24th June 2008
Birmingham Carling Academy
John Mayer is relatively unknown in this country, or was before his love-life became the interest of tabloids. His bluesy acoustic-rock is effortlessly accessible and coupled with the Santana gig; it was great to see two legends in one week.
British singer-songwriter Jack McManus is an inspired choice for support act. His pleasant piano-centric songs are light and breezy and highlight the pop elements of Mayer’s own guitar driven back-catalogue, providing a good set up for the main act.
Mayer’s set opens with ‘Belief’ extended with a Bluesy ending tainted by misplaced clapping. Like Santana, Mayer descends into jamming on various songs, but adds to the end of his songs rather than a series of instrumentals. The best example of which is on ‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room’ which improves the lamenting sadness of the song more so than the original.
The biggest cheers are for his earlier works, where Mayer is most honest about its contents explaining he wrote Room for Squares when he didn’t know what was going on and how he distanced himself from his older music in order to turn around, look at it and realise how much he enjoyed it – relating to ‘Welcome to the Real World’, ‘Why Georgia’ and ‘Great Indoors’. Yet notably missing was the teenage favourite ‘Your Body Is A Wonderland’.
Mayer’s performance is real, honest and entirely a pleasure to watch. His accessibility as a person as well as a musician make his show more than a guy and his guitar, but rather an understanding of what makes his music.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Monday, 9 June 2008
Say Anything
Birmingham Barfly
9th June 2008
Real life often gets in the way of going to gigs and when it does it’s annoying. What’s more annoying is when you spend more time travelling to and from a show than the band plays on stage. Unfortunately for me, tonight was one of those nights. I spent close to two hours travelling to and from the Say Anything show, thanks to funny train timetables and Say Anything, well they played seven songs.
I walked in as they were beginning “i can’t get laid in this town...” and the sound seemed spot on. Front-man Max Bemis’s unique singing voice seemed on fine form, but I found out afterwards that he was sick. The crowd were definitely enthused and intense and sung along, cheering loudly for “buy your own flowers, you make me feel the worlds not dead”, which Bemis sung solo.
Still when the rest of the tour saw shows that lasted at least an hour, short even for most sets, hearing under 45-minutes of music felt like a bit of a slap in the face. The six and a half songs I heard by Say Anything were a fine reflection of the music they produce in a studio, but for such a short time on stage I have to wonder whether it was worth it at all.
9th June 2008
Real life often gets in the way of going to gigs and when it does it’s annoying. What’s more annoying is when you spend more time travelling to and from a show than the band plays on stage. Unfortunately for me, tonight was one of those nights. I spent close to two hours travelling to and from the Say Anything show, thanks to funny train timetables and Say Anything, well they played seven songs.
I walked in as they were beginning “i can’t get laid in this town...” and the sound seemed spot on. Front-man Max Bemis’s unique singing voice seemed on fine form, but I found out afterwards that he was sick. The crowd were definitely enthused and intense and sung along, cheering loudly for “buy your own flowers, you make me feel the worlds not dead”, which Bemis sung solo.
Still when the rest of the tour saw shows that lasted at least an hour, short even for most sets, hearing under 45-minutes of music felt like a bit of a slap in the face. The six and a half songs I heard by Say Anything were a fine reflection of the music they produce in a studio, but for such a short time on stage I have to wonder whether it was worth it at all.
Sunday, 1 June 2008
The Weakerthans
1st June 2008
Birmingham Barfly
Since attending the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead I have a new found understanding and confidence to go watch a band I’ve never heard much of before and not feel like a complete fraud for being there. Luckily this lesson was learnt in time for The Weakerthan’s Birmingham show. Not having enough time to fully digest the acquired albums, I was able to stand and just listen to the set and appreciate the musical aesthetic, without worrying that I didn’t know the words of the songs.
This does however make writing a review of the show difficult, as my ability to remember any of the names of the songs near impossible. However the accessible and well crafted Weakerthan’s sound isn’t intimidating and genuinely enthused me to give their studio efforts more time.
