Work trip to Philadelphia, USA - 23rd to 27th July 2007

Another trip to Philadelphia, to work for a week, and generally an opportunity to get into American life. Having been a couple of times before, much of the novelty has worn off now, so I am getting a bit more of a realistic view of what it must be like to live and work here. During the week, I went to see Morrissey in Philadelphia, and The White Stripes in New York, as well as going out for lots of food and drink in the centre of Philadelphia. Being July, it was humid throughout, and with temperatures in the 30s - a welcome change from the torrential rain in England!

One thing that definitely struck home this time, (partly because I am now more used to the place, so I explored a bit more) is that, apart from the very centre of the city, which is very nice, things get run-down and shitty quite quickly. There is an area of around half a dozen blocks square which is really nice (including the Love Statue, pictured here), but as you walk outside that area, you get to dodgy areas before too long. Lots of the city is what you could call "blighted", so the land values are low (in fact, sometimes lower than the cost of putting a building there), there are bail bond shops, and other run down businesses, and the streets seem edgy. If you stay in the very centre of the city, all looks well, but overall, Philadelphia is not the nicest city around - something which is also very noticeable on the way in from the airport. In many ways it is not unlike many cities in the North-East of the country, but given that it used to be the capital, and played a key role in the foundation of the country, it is a shame to see a city that is suffering from modern urban problems.

I noticed this time, whilst walking around, that there are definitely more mental people on the streets of US cities, than you see in European cities. This is possibly because the disabled, and war veterans in particular, are not looked after very well here. It is almost certainly also because good healthcare is something that is only available to the rich. Prospective candidates for the Presidency seem to be making positive noises about this, in particular about how the rest of the world does not have this problem, because they see healthcare as a social virtue, rather than an opportunity for insurance and pharmaceutical companies to make lots of money. But who knows whether anything will change for the better, when somebody eventually gets elected.

Everything in the US is of course covered in glossy marketing sugar coating, designed to make everything seem very slick, and generally much better than it really is. So, one does not "drink" a beverage, one "enjoys" a beverage - and you cannot use an ATM (which of course is a cashpoint anyway really), you use a "conveniently-located ATM". You are never allowed to forget how convenient things are (you even end up paying hidden "convenience charges"), or how you can have everything "your way", with a million and one choices about everything. I'd much prefer to decide for myself whether something is convenient, or if I am going to enjoy it, so it all gets quite annoying in a short space of time. When you order in a restaurant, and the waitress says "good choice", you think about how fake many things are, and what they would say if they thought you had made a shitty choice.

All of that said, if you are staying centrally and working in Philadelphia, it is a very liveable place, with a great number of excellent bars and restaurants - in particular handful of brilliant restaurants by Stephen Starr, who is something of a local celebrity. Although much American food is too fatty, bad for you and artificial, the good stuff really does rank up there with the best you can find anywhere in the world. So, lots of good eating, some good work, and hopefully a return visit soon.

The White Stripes, Grinderman - Madison Square Garden, New York, USA - Tuesday 24th July 2007

Following on from last night's Morrissey gig, I decided to take the train from Philadelphia (where I'm working this week), to New York, for a wander around what is probably the best city in the world. The fact that the White Stripes were playing Madison Square Garden on the same evening was just a happy coincidence!

The train from Philadelphia to New York was not especially cheap, and was delayed by about half an hour each way, so it was like a train journey in the UK in a number of respects. I got to see lots of nice small all-American towns in New Jersey (like New Brunswick), and some less nice post-industrial decline (like most of Newark). One thing that did strike me was how much space there is - most things en route were quite low rise, and there was lots of "spare" land lying idle near the railway lines, in a way that you wouldn't see in much of Western Europe. Much of the area (and much of the North East US in general) is suffering from manufacturing decline, so there are lots of derelict, brown-field sites everywhere.

