a good mood because the tour was finishing, they engaged in good banter with the audience. They seemed to alternate between playing piano-led songs, and guitar-led songs, which meant that their sound didn't get a chance to get boring.
Already playlisted on Radio 2, their piano-led songs make it easy to see why. They could be as annoyingly omnipresent as Keane in a few years time. However, the guitar-based songs really add something that Keane do not have, they can rock out as well, and so probably Coldplay is a fairer comparison. The songs are good, it is all very safe and nice and friendly, but they seemed to be a decent enough band, with some reasonably catchy tunes. Their style means that I am not wildly enthusiastic, but they will probably do well in terms of sales and radio play.
28 October 2006
Arsenal vs Everton - Emirates Stadium, London - Saturday 28th October 2006
Similar to other home games this season, this was a 1-1 draw. Everton took an early lead, and then sat back, with men behind the ball, and made it very difficult for Arsenal to get an equaliser. As they would, because they are not expected to just come to our stadium and roll over for us. Arsenal had 91% of possession in the second half of the game (a Premiership record, apparently), but could "only" equalise, not find the winner.
Another frustrating game, but if we aspire to win the League, we really need an answer for when teams come to our ground and play like this. At the moment, that is the difference between Arsenal and Chelsea or Manchester United. It is all very well saying "they didn't want to play football, they just sat back and defended", but the best teams should be able to overcome this.
Aside from the game, I am really growing to dislike Arsenal's new stadium. Arsenal have clearly tried to build the ultimate santised corporate football experience, for all their new "customers". This involves throwing people out for such terrible things as standing up, singing, shouting and swearing - all things that are to be expected at football matches. People will say "just because they are expected, doesn't make it right" - and there are a lot of very sheltered individuals saying exactly this - and complaining to stewards and police about it. Those stewards and police then take it upon themselves to throw people out for very little reason at all.
Apart from anything else, throwing out your "customers", that have spent £35+ on a ticket to get in (which is not exactly cheap), you have to be pretty sure that they deserve it. But Arsenal seem to be turfing people out at the drop of a hat, in some parts of the stadium at least. It is deeply annoying that they seem to be going to war against some of their most loyal fans - all in the misguided pursuit of some new money from some new fans who weren't there 10 years ago. There might be 30,000 people on the season ticket waiting list, but that does not justify the imposition of a police state in the stadium.
This is not just confined to Arsenal, of course - much of the Premiership is trying to create a sit down, shut up, happy clappy sanitised atmosphere. Which may well be the future of football in this country, but I absolutely cannot stand it. When the new fans, that cannot stand a bit of standing, swearing and shouting, get bored and find a new pursuit, we will all be a lot better off. What they are complaining about is not exactly even close to the football experience of old, there are hardly people fighting, ripping up seats and chanting racist abuse - just people that want to support their team vocally.
In the meantime, I am seriously considering not renewing my season ticket for next year - if I had to do so now, I would not. I just want my "matchday experience" back. Going to the stadium and being forced to sit down, be quiet and not shout and scream, is not what I pay £35 a game for. Football will kill itself if this continues, and I won't be around for the funeral.
Another frustrating game, but if we aspire to win the League, we really need an answer for when teams come to our ground and play like this. At the moment, that is the difference between Arsenal and Chelsea or Manchester United. It is all very well saying "they didn't want to play football, they just sat back and defended", but the best teams should be able to overcome this.
Aside from the game, I am really growing to dislike Arsenal's new stadium. Arsenal have clearly tried to build the ultimate santised corporate football experience, for all their new "customers". This involves throwing people out for such terrible things as standing up, singing, shouting and swearing - all things that are to be expected at football matches. People will say "just because they are expected, doesn't make it right" - and there are a lot of very sheltered individuals saying exactly this - and complaining to stewards and police about it. Those stewards and police then take it upon themselves to throw people out for very little reason at all.
Apart from anything else, throwing out your "customers", that have spent £35+ on a ticket to get in (which is not exactly cheap), you have to be pretty sure that they deserve it. But Arsenal seem to be turfing people out at the drop of a hat, in some parts of the stadium at least. It is deeply annoying that they seem to be going to war against some of their most loyal fans - all in the misguided pursuit of some new money from some new fans who weren't there 10 years ago. There might be 30,000 people on the season ticket waiting list, but that does not justify the imposition of a police state in the stadium.
This is not just confined to Arsenal, of course - much of the Premiership is trying to create a sit down, shut up, happy clappy sanitised atmosphere. Which may well be the future of football in this country, but I absolutely cannot stand it. When the new fans, that cannot stand a bit of standing, swearing and shouting, get bored and find a new pursuit, we will all be a lot better off. What they are complaining about is not exactly even close to the football experience of old, there are hardly people fighting, ripping up seats and chanting racist abuse - just people that want to support their team vocally.
In the meantime, I am seriously considering not renewing my season ticket for next year - if I had to do so now, I would not. I just want my "matchday experience" back. Going to the stadium and being forced to sit down, be quiet and not shout and scream, is not what I pay £35 a game for. Football will kill itself if this continues, and I won't be around for the funeral.