Birmingham Barfly
Since attending the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead I have a new found understanding and confidence to go watch a band I’ve never heard much of before and not feel like a complete fraud for being there. Luckily this lesson was learnt in time for The Weakerthan’s Birmingham show. Not having enough time to fully digest the acquired albums, I was able to stand and just listen to the set and appreciate the musical aesthetic, without worrying that I didn’t know the words of the songs.
This does however make writing a review of the show difficult, as my ability to remember any of the names of the songs near impossible. However the accessible and well crafted Weakerthan’s sound isn’t intimidating and genuinely enthused me to give their studio efforts more time.
Saturday, 31 May 2008
Boys Like Girls and Cute Is What We Aim For
31st March 2008
Birmingham Carling Academy 2
Originally billed as a Cute Is What We Aim For show, headliners Boys Like Girls are back four months after supporting Plain White T’s. We The Kings complete the trio of bands which typify the emo sound storming pubescent ears everywhere. WTK play a tight set and clearly know what they’re doing, even if their sound isn’t new–‘Stay Young’ sounds very much like Yellowcard and The Ataris.
It’s an odd choice to relegate Cute Is What We Aim For to main support, considering they release an album soon. Late to the tour due to a mislaid passport, lead singer Shaant is on fine form tonight with boundless energy. The set itself integrates new songs with old, almost match-for-match. Ending with “i may be ugly...” Shaant informs the crowd he lost his voice last time he sung it here, and the crowd helped him out – which they’re more than happy to do again.
Boys Like Girls seem to garner less enthusiasm than CIWWAF, and play several songs from their set in January. The front-man is confident to the point of cocky and spitting into the crowd, he seems to lose some favour. However his amazement that he’s five thousand miles from home and still has people singing his songs does garner some of the favour back. Though the beginning of the set is relatively upbeat ‘Soundtrack to my Summer’ a Dashboard Confessional-esque song tones down the pace, but not the quality.
With both Cute Is What We Aim For and Boys Like Girls back in the autumn, it’s good to know both bands have a solid fan base and a solid sound. It’s not a show that broke any boundaries musically, but with three solid bands it suggests a continuation of the genre for a while yet.
Birmingham Carling Academy 2
Originally billed as a Cute Is What We Aim For show, headliners Boys Like Girls are back four months after supporting Plain White T’s. We The Kings complete the trio of bands which typify the emo sound storming pubescent ears everywhere. WTK play a tight set and clearly know what they’re doing, even if their sound isn’t new–‘Stay Young’ sounds very much like Yellowcard and The Ataris.
It’s an odd choice to relegate Cute Is What We Aim For to main support, considering they release an album soon. Late to the tour due to a mislaid passport, lead singer Shaant is on fine form tonight with boundless energy. The set itself integrates new songs with old, almost match-for-match. Ending with “i may be ugly...” Shaant informs the crowd he lost his voice last time he sung it here, and the crowd helped him out – which they’re more than happy to do again.
Boys Like Girls seem to garner less enthusiasm than CIWWAF, and play several songs from their set in January. The front-man is confident to the point of cocky and spitting into the crowd, he seems to lose some favour. However his amazement that he’s five thousand miles from home and still has people singing his songs does garner some of the favour back. Though the beginning of the set is relatively upbeat ‘Soundtrack to my Summer’ a Dashboard Confessional-esque song tones down the pace, but not the quality.
With both Cute Is What We Aim For and Boys Like Girls back in the autumn, it’s good to know both bands have a solid fan base and a solid sound. It’s not a show that broke any boundaries musically, but with three solid bands it suggests a continuation of the genre for a while yet.
Monday, 19 May 2008
Give It A Name Introduces
19th May 2008
Birmingham Carling Academy 2
Fresh off the back of the Give It A Name festival, Four Year Strong, Meg and Dia, The Colour Fred and Mayday Parade were on a mission to gain further fans on a string of revolving-headliner tour dates.