Then, when you start to approach New York, things get really industrial - most of the things that New York needs, but doesn't necessarily want in the city itself, is stuck over in New Jersey - like shipping, distribution, and many of the less glamorous factories. There is sometimes a tantalising glimpse of some Manhattan skyline in the distance, but it is a very different place. Before you get too close to the New York skyline, the train disappears into a long tunnel, and re-emerges inside Penn Station, right in the heart of the city. That means you are deprived of the view of Manhattan from across the river, which is a bit of a shame.

Madison Square Garden is literally right on top of Penn Station, so as soon as I got off the train, I was in the thick of crowds of gig-goers. I picked up my White Stripes ticket, then went for a wander around New York. Times Square is only 10 blocks or so away, so I headed for there - it took a while, as I seemed to need to wait for ages to cross almost every street on the way. I had last been to New York about 6 years ago (just before the 9/11 attacks), and I was quickly reminded how intense and bustling the city is - much more so than London. The city centre in particular seems to be much more of a 24-hour busy city than anywhere else I have been - it is absolutely impossible to be bored here. Of course, the busyness, the pace of everything, and the height of the buildings, all conspire to make it feel slightly claustrophobic at times, but you do also get that amazing feeling of being a very small person, completely surrounded by some very big buildings.

By the time I got to Times Square, it was starting to get dark, so all of the lights were on. The city was humid and sweaty (as it is at this time of year), but I was again left thinking that this the best city in the world. Apart from the roads, which are completely potholed and broken. Times Square was obviously full of people like me, taking pictures of the lights and buildings - but an incredible place all in all. On the way back to Madison Square Garden, I was struck by how very familiar everything seemed. I don't know if this was because I'd been before, or because I live in a similarly big and busy city, or because you see New York on TV and in films - but within a minute of walking out of Penn Station, I felt completely at home.

Madison Square Garden is very impressive both outside and inside, with lots of New York Knicks (basketball) and Rangers (ice hockey) memorabilia all around the main arena. There were about 20,000 people there for the gig, and I was sat about halfway up, but almost level with the stage, for a great side-on view. I would love to come back for a basketball game, because I'm sure the atmosphere would be incredible.

Grinderman, Nick Cave's band, were supporting. He is clearly utterly deranged, and has taken enough drugs for there to be a plausible explanation for this. The performance was pretty electric and very good indeed. The songs ranged from some fairly nondescript and self-indulgent wailings, through a few songs that really stood out, all the way to a fantastic heavy song called "No Pussy Blues", with brilliant guitars, clever lyrics, and Nick Cave manically shouting the words. A good set - I probably wouldn't pay to see Grinderman headlining, but I was glad to catch this, and quite enjoyed it.

Half an hour later, Jack and Meg White bounded on stage to a great reception. Jack put his guitar around his neck, and started playing some bluesy riffs, which eventually because Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground. Quickly followed by When I Hear My Name, an amazing version of Jolene, and a quickfire Hotel Yorba, it was striking how thick and fast the great songs were coming. Jack paused occasionally between songs to ask if everybody was doing OK, and all was going off in riotous style.

Then came one of those rare moments that you remember forever. About two years ago, I wrote that seeing Kasabian play LSF at the London Astoria, was one of the best performances of any song, by any band, that I had ever seen. When the White Stripes played Icky Thump, it was equally, if not more incredible. For most of the song, I was standing, watching Jack White playing a keyboard and a guitar at the same time, with my mouth open in amazement at how great it looked and sounded (the guitar in particular sounded like nothing I have ever heard before). There were shivers going down my spine, it was utterly, utterly fantastic to see how one person could make such an amazing noise - Jack White is a total genius.

After Icky Thump, the show continued in the same vein as before - lots of familiarly excellent songs, which degenerated into jamming sessions, before exploding back into life again. The songs are excellent, but White Stripes shows are really all about seeing an absolute musical genius showing off the full extent of his talents. Brilliant stuff.