27 October 2006
Work trip to Leverkusen, Germany - 26th to 27th October 2006
A flying visit to Germany, to see a client in picturesque Leverkusen, which is near Cologne. Leverkusen of course is famous for Bayer Leverkusen, and not much else. After a nightmare flight over to Frankfurt, I collapsed straight into bed when I arrived.
Getting to Leverkusen from Frankfurt is about a 200km journey, which happened in a new Mercedes B Class car, driven by a German colleague. I really got to experience the fact that there are no speed limits on German motorways, with a hair-raising ride there and back. It veered between sitting in a traffic jam, to routinely getting up to 200kph (that's about 125mph). Exciting stuff, occasionally stupidly dangerous, but a good journey nevertheless.
On the way back to Frankfurt, we made a stop at McDonalds by the motorway - where the McRib seems to be permanently on the menu. Far from being like the French and Spanish, who shun such bad food, the Germans are incredibly like us English, they are "lovin' it" - pretty much every big motorway exit has a McDonalds about 2 minutes away, which you can usually see from the motorway thanks to a huge M on a very tall pole.
The trip was over pretty quickly, I got to see Leverkusen's stadium which looked pretty spectacular, and a good experience at high speed on the Autobahns.
Getting to Leverkusen from Frankfurt is about a 200km journey, which happened in a new Mercedes B Class car, driven by a German colleague. I really got to experience the fact that there are no speed limits on German motorways, with a hair-raising ride there and back. It veered between sitting in a traffic jam, to routinely getting up to 200kph (that's about 125mph). Exciting stuff, occasionally stupidly dangerous, but a good journey nevertheless.
On the way back to Frankfurt, we made a stop at McDonalds by the motorway - where the McRib seems to be permanently on the menu. Far from being like the French and Spanish, who shun such bad food, the Germans are incredibly like us English, they are "lovin' it" - pretty much every big motorway exit has a McDonalds about 2 minutes away, which you can usually see from the motorway thanks to a huge M on a very tall pole.
The trip was over pretty quickly, I got to see Leverkusen's stadium which looked pretty spectacular, and a good experience at high speed on the Autobahns.
25 October 2006
Little Man Tate, Dustin's Bar Mitzvah - ULU, London - Wednesday 25th October 2006
Four weeks to the day since the last time I saw them, at Kings College, I went to the slightly larger ULU to repeat the experience. A typical Students Union, with pretty slow bar service, sticky floors, and more than a few wacky students, with strange clothing and haircuts. Oh, and Steve Lamacq, hero of all students, in attendance as well.
Supporting Little Man Tate were Dustin's Bar Mitzvah, a trashy punk band from London. They have been playing around London for a while now, and I have seen their name a number of times on the bill at small venues. They were fantastic - sounding reminiscent of the Sex Pistols, but with some great poppy parts to some of their songs, and with excellent punk guitars. I will definitely be looking to see them again soon. A very good song in particular, Young Pretender, which has a pop at the BNP's Nick Griffin - in a very amusing way.
Little Man Tate came on to Carter USM's Sheriff Fatman (again), during which you could see people asking their mates what it was, some people telling their mates, and others just shrugging blankly. I was significantly less inebriated for this LMT gig than either of my previous ones, but they still sounded excellent from start to finish. As well as the usual songs about going out and trying to pull, they also played a few more tonight, that showed a more mature songwriting side to their game - and were also very good.
Towards the end of the set (which again had no encore - they are still at that exciting stage where they don't play them), they again finished with Down On Marie. The singer discarded his guitar, and had just the microphone, going mental on stage. A good feature of ULU is that crowd surfers are deposited on stage, and have to walk off stage to get back into the crowd. A good number of people did this during the last song - security hated it, and you sensed that the singer was loving it for that precise reason. A stage dive later, and the band left to rapturous applause after another excellent set.
One observation about this gig was the huge amount of poor gig etiquette in the crowd. Students! Lots of barging people all over the place to get past them (in a venue that wasn't even really very full), and students with stupid haircuts talking loudly at the back of the venue. Worse, students that are so used to cheap beer, that they think nothing of spilling it all over the place as they barge to the front for House Party At Boothy's. Respect the beer, please!!
Supporting Little Man Tate were Dustin's Bar Mitzvah, a trashy punk band from London. They have been playing around London for a while now, and I have seen their name a number of times on the bill at small venues. They were fantastic - sounding reminiscent of the Sex Pistols, but with some great poppy parts to some of their songs, and with excellent punk guitars. I will definitely be looking to see them again soon. A very good song in particular, Young Pretender, which has a pop at the BNP's Nick Griffin - in a very amusing way.