Birmingham saw Four Year Strong opening the show with headline being granted to Mayday Parade. It’s a disappointing decision as Four Year Strong’s fantastic blend of pop-punk and hardcore was well received at GIAN and the majority of the crowd seem to be here for them. Despite sound difficulties, which saw mics being pitched at three different volumes, the crowd fully integrated into the sound as back vocalists. Frenetic and fast-paced, they’re a fantastic opener and their confirmation as support to a tour in December is welcomed news.
Contrasting the energy of FYS was Meg and Dia, a two piece clearly out of place amongst the line-up. The strong female vocals are powerful, but nestled amongst three other bands that rely heavily on volume, their sound is easily ignored. Next up was The Colour Fred, fronted unsurprisingly by Fred Masc who seemed to spend more time talking about how he had been on this very stage with his old band, Taking Back Sunday. TCF’s sound was better fitted to the Academy’s stage than an arena, but still didn’t quite pack the punch of the first band. The lengthy tales of his former band and relatively weak sound bored the remaining crowd, many of whom had left after Four Year Strong.
I left towards the end of The Colour Fred’s set, bored and tired from a weekend spent at All Tomorrow’s Parties, but safe in the knowledge that if the GIAN festival was anything to go by, I’d already seen the band of the night – Four Year Strong.
Birmingham Carling Academy 2
Fresh off the back of the Give It A Name festival, Four Year Strong, Meg and Dia, The Colour Fred and Mayday Parade were on a mission to gain further fans on a string of revolving-headliner tour dates.
Birmingham saw Four Year Strong opening the show with headline being granted to Mayday Parade. It’s a disappointing decision as Four Year Strong’s fantastic blend of pop-punk and hardcore was well received at GIAN and the majority of the crowd seem to be here for them. Despite sound difficulties, which saw mics being pitched at three different volumes, the crowd fully integrated into the sound as back vocalists. Frenetic and fast-paced, they’re a fantastic opener and their confirmation as support to a tour in December is welcomed news.
Contrasting the energy of FYS was Meg and Dia, a two piece clearly out of place amongst the line-up. The strong female vocals are powerful, but nestled amongst three other bands that rely heavily on volume, their sound is easily ignored. Next up was The Colour Fred, fronted unsurprisingly by Fred Masc who seemed to spend more time talking about how he had been on this very stage with his old band, Taking Back Sunday. TCF’s sound was better fitted to the Academy’s stage than an arena, but still didn’t quite pack the punch of the first band. The lengthy tales of his former band and relatively weak sound bored the remaining crowd, many of whom had left after Four Year Strong.
I left towards the end of The Colour Fred’s set, bored and tired from a weekend spent at All Tomorrow’s Parties, but safe in the knowledge that if the GIAN festival was anything to go by, I’d already seen the band of the night – Four Year Strong.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Give It A Name Festival
Sheffield Hallam Arena
10-11 May
GIAN this year was interesting. I’d originally agreed to go because of the awesome time I had last year and I think had the 2007 line-up been the one from this years, I would never have gone in the first place. It was uninspiring and incredibly lacking. The headliners were a bad choice, the range of bands was mediocre and the venue and atmosphere was entirely uneventful.
Paramore and 30 Seconds to Mars as headliners? Over Glassjaw and Finch/Alkaline Trio? I’m not a musical snob by any means, but there is something intrinsically wrong about having well established bands with loyal fans who will brave emo festivals lower on the bill than flash-in-the-pan acts. Even believing that the newer bands will bring the crowds (which they didn’t, if the walk outs were anything to go by), the back catalogues of the respective bands should have had more time on stage than the newer bands with little material. All three of the bands did fine jobs of running through some of their songs, but really could have done more stage time. Paramore and Plain White T’s were fun and their singles are catchy, but headlining over Glassjaw and Finch/Alk3 is just wrong. 30STM are a band who seem to have stolen the theatrics of My Chemical Romance and a fairly ill reaching sound, whose appeal seems to be more to the generic teenage-angst than any real talent.