Morrissey - Mann Center, Philadelphia, USA - Monday 23rd July 2007

Approximately 6 hours after stepping off a plane for a work trip to Philadelphia, I was standing in the Mann Center (shouldn't that be "centre"), watching Morrissey play a quite amazing gig. It included more Smiths songs than you can shake a stick at, as well as some others that I'm pretty sure would never be played in front of a British audience. The story is as follows.....

I got to the venue just before 9pm, after landing at the airport that afternoon, and enduring the stupid questions from US immigration. Having been up for a while, and having had a few beers in the couple of hours beforehand, I quite fancied some food inside the venue. I went to a stall, and saw a lovely photo of a cheeseburger on the menu. On ordering, I was told "We have a vegetarian menu tonight sir, er, due to the performer". Ah yes, this was a Morrissey gig!

This was a Morrissey gig, the kind of which you would not see in the UK. On this side of the Atlantic, Morrissey has a small but extremely devoted band of fans. There were plenty of Smiths t-shirts on display, and many of the shirts being sold at the merchandise stand featured photos that were at least 10 years old - still with a full 80s quiff in evidence. That said, there did also still seem to be a good number of people there that had no idea what was going on, or who they were watching. But overwhelmingly, the audience was devoted and loving - even more so than those at the UK gigs I have been to in the past.

To underline the point that this was special, Morrissey came on stage and played The Queen Is Dead immediately, something that I have never heard live before, and that I doubt is very common at UK gigs. During the set, this was joined by Every Day Is Like Sunday, Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want, Girlfriend In A Coma, and a much talked about new song called Throwing My Arms Around Paris, none of which I think you would ever hear in front of the UK media that Morrissey finds so difficult to deal with. Perhaps it is the relative obscurity in the US that is the attraction, but he seemed far more comfortable here than I have ever seen before - getting people up on stage, letting fans talk on the mic, and ripping his shirt off and throwing it into the crowd on a couple of occasions.

Throughout the show, the band seemed much more like an exciting rock band that I expected - their sound was edgy and at times heavy. The highlight for me came during Irish Blood, English Heart, where the lyrics talk about English people, and how Morrissey is embarrassed to be one sometimes. It felt strange standing there as an English person, in the middle of a big crowd of Americans, listening to that.

During the song, instead of lyrics which look forward to the day when "the English are sick to death of Labour", he looked forward to the day when "the Americans are sick to death of Republicans" - which drew an absolutely amazing cheer all round. This is truly a country in which Morrissey seems to feel at home - bantering with the crowd, shaking hands with almost everybody in the front row, identifying the things that they like and dislike, and even engaging in sarcasm with the audience, which a majority seemed even to understand. He may have been born and raised in England, but from what I saw tonight, Morrissey belongs to America and Americans now.

All in all, this was a brilliant set, with the band sounding as exciting as any band I've seen lately, the song selection simply inspired (and it really just made me think about the obscene lengths I would go to, to see any future Smiths reunion), and Morrissey on fantastic form. A real revelation, and I'm so glad I went along.

The Maccabees, Rumble Strips - Camden Lock, London - Thursday 19th July 2007

What better way to spend your birthday, than going to see 2 great bands? This was a special "Best of Festivals" gig organised by MTV, Sony Ericsson and Orange, and open to competition winners only. I entered the competition in several places, all the while grovelling to be allowed in, as it was my birthday. Then, within an hour on Tuesday, I had 2 phone calls, each telling me I had won a pair of magic wristbands to get in. And a new Sony Ericsson phone apparently, which is a nice bonus.

The gig itself took place in a little square piece of land on Camden Lock. Right behind the stage was a canal, and there were even a couple of boats parked up next to the bit where the audience stood. Luckily, despite the worst summer ever, it managed not to rain for the event, which was most welcome. So, we spent the evening standing outside drinking Red Stripe, watching some decent bands playing in front of us.

First on the menu were the Rumble Strips, who ran through a half-hour set of their best material. Including singles Alarm Clock and Motorcycle, their set was as entertaining as ever, with plenty of brass instruments, and somebody playing a big drum at the front of the stage, looking mental. They really are a great band to win over people seeing them for the first time - if you pay attention, you can't really help but end up liking them by the end. Even if you've seen them before, and can't quite remember why you liked it, their live show reminds you pretty quickly.