Little Man Tate came on to Carter USM's Sheriff Fatman (again), during which you could see people asking their mates what it was, some people telling their mates, and others just shrugging blankly. I was significantly less inebriated for this LMT gig than either of my previous ones, but they still sounded excellent from start to finish. As well as the usual songs about going out and trying to pull, they also played a few more tonight, that showed a more mature songwriting side to their game - and were also very good. Towards the end of the set (which again had no encore - they are still at that exciting stage where they don't play them), they again finished with Down On Marie. The singer discarded his guitar, and had just the microphone, going mental on stage. A good feature of ULU is that crowd surfers are deposited on stage, and have to walk off stage to get back into the crowd. A good number of people did this during the last song - security hated it, and you sensed that the singer was loving it for that precise reason. A stage dive later, and the band left to rapturous applause after another excellent set.
One observation about this gig was the huge amount of poor gig etiquette in the crowd. Students! Lots of barging people all over the place to get past them (in a venue that wasn't even really very full), and students with stupid haircuts talking loudly at the back of the venue. Worse, students that are so used to cheap beer, that they think nothing of spilling it all over the place as they barge to the front for House Party At Boothy's. Respect the beer, please!!
22 October 2006
Reading vs Arsenal - Madejski Stadium, Reading - Sunday 22nd October 2006
After the lower division football yesterday, came a Premiership trip to Reading. They have had a good start to the season, and have been looking like a very useful team, especially at home. Chelsea and Man Utd have both struggled at the Madejski so far this season, so we were expecting a tough game. I used to live in Reading, so took the opoortunity to reacquaint myself with the pubs in the town centre, including the lovely Three Guineas at the station!
The Madejski is an impressive stadium for a "smaller" ground, and was packed to the rafters. I was amused to hear the Reading fans singing about following their team over land and sea, because I seem to recall crowds of 10 or 11,000 for their games when I lived there about 5 years ago. Wonder if so many people will be there if they get relegated again.
If you are expecting a difficult game, it certainly helps to be in the lead within a minute. So it was, and that goal after 50 seconds or so, helped to kill the excitement, and the game as a contest. So, the competitive part of the day lasted less than a minute.
The rest of the game was one of those vintage Arsenal performances, which has pundits and journalists drooling over the quality of the passing, movement, and the way that Arsenal can make decent sides look stupid. Fabregas in particular was amazing, again, and people are starting to notice this in a big way. He signed an 8-year deal last week, and by the end of it, he could have become the best player in the history of the world, and our best ever player - all before he hits 28 years old.
Towards the end of the game, with their team losing 4-0, those loyal Reading fans started to drift out of the ground in their droves. This picture, taken only about 30 seconds after the final whistle, shows nowhere near enough people in the ground to even get close to filling the seats. Over land and sea indeed!!
The Madejski is an impressive stadium for a "smaller" ground, and was packed to the rafters. I was amused to hear the Reading fans singing about following their team over land and sea, because I seem to recall crowds of 10 or 11,000 for their games when I lived there about 5 years ago. Wonder if so many people will be there if they get relegated again.
If you are expecting a difficult game, it certainly helps to be in the lead within a minute. So it was, and that goal after 50 seconds or so, helped to kill the excitement, and the game as a contest. So, the competitive part of the day lasted less than a minute.
The rest of the game was one of those vintage Arsenal performances, which has pundits and journalists drooling over the quality of the passing, movement, and the way that Arsenal can make decent sides look stupid. Fabregas in particular was amazing, again, and people are starting to notice this in a big way. He signed an 8-year deal last week, and by the end of it, he could have become the best player in the history of the world, and our best ever player - all before he hits 28 years old.
Towards the end of the game, with their team losing 4-0, those loyal Reading fans started to drift out of the ground in their droves. This picture, taken only about 30 seconds after the final whistle, shows nowhere near enough people in the ground to even get close to filling the seats. Over land and sea indeed!!
21 October 2006
Leyton Orient vs Cheltenham Town - Brisbane Road, London - Saturday 21st October 2006
With Arsenal not playing until Sunday, there was an opportunity to go and watch some of what my Cheltenham-supporting friends call "real football". After a trip for pie and mash in the East End, it was off to Leyton in the pouring rain for Orient against Cheltenham. I have been to this fixture before, and generally found my neck hurting towards the end, after all of the long balls. With Leyton Orient and Cheltenham both in the bottom three of their division, a high quality game was guaranteed!
Despite being several levels below the Premiership in terms of football quality, the prices (£18 for the away end) are not that far off what you would expect in the top leagues. Still the facilities are not appreciably worse than those at Portsmouth. I was sitting in the posh new stand, which had an indoor lounge, with a bar and free programmes - a bit like Club Level at Arsenal!
The match started, and Orient, without a win for ages, scored within 5 minutes or so. The forwards for both teams were big guys, a real handful for defenders, and they played a physical, hassling game. I noticed that when either keeper took a placed goal kick from the ground, all 20 outfield players were crammed into a very small part of the pitch, towards where they expected the kick to go. Literally no outfield players were outside a very small pitch area. It was the same at corners as well, the defending team had nobody further forward than the edge of their own box. All very different to much of the Premiership, where tactics and positioning win over getting bodies into specific areas.