It wasn’t just the bands themselves, the sound output was awful. Even for some of the better bands, the bass and drum output was too loud (almost every band, notably Glassjaw) and several mics were too low (Four Year Strong and Alkaline Trio). If anything this was the most disappointing, because it made bands that were new or relatively so to the UK sound worse than they should -Mayday Parade‘s sound seemed patchy. Even by the second day this wasn’t completely fixed and generally the sound quality was poor - not something you expect from an indoor music festival.
The music wasn’t all bad, there were some fantastic highlights. Some of the bands everyone are talking about; All Time Low and Four Year Strong were stunning. The organisers did a great disservice putting Four Year Strong so low down on the bill and putting them on stage early. Lucky they put on a brilliant performance, even with the sound difficulties - the screaming was near impossible to hear, but the overall quality of the band was in place. Hopefully they will have apt chance to prove this on the GIAN Intro tour. All Time Low had a professionalism about them and a confidence on stage that far surpassed their experience. Their sound was spot on and they clearly had already some dedicated fans in the enthusiastic crowd. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re back in a few years on the main stage.
The most unanticipated gem of the festival has to go to MC Lars. Backed up by Failsafe, they were an unstoppable force of utter fun, mocking the emo genre in an intelligent manner (Chiodos take note) and engaging the audience entirely unexpectedly. Their sample of Iggy Pop, Piebald and Supergrass were inspired and if they don’t come away with a lot more fans than before I’d be shocked. It was just a shame Failsafe as themselves didn’t get a slot, or infact any British acts.
All in all Give It A Name 2008 will go down as a loss. The atmosphere in Sheffield was devoid, the lack of pass-outs on arguably one of the hottest weekends in May was ill thought out and saw the outdoor smoking area overrun by people who just wanted somewhere to hang out that wasn’t a corridor. The organisers of GIAN still haven’t understood that it takes more than the music to make a festival and the lack of entertainment between bands and/or for people who don’t like the bands on offer is really a let down. With the genre being so popular their should be a number of companies who would relish a stand at this festival, a proper signing tent and even an acoustic stage would give this festival some of the spirit it sorely lacks. More importantly it needs to step up the music this year. Last year had such an abundance of heavyweights- Brand New, New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World and AFI to name but a few. This year even the music couldn’t substitute for the fact that this festival is less of a feast and more of money making scheme on the emo-genre whilst its big enough to sell to the masses.
10-11 May
GIAN this year was interesting. I’d originally agreed to go because of the awesome time I had last year and I think had the 2007 line-up been the one from this years, I would never have gone in the first place. It was uninspiring and incredibly lacking. The headliners were a bad choice, the range of bands was mediocre and the venue and atmosphere was entirely uneventful.
Paramore and 30 Seconds to Mars as headliners? Over Glassjaw and Finch/Alkaline Trio? I’m not a musical snob by any means, but there is something intrinsically wrong about having well established bands with loyal fans who will brave emo festivals lower on the bill than flash-in-the-pan acts. Even believing that the newer bands will bring the crowds (which they didn’t, if the walk outs were anything to go by), the back catalogues of the respective bands should have had more time on stage than the newer bands with little material. All three of the bands did fine jobs of running through some of their songs, but really could have done more stage time. Paramore and Plain White T’s were fun and their singles are catchy, but headlining over Glassjaw and Finch/Alk3 is just wrong. 30STM are a band who seem to have stolen the theatrics of My Chemical Romance and a fairly ill reaching sound, whose appeal seems to be more to the generic teenage-angst than any real talent.
It wasn’t just the bands themselves, the sound output was awful. Even for some of the better bands, the bass and drum output was too loud (almost every band, notably Glassjaw) and several mics were too low (Four Year Strong and Alkaline Trio). If anything this was the most disappointing, because it made bands that were new or relatively so to the UK sound worse than they should -Mayday Parade‘s sound seemed patchy. Even by the second day this wasn’t completely fixed and generally the sound quality was poor - not something you expect from an indoor music festival.