So, another very good set - but now that they have released a couple of singles, you realise that seeing them live is really the only way to listen to Rumble Strips music. I can't imagine having their album on heavy repeat on my iPod, it just isn't really music that I would sit down and listen to on CD. The difference between how they sound when recorded, and the all round excellence of their live sets, is amazing. Which means people really need to go and see them play, to understand why nice things are being written about them.

The Maccabees followed the Rumble Strips, bounding on stage just after 9pm. Throughout the gig, there were some annoyingly blinding lights at the back of the stage, which made it practically impossible to take any decent photos, and not really very easy to see what the band were doing. It was, however, possible to see that one of the guitarists had his hood up, that Felix the guitarist was bounding around energetically throughout, and that Orlando the singer was doing strange things with his microphone stand. So, a standard Maccabees gig all round, really.

Their set was typically good I thought, playing Latchmere very early on to get people in the mood, putting About Your Dress (which in my view is their utter standout song and moment of genius - how that wasn't a massive hit, I will never know) slap-bang in the middle of the set, and finishing up with First Love and Lego, as per (fairly) normal. Felix and Orlando paused several times to banter with the audience, and obviously sent the majority home happy.

The Maccabees seem to be at a strange point in their rise to prominence at the moment - they are a key part of the London indie scene, along with Good Shoes, Jack Penate, and even Kate Nash. They also seem to have no problem selling out places like the Astoria, and there was a decent and committed crowd there for the gig tonight. But you get the feeling that, with their album already out, this may be the peak of what they do - it is hard to see them selling out a couple of nights at Brixton Academy. Great band in my view, and they should be more popular than they currently are - but it is hard to see how that might happen.

Kasabian, Pop Levi - Somerset House, London - Friday 13th July 2007

Somerset House gigs are usually brilliant, a chance to watch bands play in a stunning courtyard, whilst standing outside on a warm summer evening. The fact that you are outside, but could not be more central in London also helps to make it a weird but great experience. So, an amazing venue, a Friday night, and Kasabian playing, who are becoming more like a modern day version of Oasis as each big gig passes - and by that I mean a very big populist band for lads. Given all this, it had the potential to be a brilliant evening.

This potential was all slightly soured on entering the venue, and encountering the bar queue in the picture here - the bar itself is the white tent literally at the other side of the venue. It took an hour to get from the back of the bar queue to the bar itself, and was a classic example of how to take an amazing venue, then to really dampen people's experience once inside it. So, we all wasted an hour of our lives waiting for a drink, all because the venue couldn't be bothered to fork out for more bar staff, a bigger bar, or quicker beer pumps. It isn't cheap to go to a gig at Somerset House, so being made to wait an hour, when the venue could fix the problem by hiring a few more staff, did make one feel a little bit ripped off. It also doesn't take a genius to work out that "warm evening" + "Friday" + "Kasabian" is likely to mean a strong demand for liquid refreshment. Very, very poor all round on the part of the organisers.

As well as not spending too much money on the bar, the promoters also seemed not to have spent very much on the support band - although they were an American band, they were pretty average I thought. Pop Levi sounded OK enough, and at least we were able to see them whilst queueing for a beer. But despite a couple of catchy songs, their set was generally serving as background music, rather than anything that managed to get the audience too engaged with them.

Now, I mentioned that Kasabian seem to be becoming more like Oasis by the day - and sadly (as well as filling bigger and bigger venues), this also means attracting an "Oasis gig crowd", many of whom would otherwise have been inhabiting pubs that I tend to avoid like the plague. Baseball caps were heavily in evidence, and chavs were all over the place, but the atmosphere was still pretty friendly. I was offered pills on at least 4 occasions, both outside and inside the venue, so maybe that helped to explain the relative calmness.