At half time, there was a power cut in the only stand which had any use for power - this meant no beer! Shocking! The game resumed, and Cheltenham got a penalty. Their "best" player saw his penalty saved, it was a very poor penalty indeed. 10 minutes later, Orient got a penalty themselves, and made it 2-0. The game played out after that, some thrills and spills, a few good chances (mainly for Orient), and commitment replacing the skill that you see in the Premiership - which is no bad thing in itself.
A good day out, but I admire people who pay £20 for this quality of football week in, week out. Orient is a great small club, which many people have deep local affections for, but lots of them obviously aren't willing to cough up to see them either, as the 4,500 crowd testified.
Despite being several levels below the Premiership in terms of football quality, the prices (£18 for the away end) are not that far off what you would expect in the top leagues. Still the facilities are not appreciably worse than those at Portsmouth. I was sitting in the posh new stand, which had an indoor lounge, with a bar and free programmes - a bit like Club Level at Arsenal!The match started, and Orient, without a win for ages, scored within 5 minutes or so. The forwards for both teams were big guys, a real handful for defenders, and they played a physical, hassling game. I noticed that when either keeper took a placed goal kick from the ground, all 20 outfield players were crammed into a very small part of the pitch, towards where they expected the kick to go. Literally no outfield players were outside a very small pitch area. It was the same at corners as well, the defending team had nobody further forward than the edge of their own box. All very different to much of the Premiership, where tactics and positioning win over getting bodies into specific areas.
At half time, there was a power cut in the only stand which had any use for power - this meant no beer! Shocking! The game resumed, and Cheltenham got a penalty. Their "best" player saw his penalty saved, it was a very poor penalty indeed. 10 minutes later, Orient got a penalty themselves, and made it 2-0. The game played out after that, some thrills and spills, a few good chances (mainly for Orient), and commitment replacing the skill that you see in the Premiership - which is no bad thing in itself.
A good day out, but I admire people who pay £20 for this quality of football week in, week out. Orient is a great small club, which many people have deep local affections for, but lots of them obviously aren't willing to cough up to see them either, as the 4,500 crowd testified.
20 October 2006
Augerbane, Trackter, The Belgrave Scandal - Leonards, London - Friday 20th October 2006
This was a Belgrave Scandal gig in a very strange venue. Leonards is a bar in Islington, but is tucked away at the arse end of a backstreet that seems to have only one entrance. That means no passing trade whatsoever, and no real reason to go there unless you know a band that is playing. And so it turned out, the venue was populated by about 20 people - bar staff, the members of 3 bands, plus a handful of others that were there to see them. Oh, and one old local alcoholic.
Despite all this, the sound in the venue was actually pretty impressive for its size, and I got to see the bands soundcheck as well - so 2 songs from each band, extra free.
The Belgrave Scandal were on first, and were tighter than I have ever seen them before. They seem to be getting to the stage where they are in step with each other without even thinking about it, and the vocals are getting better too. They played a new song, which had anthemic qualities, building up all the way. And, despite a relatively empty venue, some of their better songs drew good applause from the various band members and hangers-on that were in the building. Final song Soul and Power drew the biggest applause of all, but Beedy Little Eyes, The Collection, and Brighton Away were not far behind.
The next band on were called Trackter, and reminded me a bit of Pearl Jam in their songs, and the singer's voice. They sounded good, in a slightly middle of the road way - but without being anywhere near as offensive as the likes of David Gray. There were at least a couple of songs in their set that really stood out, so a good way to pass the time.
The final band of the night were a heavy metal act called Augerbane. There were very few people watching even them, but I have to say that they were very good at what they were doing. Heavy metal is clearly dodgy, but having decided to play it, they played it pretty well.
Despite all this, the sound in the venue was actually pretty impressive for its size, and I got to see the bands soundcheck as well - so 2 songs from each band, extra free.
The Belgrave Scandal were on first, and were tighter than I have ever seen them before. They seem to be getting to the stage where they are in step with each other without even thinking about it, and the vocals are getting better too. They played a new song, which had anthemic qualities, building up all the way. And, despite a relatively empty venue, some of their better songs drew good applause from the various band members and hangers-on that were in the building. Final song Soul and Power drew the biggest applause of all, but Beedy Little Eyes, The Collection, and Brighton Away were not far behind.
The next band on were called Trackter, and reminded me a bit of Pearl Jam in their songs, and the singer's voice. They sounded good, in a slightly middle of the road way - but without being anywhere near as offensive as the likes of David Gray. There were at least a couple of songs in their set that really stood out, so a good way to pass the time.
The final band of the night were a heavy metal act called Augerbane. There were very few people watching even them, but I have to say that they were very good at what they were doing. Heavy metal is clearly dodgy, but having decided to play it, they played it pretty well.
19 October 2006
The Automatic, Mumm-Ra - Astoria, London - Thursday 19th October 2006
Almost immediately after landing back from Belgium, I headed straight for the Astoria, to see The Automatic. Tickets for this were bought after being very impressed by the band at an NME Tour in May. Since then, their single Monster has been on the radio pretty much all summer, and their album, which is not bad, has also been released.