The music wasn’t all bad, there were some fantastic highlights. Some of the bands everyone are talking about; All Time Low and Four Year Strong were stunning. The organisers did a great disservice putting Four Year Strong so low down on the bill and putting them on stage early. Lucky they put on a brilliant performance, even with the sound difficulties - the screaming was near impossible to hear, but the overall quality of the band was in place. Hopefully they will have apt chance to prove this on the GIAN Intro tour. All Time Low had a professionalism about them and a confidence on stage that far surpassed their experience. Their sound was spot on and they clearly had already some dedicated fans in the enthusiastic crowd. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re back in a few years on the main stage.
The most unanticipated gem of the festival has to go to MC Lars. Backed up by Failsafe, they were an unstoppable force of utter fun, mocking the emo genre in an intelligent manner (Chiodos take note) and engaging the audience entirely unexpectedly. Their sample of Iggy Pop, Piebald and Supergrass were inspired and if they don’t come away with a lot more fans than before I’d be shocked. It was just a shame Failsafe as themselves didn’t get a slot, or infact any British acts.
All in all Give It A Name 2008 will go down as a loss. The atmosphere in Sheffield was devoid, the lack of pass-outs on arguably one of the hottest weekends in May was ill thought out and saw the outdoor smoking area overrun by people who just wanted somewhere to hang out that wasn’t a corridor. The organisers of GIAN still haven’t understood that it takes more than the music to make a festival and the lack of entertainment between bands and/or for people who don’t like the bands on offer is really a let down. With the genre being so popular their should be a number of companies who would relish a stand at this festival, a proper signing tent and even an acoustic stage would give this festival some of the spirit it sorely lacks. More importantly it needs to step up the music this year. Last year had such an abundance of heavyweights- Brand New, New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World and AFI to name but a few. This year even the music couldn’t substitute for the fact that this festival is less of a feast and more of money making scheme on the emo-genre whilst its big enough to sell to the masses.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Envy and Other Sins
29th April 2008
Birmingham Barfly
Winners of the T-mobile Act Unsigned and local boys Envy and Other Sins’ homecoming gig at the Barfly was likely to be something special and the inclusion of a small string section on the heavily cramped stage really made it. Teaming up with fellow Brummie band Deluka their quirky indie-rock has lost a lot of its power-pop elements and focused more on the popular British indie explosion. Deluka’s female front-woman is a nice change, but with an electro/pop/indie sound they come off sounding a little like Garbage’s beautfulgarbage album.
EaOS have evidently learnt a lot from winning but the victim is their quirkiness which has been tempered down dramatically since pre-signing. Sure the numerous lamps and period clothing are present, but the music whilst tighter, stronger and technically better, isn’t nearly as fun –perhaps its the fact they’re not longer a pub band. Their homecoming show also hears the pre-signing single ‘Prodigal Son’ being played, despite its absence from the album and most of the tour which is fantastic for the B’ham crowd, but a disappointment, as it really is a fantastically varied and upbeat song.
There’s no doubt that EaOS deserved to win, and they clearly care about their act. Their sound, whilst fitting in the indie genre, does vary from the skinny-jeaned norm, but edges more towards it that it did before. It’s just a shame they’ve cleaned up their sound, I liked their perfect pop-indie sounds a little bit unhinged.
Birmingham Barfly
Winners of the T-mobile Act Unsigned and local boys Envy and Other Sins’ homecoming gig at the Barfly was likely to be something special and the inclusion of a small string section on the heavily cramped stage really made it. Teaming up with fellow Brummie band Deluka their quirky indie-rock has lost a lot of its power-pop elements and focused more on the popular British indie explosion. Deluka’s female front-woman is a nice change, but with an electro/pop/indie sound they come off sounding a little like Garbage’s beautfulgarbage album.