The audience looked to be split into 3 parts - laddish idiots; people who were desperately copying Oasis or Kasabian fashion and haircuts (the number of pairs of tight jeans, hats, and immaculate indie haircuts I saw was just crazy); and then the relatively normal people, of which of course I was one. Getting Danny Dyer to introduce the band onto the stage really pandered to the idiot section of the crowd, which I really thought was a bad move. Hooray, let's all pretend to be football hooligans whilst at a gig - how big and clever.

Kasabian left it very late to come onto the stage, apparently demanding an extension until 11:30pm, which would allow them to wait until it was properly dark before they started their set. Good on them, because the proper darkness, mixed with the great lighting of the building at Somerset House, made the set seem that much more special. It was almost like being in church (expect with people going mental at the front), which made the whole show seem like a religious experience. Their set was incredible, and it really seemed like a show that they enjoyed playing, not least because of the setting.

Tom the singer initially appeared on stage wearing the pair of Raybans that lots of musicians seem to be sporting at the moment - I'm sure a few hundred pairs were sold to attendees on Saturday. In between songs, I was struck by how much they do seem to be turning into Oasis - right down to the fact that Tom was almost talking to the crowd in a perfect Manc accent - even when he asked "Who's from Leicester?", it didn't sound like he was. Dedicating a song to Noel Gallagher just added to the Oasis love in.

Despite the idiots, and Danny Dyer, and the crazy beer queues, this was a great gig, because Kasabian played an absolutely storming show in a beautiful place. Their set never dipped from being utterly incredible all the way through - the audience knew and loved every song, and the finale of LSF was predictably massive, resulting in choruses echoing down The Strand for a good twenty minutes after the band had left the stage. An hour and a half of consistent brilliance, which makes you believe that they deserve the hype.

A band has to be pretty good to rescue the night after an hour's wait for a drink, and Kasabian were even better than that. I would not be at all surprised if they play Wembley Stadium next summer, such is the rate at which they are becoming the people's band of the moment. Hopefully it won't go to their heads too much.

Kings Of Leon - Hammersmith Apollo, London - Thursday 12th July 2007

The Kings of Leon are possibly one of the most exciting bands anywhere in the world right now. Having released an amazing third album earlier this year, they seem to be infallible. Their albums get better and better, but the band are not (yet) being ruined by too much mainstream success and attention. It sounds strange given the number of records and gig tickets they sell, but still, lots of people don't understand why this band are so good. Thankfully, this leaves them to the rest of us (mostly people that have seen them live) that do understand. That's the way I like it, and a lot more "big" bands would be better if they remained a comparative secret.

This gig was a sneaky London date, squeezed in between lots of festival appearances in Europe. Ahead of Wembley Arena later in the year, this was perhaps one of the last chances to see the Kings Of Leon before they do get generally picked up on, and do become truly massive - their Reading Festival appearance in 6 weeks will certainly do them no harm. They do seem to like Hammersmith Apollo though, they have been playing here for a while, including the hottest gig I think I've ever been to.

The show turned out to be a meeting of a devoted, adoring crowd who seemed to know every word to every song. The band came on stage (ten minutes late, and sporting unusually smart and short haircuts), and dived straight into their set without saying a word. In fact, the band barely spoke to the crowd throughout the set, but in truth they didn't really need to. The band know they are brilliant, the audience all came to see them because they also know they are brilliant, so they just played one killer song after another, instead of filling time by talking crap. Throughout the set, the band were so nonchalant, it all just helped to add to how incredibly cool they were.

The music itself was typically amazing - it was loud, it was laced with heavy guitars, and the sound was that dirty, sweaty rock sound that makes boys want to get drunk, and makes girls want to take their clothes off (or so they say, anyway). A mix of songs from all three albums, the only shame was that they played for only around an hour, plus a short encore. It was like a whirlwind during the set, but it was over too quickly, finishing up with a blisteringly loud version of Slow Night, So Long.