The main support band were Mumm-Ra, who I have to say I thought were excellent. Their songs were vaguely reminiscent of Idlewild and the Boo Radleys, poppy guitar-based tunes that were pretty catchy all round. They entertained for half an hour or so, and they are definitely worth checking out both on MySpace, and if they are playing support at a future gig.
Because of the early curfew at the Astoria when the G-A-Y nights are on, the Automatic came on stage at around 9pm. They played for around 50 minutes, then for a short encore, and the audience seemed to be going mad for every minute. When the mental keyboard player (who looks and acts unnervingly like John Lydon used to) came on stage, there were screams from young female members of the audience. A mainstream band indeed - I wonder if their parents bought the tickets for them.
The Automatic sounded good, but I have to say that they were not especially exciting. In particular, many of the songs sounded exactly as they sound on the album. The grinding "motorbike" guitars sounded better live, but the whole performance was very polished, very well-drilled, and lacking in a bit of spontaneous rebellion because of it. The kids loved it, of course, but I couldn't help thinking that it was all a bit too clean-cut for my liking.
At one point in the set, the band played a cover of Kayne West's Gold Digger, which was pretty pointless I thought, as well as not being very good. However, I was reminded that it was nowhere near as bad as Hard-Fi's cover of Seven Nation Army, so it wasn't all bad!
The gig was worth the money, which was only £11.50, but it did seem a bit sterile and polished for my liking. A good band, but they are too effectively replicating the radio-friendlyness of songs when they play live, and that took away from the excitement for me a little bit.
The main support band were Mumm-Ra, who I have to say I thought were excellent. Their songs were vaguely reminiscent of Idlewild and the Boo Radleys, poppy guitar-based tunes that were pretty catchy all round. They entertained for half an hour or so, and they are definitely worth checking out both on MySpace, and if they are playing support at a future gig.
Because of the early curfew at the Astoria when the G-A-Y nights are on, the Automatic came on stage at around 9pm. They played for around 50 minutes, then for a short encore, and the audience seemed to be going mad for every minute. When the mental keyboard player (who looks and acts unnervingly like John Lydon used to) came on stage, there were screams from young female members of the audience. A mainstream band indeed - I wonder if their parents bought the tickets for them.
The Automatic sounded good, but I have to say that they were not especially exciting. In particular, many of the songs sounded exactly as they sound on the album. The grinding "motorbike" guitars sounded better live, but the whole performance was very polished, very well-drilled, and lacking in a bit of spontaneous rebellion because of it. The kids loved it, of course, but I couldn't help thinking that it was all a bit too clean-cut for my liking.At one point in the set, the band played a cover of Kayne West's Gold Digger, which was pretty pointless I thought, as well as not being very good. However, I was reminded that it was nowhere near as bad as Hard-Fi's cover of Seven Nation Army, so it wasn't all bad!
The gig was worth the money, which was only £11.50, but it did seem a bit sterile and polished for my liking. A good band, but they are too effectively replicating the radio-friendlyness of songs when they play live, and that took away from the excitement for me a little bit.
18 October 2006
Work trip to Bornem, Belgium - 18th to 19th October 2006
Hot on the heels of a trip to Paris, came a trip to Belgium, an altogether less interesting place. I was staying (and working) in a town called Bornem, somewhere between Brussels and Antwerp. I tried looking it up on a map, and could just about find it on Google Earth. The point of going to a place like that is to get away from it all, so you get more work done. In reality, you become bored quite quickly and want to go home, especially as I was missing a Kooks gig in London to be there. The countryside around the town is nice, and Bornem is a lovely country town, but it is maddeningly dull.
Even saying that places are "near Brussels" (which everywhere in Belgium is, to a pretty large degree), doesn't exactly inspire excitement amongst people you tell about it. That said, the food is great in Belgium, and the beer is a particular highlight - hundreds of different brands, which taste good, and are very, very strong. Hangover-tastic. The landscape is uninteresting and flat, and much of the country is built up, but it strikes me that, with the food and beer, and proximity to other more interesting places, you could probably have yourself a pretty good life here - if you are not looking for too much action.
Even saying that places are "near Brussels" (which everywhere in Belgium is, to a pretty large degree), doesn't exactly inspire excitement amongst people you tell about it. That said, the food is great in Belgium, and the beer is a particular highlight - hundreds of different brands, which taste good, and are very, very strong. Hangover-tastic. The landscape is uninteresting and flat, and much of the country is built up, but it strikes me that, with the food and beer, and proximity to other more interesting places, you could probably have yourself a pretty good life here - if you are not looking for too much action.
17 October 2006
Work trip to Paris, France - 16th to 17th October 2006
Back to familiar old Paris for work, the last time I came to this particular city, it all ended in heartbreak and disaster! So, I was hoping for a happier (and less expensive) trip this time around. It was also a first real chance to visit La Defense, the business district on the edge of the main city, which almost acts like a city in itself. The area is very pedestrian-friendly, and full of corporate skyscrapers. Very much like Canary Wharf in many ways, including the fact that it is completely dead and soulless after 9pm, and all weekend.