EaOS have evidently learnt a lot from winning but the victim is their quirkiness which has been tempered down dramatically since pre-signing. Sure the numerous lamps and period clothing are present, but the music whilst tighter, stronger and technically better, isn’t nearly as fun –perhaps its the fact they’re not longer a pub band. Their homecoming show also hears the pre-signing single ‘Prodigal Son’ being played, despite its absence from the album and most of the tour which is fantastic for the B’ham crowd, but a disappointment, as it really is a fantastically varied and upbeat song.
There’s no doubt that EaOS deserved to win, and they clearly care about their act. Their sound, whilst fitting in the indie genre, does vary from the skinny-jeaned norm, but edges more towards it that it did before. It’s just a shame they’ve cleaned up their sound, I liked their perfect pop-indie sounds a little bit unhinged.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
City and Colour
8th April 2008
Birmingham Glee Club
Dallas Green’s side project City and Colour is a complete surprise. Gone are the screaming, thrashing guitars of the post-hardcore alexisonfire and replacing them is an acoustic guitar, introspective lyrics and a sort of stop-you-in-your-tracks simplicity. The fantastic Attack in Black support Green, both as a warm-up act and then later as his backing band, which really brings the songs to life.
I’ve complained about the Glee Club before (see Johnny Flynn) but this time it’s perfect. Playing the main room, the sold out crowd are packed in edging intimately forward to catch the secrets of the songs. Green is comfort is evident, as he banters with the audience, frequently making them laugh and calls out a Gollum-esque cheerer who croaks out his name.
City and Colour’s back-catalogue is played in equal measure, switching back and forward to both albums. Complete with two members of Attack in Black, City and Colour is able to extend some of the songs, including a fantastic blues addition to one of his songs, which really lifts it.
Green adds two covers; Rose Royce’s ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ and alexisonfire’s Boiled Frogs, which gets the best reaction of the night. Both covers fit fantastically with the set and highlight Green’s versatility.
Announcing that City and Colour should tour the UK again in the autumn is welcome news by everyone. Hopefully City and Colour will continue playing small intimate venues, as the rawness of the hits hard, and you’ll be in need of a seat.
Birmingham Glee Club
Dallas Green’s side project City and Colour is a complete surprise. Gone are the screaming, thrashing guitars of the post-hardcore alexisonfire and replacing them is an acoustic guitar, introspective lyrics and a sort of stop-you-in-your-tracks simplicity. The fantastic Attack in Black support Green, both as a warm-up act and then later as his backing band, which really brings the songs to life.
I’ve complained about the Glee Club before (see Johnny Flynn) but this time it’s perfect. Playing the main room, the sold out crowd are packed in edging intimately forward to catch the secrets of the songs. Green is comfort is evident, as he banters with the audience, frequently making them laugh and calls out a Gollum-esque cheerer who croaks out his name.
City and Colour’s back-catalogue is played in equal measure, switching back and forward to both albums. Complete with two members of Attack in Black, City and Colour is able to extend some of the songs, including a fantastic blues addition to one of his songs, which really lifts it.
Green adds two covers; Rose Royce’s ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ and alexisonfire’s Boiled Frogs, which gets the best reaction of the night. Both covers fit fantastically with the set and highlight Green’s versatility.
Announcing that City and Colour should tour the UK again in the autumn is welcome news by everyone. Hopefully City and Colour will continue playing small intimate venues, as the rawness of the hits hard, and you’ll be in need of a seat.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Panic At The Disco
Birmingham Carling Academy
Sunday 9th March 2008
I have no idea what the support bands, Black Gold and Metro Station, sound like as I bumped into an old school friend at the gig and subsequently chatted to him rather than listen to the bands. However I do remember walking in and thinking the band on stage weren’t bad, bit too nu-rave. Yet as they progressed I entirely forgot they were on, even when I was paying attention it wasn’t that noticeable. Like I said bumping into someone you haven’t seen for years will generally negate any real opinion to the opening acts.