All in all this was a fantastic show, and possibly one of the last chances to see Kings Of Leon on their way to stadia and enormodomes. They deserve their success,as a rare band that writes great songs, is comprised of technically awesome musicians, and are just one of the coolest bands out there. They are taking over the mantle that The Strokes made their own in the early part of this decade - and are possibly the coolest band in the world right now.

Surrey vs Kent - The Oval, London - Friday 6th July 2007

The Twenty20 Cup (to give it its correct name) is rightly a controversial cricket competition. It brings lots of people in to grounds to watch cricket, but they are watching a plastic, invented form of cricket that is sacrilege to those that like the proper game. This game started at 5:30 on a Friday night (perfect timing for those that work in Central London), and was a complete sell-out at The Oval. But, the awful music every time there is a 4, a 6, or a wicket, is surely there only to appeal either to kids, or to the lowest common denominator of cricket watcher - those that don't actually like or know very much about the game at all. And there were lots and lots of the latter in the ground this evening.

This was a must-win game for both teams, with one place in the quarter-finals still up for grabs, basically going to the winner of the game today. Strangely, despite there being 6 teams in the Southern group, and games generally being played home and away, this was the last of only 8 games in the group - not the 10 that might be expected. Never mind. Surrey's innings was something of a let-down (well, for their fans at least, ha ha!). Ramprakash seemed to be the only player in any kind of form, and as the batting got more desperate, and the shots more erratic, Kent could even afford to get away with some dodgy fielding - bowling Surrey out for 145 with a couple of overs to spare.

After the ridiculous "half time", Kent's innings initially got off to an absolute flyer, and it looked like we were going to be out of the ground very quickly. But then Surrey brought the spinners on, and Geraint Jones contrived to start scoring as slowly and laboriously as possible. Kent seemed to be losing their way, and scoring so slowly that they risked dropping out of the game altogether. But luckily, in the last few overs, the boundaries that Kent needed, duly arrived, and they squeezed home with a few balls to spare. Into the quarter finals for the second year in a row (and only the second time ever), and a tough away draw against Nottinghamshire, last year's finalists.

So, Kent did OK, but many of the final overs of the game were not being watched by the majority of the audience. As the pints flowed, many people concentrated on building towers of empty pint glasses, and only looked at the middle of the field when the clip of music played to indicate a boundary or wicket. This really is cricket for people that don't have much of an appetite for paying attention and watching the game - they need to be told when to cheer, when to clap, and when to wave their "6" banner in the air. It is entertaining to an extent, and I hope Kent go all the way and win. But the horrible music reminds me of the Reebok Stadium when Bolton score a goal, a horrendous plastic triumph of marketing over substance.

Ash, Wry - Koko, London - Wednesday 4th July 2007

Ash's millionth studio album was released this week, and they played a 4-night residency at Koko to celebrate. I first got into them in 1995, when they were releasing exciting punky pop singles like Kung Fu and Girl From Mars - and when the band themselves were 17 years old. So, 12 years later, it was not a surprise to see the audience made up of lots of people in their 30s, who probably first got into the band at University, and consequently remember their endless stream of fantastically catchy singles. They really are an amazing singles band, as their singles collection Intergalactic Sonic 7"s showed a few years ago.

The support bands for the 4-nighter were different every night, and were not exactly hired at huge expense, I got the feeling. Tonight's were called Wry, and I had never heard of them before (like a couple of the others in fact). They were OK on the ear, but generally were quite forgettable, and very few people were paying much attention. In fact, the floor was so empty that I wondered whether the gig was the victim of a mass boycott. Not bad, not great, just not anything at all memorable really.

By the time Ash came on, the venue was packed, and they started their set with a couple of songs from the new album. The two previous times I'd seen them this year, they were playing almost wholly Greatest Hits sets, so whilst it was good to hear some of their new stuff, it was a bit frustrating for the majority in the audience that had expected wall-to-wall hits. Slowly but surely, though, they did start to weave ever more older songs into their set, including a brilliantly upbeat version of Walking Barefoot; the obvious Angel Interceptor, and A Life Less Ordinary; and a very pleasant surprise when they played their first ever single, Jack Names The Planets. Kung Fu and Girl From Mars were of course all present and correct too, and by the end of the set, there must have been a good dozen classic hit singles played. That is why so many people love Ash.