Le Defense has one definining piece of architecture, the Grande Arche. This is the centrepiece of the area, a classic piece of 80s French design, that is already starting to look very dated indeed. Much of the other architecture in the area is fantastic, including a building (towards the right of the first photo), that is covered in glass, but the bottom corner looks like somebody is trying to peel away the glass like a sticker-back. Very impressive stuff, and many of the skyscrapers around there are attractions for fans of funky buildings, as well as being office blocks.
It is possible to get a (very scary) lift up to the top of the Grande Arche, so I did. The view is pretty impressive, especially since there is a dead straight line between La Defense, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs Elysees behind it. All a lovely tree-lined boulevard, and a reminder that Paris has aspects that were planned with great precision and perfection.
15 October 2006
Razorlight, Good Shoes, The View - Barfly, London - Sunday 15th October 2006
This is one of those gigs, like the Magic Numbers at the Buffalo Bar, Arctic Monkeys at the Leadmill, or The Kooks at Tunbridge Wells Forum, that I feel truly honoured to have attended. Tickets sold out in about 5 seconds, and were changing hands on eBay for £400 a pair in the week leading up to the gig. Even better to have paid the £10 face value to get in.
The kind folks at the Barfly finally let us in from the freezing cold at about 7:45, and we made our way upstairs to the gig room. Taking up a position on the right hand wall (which the band have to walk along in order to get on stage), I decided to camp there for the evening, for some good celebrity spotting action.
First band on were The View, and I was seeing them for the second time in 24 hours. They were amazing at Brixton the previous night, and even better tonight. They blew the house down this time, for sure. The songs sounded fantastic, and the band played them like they were loving every single minute of it. Of course they could be headlining venues at least 20 times the size of this one, and on this evidence, it won't be long before they are doing just that. Absolutely amazing live band, I would see them again tomorrow (and the next day, and the next day) if I could. Quite possibly the most exciting band in the UK right now.
The next band were Good Shoes, who I'd heard a couple of songs by before. Their set reminded me a lot of Art Brut, lots of clever lyrics, and the singer in particular looks like a very nerdy man indeed. Quite like a teacher in fact, with no disrespect to teachers intended. The set plodded along OK, but there were few points that raised real excitement, and the singles were very obvious standout songs. They are being tipped for great things, but to be honest, they didn't really excite me very much at all.
At about half past ten, putting many people in danger of missing trains home, some very burly bouncers emerged into the room, and Razorlight were ushered on stage. Predictably, the place went completely and utterly mental. They launched straight into In The Morning, and pretty much the entire venue became a mosh pit. An hour later, and a sweat-soaked venue had witnessed a truly amazing gig. This is what the NME thought of it.
It really struck me throughout this show, how very good Razorlight are when they play live. I tend to think that most bands sound better live than on record, but Razorlight sound very, very, very much better live. Especially when you consider the Radio-2-friendlyness of some of their songs, like Golden Touch and America, those songs really do rock when they play them live. There is an undoubted sense that Johnny Borrell is probably something of a primadonna, and I'd imagine that it would be an awful job to have to stroke his pride and ego every day - but the band sound fantastic, and he is a mesmerising frontman.
Razorlight have sold out a mammoth UK tour later in the year - 2 nights at Wembley Arena being the London contribution to that - so it was a rarity and a pleasure to see them in such a small venue. They are so well-honed as a live band, sound so excellent, and their new songs are so good, that this forthcoming tour should propel them to truly huge status.
Finally, a picture of the iconic (if slightly self-obsessed) frontman.
The kind folks at the Barfly finally let us in from the freezing cold at about 7:45, and we made our way upstairs to the gig room. Taking up a position on the right hand wall (which the band have to walk along in order to get on stage), I decided to camp there for the evening, for some good celebrity spotting action.
First band on were The View, and I was seeing them for the second time in 24 hours. They were amazing at Brixton the previous night, and even better tonight. They blew the house down this time, for sure. The songs sounded fantastic, and the band played them like they were loving every single minute of it. Of course they could be headlining venues at least 20 times the size of this one, and on this evidence, it won't be long before they are doing just that. Absolutely amazing live band, I would see them again tomorrow (and the next day, and the next day) if I could. Quite possibly the most exciting band in the UK right now.
The next band were Good Shoes, who I'd heard a couple of songs by before. Their set reminded me a lot of Art Brut, lots of clever lyrics, and the singer in particular looks like a very nerdy man indeed. Quite like a teacher in fact, with no disrespect to teachers intended. The set plodded along OK, but there were few points that raised real excitement, and the singles were very obvious standout songs. They are being tipped for great things, but to be honest, they didn't really excite me very much at all.At about half past ten, putting many people in danger of missing trains home, some very burly bouncers emerged into the room, and Razorlight were ushered on stage. Predictably, the place went completely and utterly mental. They launched straight into In The Morning, and pretty much the entire venue became a mosh pit. An hour later, and a sweat-soaked venue had witnessed a truly amazing gig. This is what the NME thought of it.