Panic at the Disco sounded technically very accurate and playing a good mix of songs from A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and some newer stuff from Pretty Odd. But they played an incredibly short set. For a sold out tour I’d expect more than an hour (encore included), which is what we were served with. Yes they were very good and they played a lot of fan favourites; including Lying Is the Most Fun A Girl Can Have With her Clothes On was a particularly good song, which was dedicated to all the single people in the audience who he would see later. An acoustic version of I Write Sins Not Tragedies was an interesting take on arguably their most popular song - the carnival-esque piano part given over to audience participation.
The newer stuff was thrown into the set, punctuating the older material nicely. Opening with Nine In The Afternoon, the carnival nature of the first album was shown to make a transition on the new album (Bahktin would be proud) but with a more mature and less Fall Out Boy sound. In fact the newer songs in general seemed to fit in well with the older songs, but seemed more mature, less gimmicky and toned town the over theatrical but still kept the unique Panic sound.
Overall it was a good gig - they sounded spot on, there was a good mix (though the cover song seemed a little lost) of old and new songs. It was just a shame that it was such a short set, surely there could have been more older songs and they could’ve used the gig to plug Pretty. Odd which is released in a matter of weeks. Heading out on such a large tour it’s possible that this was a preventative measure to ensure an overall quality, but many left feeling short changed.
Sunday 9th March 2008
I have no idea what the support bands, Black Gold and Metro Station, sound like as I bumped into an old school friend at the gig and subsequently chatted to him rather than listen to the bands. However I do remember walking in and thinking the band on stage weren’t bad, bit too nu-rave. Yet as they progressed I entirely forgot they were on, even when I was paying attention it wasn’t that noticeable. Like I said bumping into someone you haven’t seen for years will generally negate any real opinion to the opening acts.
Panic at the Disco sounded technically very accurate and playing a good mix of songs from A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and some newer stuff from Pretty Odd. But they played an incredibly short set. For a sold out tour I’d expect more than an hour (encore included), which is what we were served with. Yes they were very good and they played a lot of fan favourites; including Lying Is the Most Fun A Girl Can Have With her Clothes On was a particularly good song, which was dedicated to all the single people in the audience who he would see later. An acoustic version of I Write Sins Not Tragedies was an interesting take on arguably their most popular song - the carnival-esque piano part given over to audience participation.
The newer stuff was thrown into the set, punctuating the older material nicely. Opening with Nine In The Afternoon, the carnival nature of the first album was shown to make a transition on the new album (Bahktin would be proud) but with a more mature and less Fall Out Boy sound. In fact the newer songs in general seemed to fit in well with the older songs, but seemed more mature, less gimmicky and toned town the over theatrical but still kept the unique Panic sound.
Overall it was a good gig - they sounded spot on, there was a good mix (though the cover song seemed a little lost) of old and new songs. It was just a shame that it was such a short set, surely there could have been more older songs and they could’ve used the gig to plug Pretty. Odd which is released in a matter of weeks. Heading out on such a large tour it’s possible that this was a preventative measure to ensure an overall quality, but many left feeling short changed.
Friday, 7 March 2008
The Matches
7th March 2008
Birmingham Barfly
The Matches deserve more aficionados than they have. A fantastically quirky band that’ve developed eons from supporting Reel Big Fish back in the summer of 2003 to a small headlining tour and a new album, which has already been leaked and loved.
Well aware that most people here have probably heard their new album before its release, they remain cautious of overplaying new material, and stick to playing songs off the fantastic 2005 album Decomposer. The brilliant if unseasonal ‘December is for Cynics’ – a song which perfectly highlights the superbly real and honest lyrics and the equally fitting yet quirky music produced by The Matches, is a personal highlight. Even new music such as the wonderfully entitled ‘Yankee in a Chip Shop’ shows the level of time and appreciation the band must have for their British shows. The energetic and engaging show is lapped up by die-hard fans singing along enthusiastically with lead-singer ##’s vocals. # emits a mass of stage presence which certainly deserves to be imparted to more than the audience members present.