On the way out of the venue, it became apparent how hard the band are working to promote their new music. As an old-school fan, I probably wasn't going to buy the new album, but on the way out of the venue I was handed a signed CD inlay for the album. So, £9 means that I have a signed copy, and of course I'll probably head off to play.com to buy one now. Great marketing, but that must have been hard work to sign that many CD inlays. Ash have already said that this will be their last studio album, and that they will now concentrate on making great single tracks instead. Many thought that this is what they have been doing for their whole career, and on tonight's evidence, they can carry on touring their back catalogue, to ecstatic audiences, for ever.

The Hold Steady, The Steers - Shepherds Bush Empire, London - Monday 2nd July 2007

After seeing, and loving, The Hold Steady - in the middle of lots of other bands at Glastonbury - it was great to get a chance to see them again properly, and so soon. This was something of a last-minute decision, with a pair of tickets bought on eBay the day before the gig - for less than the face value for one ticket. It was also a solo gig, as I seem to be the only person I know that is into The Hold Steady. Never mind, it allowed for some quality time spent with the Evening Standard, and my BlackBerry.

Support band for the evening were a band called The Steers, a band I had never heard of before entering the venue, and judging by their MySpace page, neither have many others - only around 1,200 friends, less even than the Belgrave Scandal. How they got the opportunity to support the Hold Steady I don't know, but they were pretty good as it turned out. They had a very brisk but clean indie sound, not dissimilar to The View, but at times they got a bit heavier and shoutier than that. Given this, the fact that the singer was a tall balding bloke, who looked a bit like Ben Folds, meant that it was a bit strange to watch such a sensible-looking band throwing out such a rocky sound. Very enjoyable though, and definitely one to keep an eye on.

The Hold Steady appeared about 15 minutes later than expected (probably because they had been playing elsewhere), and played Stuck Between Stations immediately. As at Glastonbury, the band seemed to be having lots of fun from the word go - which I think always transmits itself to the audience, and instantly makes the gig seem better. As the set progressed, the banter between frontman Craig Finn and the crowd got even better - he is a pretty funny frontman anyway (not quite in the league of We Are Scientists, but then who is?), but he was joking with the crowd and getting good applause back.

One thing about The Hold Steady is that they have some of the best lyrics around at the moment, and current album Boys And Girls In America is the most creative and incisive of the lot. The music is classic rock Americana, reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements, and even Bruce Hornsby, given the keyboard player. But the lyrics and their delivery live are what really make these songs special. The songs are about going out, getting drunk, and having a good time - so when you are at a gig, getting drunk, and looking to have a good time, this band are just what you need. People with tickets for Latitude, Reading or Leeds Festivals are lucky indeed - just get into the album a bit before you see them, and it'll be amazing.

The set here was obviously broader than the set from Glastonbury - the band played virtually every song from Boys And Girls In America, as well as the pick of the songs from their other 2 albums. The huge highlight for me was Party Pit, with its grinding guitars which sounded incredible, and its drunk lyrics. When the final refrain came along - "Gonna walk around, Gonna walk around, Gonna walk around and drink. Gonna walk around and drink some more" - the venue went absolutely crazy, and the band deserved it, they were that good. As well as this, new single Chips Ahoy, as well as the rarely-played Chillout Tent, were big highlights of an excellent set.

This was The Hold Steady's biggest headline gig ever (or so they said), even including those they have played in the US. I am glad that the UK seems to be liking them, although they are still not getting much music press coverage, and this gig was not hyped, and not beseiged by touts and dodgy merchandise sellers. The band don't necessarily have a huge "buzz" around them, but they definitely seem to be gradually building a fanbase here - which is utterly deserved, as their lyrics and live performances show. Hopefully they will be back to see us again soon, after all the festivals are over.