It really struck me throughout this show, how very good Razorlight are when they play live. I tend to think that most bands sound better live than on record, but Razorlight sound very, very, very much better live. Especially when you consider the Radio-2-friendlyness of some of their songs, like Golden Touch and America, those songs really do rock when they play them live. There is an undoubted sense that Johnny Borrell is probably something of a primadonna, and I'd imagine that it would be an awful job to have to stroke his pride and ego every day - but the band sound fantastic, and he is a mesmerising frontman.Razorlight have sold out a mammoth UK tour later in the year - 2 nights at Wembley Arena being the London contribution to that - so it was a rarity and a pleasure to see them in such a small venue. They are so well-honed as a live band, sound so excellent, and their new songs are so good, that this forthcoming tour should propel them to truly huge status.
Finally, a picture of the iconic (if slightly self-obsessed) frontman.
14 October 2006
The Fratellis, The View, Milburn - XFM's Big Night Out, Brixton Academy, London - Saturday 14th October 2006
XFM's Big Night Out was a mixed experience for me last time around. A night that has the potential to be fantastic, but didn't quite hit the spot. Still, with a cracking lineup of bands this time, it was definitely worth giving the whole thing another go. Seeing Milburn again for the first time in 6 months or so (fresh from the release of their debut album), and another chance to see The View, all made for an exciting prospect.
Milburn were on stage first, at around 10pm. The sound started off being absolutely awful in the main room, which could have been because it was still quite empty. They had flattened the floor to make a dancefloor, which added to the weirdness. But, about half way through Milburn's set, the sound sorted itself out, and in fact reverted to being the sound of dirty guitars, played by a band that clearly know how to get a great sound from them.
After quite a few experiences with seeing Milburn earlier in the year, followed by six months of not seeing them, their songs seemed nicely familiar during their half hour set, and when the band came off stage, I definitely wanted more. The crowd seemed to really enjoy them, they got a great reception, and were in full banter mode with the audience. They could and should have played for longer, and good to hear that they still sound energetic and good.
Next band on were The View, who I had seen a month previously, and they were good, even if they failed to completely blow down the Tunbridge Wells Forum. Tonight, they were better than merely "good". Coming straight from a slot opening up in Cardiff, just a couple of hours previously, their set was played at pace, and pretty much all of the songs sounded fantastic. Having heard a few of them before undoubtedly helped matters, but they sounded like a proper rock band that deserve to be massively successful. The last 3 songs in particular, Wasted Little DJs, Posh Boys, and Superstar Tradesman, were amazing - but there were plenty more where that came from.
And finally, The Fratellis headlined, coming onto stage at about 12:30. The audience seemed to be very excited, but I must confess to not being a huge fan of the Fratellis. Their album has done very well, and latest single Chelsea Dagger is a brilliant song. But, even though they are clearly doing all of the right things, I just don't really like them, in much the same way as I don't really like Franz Ferdinand. There were a couple of good songs in their set (one of which was good mainly because it sounded like Chelsea Dagger), but I just didn't really get why everybody was going so mad for all of their songs. I'm on the outside of this one I'm afraid - I should probably like them, but I just don't.
And so the night degenerated into an indie disco. With over 3,000 people in the venue, there were always bound to be a large number of tossers there, and as 1am became 2am, the count seemed to grow rapidly. A good night all in all, although the beer queues were an absolute joke all evening, we all still managed to get enough down us to make it a good one.
Milburn were on stage first, at around 10pm. The sound started off being absolutely awful in the main room, which could have been because it was still quite empty. They had flattened the floor to make a dancefloor, which added to the weirdness. But, about half way through Milburn's set, the sound sorted itself out, and in fact reverted to being the sound of dirty guitars, played by a band that clearly know how to get a great sound from them.
After quite a few experiences with seeing Milburn earlier in the year, followed by six months of not seeing them, their songs seemed nicely familiar during their half hour set, and when the band came off stage, I definitely wanted more. The crowd seemed to really enjoy them, they got a great reception, and were in full banter mode with the audience. They could and should have played for longer, and good to hear that they still sound energetic and good.
Next band on were The View, who I had seen a month previously, and they were good, even if they failed to completely blow down the Tunbridge Wells Forum. Tonight, they were better than merely "good". Coming straight from a slot opening up in Cardiff, just a couple of hours previously, their set was played at pace, and pretty much all of the songs sounded fantastic. Having heard a few of them before undoubtedly helped matters, but they sounded like a proper rock band that deserve to be massively successful. The last 3 songs in particular, Wasted Little DJs, Posh Boys, and Superstar Tradesman, were amazing - but there were plenty more where that came from.And finally, The Fratellis headlined, coming onto stage at about 12:30. The audience seemed to be very excited, but I must confess to not being a huge fan of the Fratellis. Their album has done very well, and latest single Chelsea Dagger is a brilliant song. But, even though they are clearly doing all of the right things, I just don't really like them, in much the same way as I don't really like Franz Ferdinand. There were a couple of good songs in their set (one of which was good mainly because it sounded like Chelsea Dagger), but I just didn't really get why everybody was going so mad for all of their songs. I'm on the outside of this one I'm afraid - I should probably like them, but I just don't.
And so the night degenerated into an indie disco. With over 3,000 people in the venue, there were always bound to be a large number of tossers there, and as 1am became 2am, the count seemed to grow rapidly. A good night all in all, although the beer queues were an absolute joke all evening, we all still managed to get enough down us to make it a good one.
06 October 2006
Maximo Park - Brixton Academy, London - Friday 6th October 2006
First trip to Brixton for a few months (they don't seem to bother using it in the summer), to see Maximo Park. I seem to recall buying the tickets for this ages ago, just after they had headlined (and stolen the show) at the NME Awards Tour shows in February. But, in the meantime they have been keeping a pretty low profile, so it was strange to go to see them with so little hype in the run up.Waiting for friends to show up meant that I missed both of the support bands, Hot Club de Paris, and Love Is All - not a good thing. Brixton Academy was "sold out", but it seemed easier to move around the place than it often is for "sold out" gigs - there were probably only a couple of hundred people fewer in there, but that makes for a much better experience all round. You can get to the toilet that much better, get to the bar, and get a decent vantage point from which to see the band.
With a fantastic lighting rig that was as good as that at the NME show, Maximo Park came on stage and ploughed straight into a new song, which sounded comfortingly familiar, and every bit as good as the material from their debut album. Graffiti followed soon after, and got a crowd surge and a rapturous response. For a one-album band, it was unsurprising that the set featured the vast majority of A Certain Trigger, but the pleasant surprise was how many new songs the band showcased. Even better was how damn good the new songs were!More than many bands that you see whilst writing their second album, and showcasing its songs, I am really, really excited about hearing the new stuff on CD - the songs that were played tonight represented real development on the already-great material on the debut album. Some fantastic new songs, can't wait until they become loved by more people.
The set ended, as all good Maximo sets should, with Apply Some Pressure, which sent the audience wild. This gig was a triumph, not just consolidating the success achieved through an excellent debut album, but setting out a real mission statement for how good the followup could be. Can't wait to hear it.
30 September 2006
Charlton Athletic vs Arsenal - The Valley, London - Saturday 30th September 2006
The game will be remembered for one thing - Robin Van Persie's absolutely incredible volley from the edge of the area, which flew into the top corner of the net.
I always enjoy Charlton away, it isn't too far away, and is relatively safe, unlike some other London games I can think of. London away games in general are very good, you get the full away game experience, without needing to go to the ends of the earth (or even worse, up north) to enjoy it all. So, I woke up on the morning in a state of full excitement.
The Valley is one of the better away grounds, despite the poor facilities on offer - away fans get a stand to themselves, and the low roof and metal walls (good for banging on) make for a great atmosphere. For the second away game in a row, the travelling support were in excellent voice, which sounds even better when you take into account how quiet the Charlton fans are.
My seat for this one was great, in row D, slap bang in the middle behind the goal - which meant that I got a great view of Van Persie's amazing winner. He was standing about where the referee was in this photo, and the ball flew in my direction at a fair rate of knots.
The game was a strange one - it would have been a travesty had Arsenal not won the match, but we did make it look perhaps more difficult than it should have been, especially in the second half. The referee didn't really help the game out, he spent 20 minutes giving nothing at all, then 20 minutes giving absolutely everything possible - most annoying.
Anyway, 3 more points, and the team are now officially on a roll, with 5 consecutive wins in Premiership and Champions League. All the more irritating that we now have a 2-week international break to get our players injured, and stop our momentum in its tracks.
I always enjoy Charlton away, it isn't too far away, and is relatively safe, unlike some other London games I can think of. London away games in general are very good, you get the full away game experience, without needing to go to the ends of the earth (or even worse, up north) to enjoy it all. So, I woke up on the morning in a state of full excitement.
The Valley is one of the better away grounds, despite the poor facilities on offer - away fans get a stand to themselves, and the low roof and metal walls (good for banging on) make for a great atmosphere. For the second away game in a row, the travelling support were in excellent voice, which sounds even better when you take into account how quiet the Charlton fans are.
My seat for this one was great, in row D, slap bang in the middle behind the goal - which meant that I got a great view of Van Persie's amazing winner. He was standing about where the referee was in this photo, and the ball flew in my direction at a fair rate of knots.The game was a strange one - it would have been a travesty had Arsenal not won the match, but we did make it look perhaps more difficult than it should have been, especially in the second half. The referee didn't really help the game out, he spent 20 minutes giving nothing at all, then 20 minutes giving absolutely everything possible - most annoying.
Anyway, 3 more points, and the team are now officially on a roll, with 5 consecutive wins in Premiership and Champions League. All the more irritating that we now have a 2-week international break to get our players injured, and stop our momentum in its tracks.
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