A fantastic show which sadly lacks the rightful amount of crowd, The Matches are capable of putting on a show which engages with the audience and draws in those that may be unsure of the more quirkily sinister edge their music took on after ##. The alternative press is just starting to take note of The Matches and with their upcoming album release ## they will hopefully gain hoards of new, but similarly intense fans to fill the Barfly next time they (hopefully) come back.
Birmingham Barfly
The Matches deserve more aficionados than they have. A fantastically quirky band that’ve developed eons from supporting Reel Big Fish back in the summer of 2003 to a small headlining tour and a new album, which has already been leaked and loved.
Well aware that most people here have probably heard their new album before its release, they remain cautious of overplaying new material, and stick to playing songs off the fantastic 2005 album Decomposer. The brilliant if unseasonal ‘December is for Cynics’ – a song which perfectly highlights the superbly real and honest lyrics and the equally fitting yet quirky music produced by The Matches, is a personal highlight. Even new music such as the wonderfully entitled ‘Yankee in a Chip Shop’ shows the level of time and appreciation the band must have for their British shows. The energetic and engaging show is lapped up by die-hard fans singing along enthusiastically with lead-singer ##’s vocals. # emits a mass of stage presence which certainly deserves to be imparted to more than the audience members present.
A fantastic show which sadly lacks the rightful amount of crowd, The Matches are capable of putting on a show which engages with the audience and draws in those that may be unsure of the more quirkily sinister edge their music took on after ##. The alternative press is just starting to take note of The Matches and with their upcoming album release ## they will hopefully gain hoards of new, but similarly intense fans to fill the Barfly next time they (hopefully) come back.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Jimmy Eat World
Birmingham Academy - 19th February
Manchester Academy - 20th Febraury
If you ever needed an excuse to see the same band more than once on the same tour then Jimmy Eat World’s Birmingham and Manchester gigs would be perfect examples. Both nights highlighted perfectly the layered and complex nature of JEW songs, perfectly illustrating the entangled emotions woven into their songs.
Perhaps it was the frosty and bitterly cold Tuesday weather which lead to the Birmingham show being more sombre and thoughtful, where the blue hues of the lighting really showed the mood of the show. The band themselves seemed unconcerned with talking in between songs and the audience seemed frozen by the music, allowing the intensity of the songs to wash over them in a contemplatative manner. Songs like Work and 23 really proved their intensity, sounding more powerful in the toned-down mood.
Whereas the warmer Manchester gig with its reds and more upbeat songs showed the energy that can be found underlying a variety of songs. Even with the technical difficulties at the Manchester show the crowd and the band themselves were more upbeat, more vocal and more overt in their appreciation for the set. Throwing in A Praise Chorus, which was notably absent from the night before really added to the already abundant energy of the crowd. Tonight’s set highlighted the passion in JEW’s songs, which are largely viewed to be less frenetic than current emo bands.
Both nights ended with the predictable choice of song, The Middle, however it was interesting to see the reactions to it. In Birmingham the more sedate atmosphere and set meant it seemed almost out of place, whereas in the Manchester academy it really finished off the night. I hate to pick favourites, especially when my city loses out, but the Manchester gig really did offer a more rounded version of Jimmy Eat World’s repertoire.
Manchester Academy - 20th Febraury
If you ever needed an excuse to see the same band more than once on the same tour then Jimmy Eat World’s Birmingham and Manchester gigs would be perfect examples. Both nights highlighted perfectly the layered and complex nature of JEW songs, perfectly illustrating the entangled emotions woven into their songs.
Perhaps it was the frosty and bitterly cold Tuesday weather which lead to the Birmingham show being more sombre and thoughtful, where the blue hues of the lighting really showed the mood of the show. The band themselves seemed unconcerned with talking in between songs and the audience seemed frozen by the music, allowing the intensity of the songs to wash over them in a contemplatative manner. Songs like Work and 23 really proved their intensity, sounding more powerful in the toned-down mood.
Whereas the warmer Manchester gig with its reds and more upbeat songs showed the energy that can be found underlying a variety of songs. Even with the technical difficulties at the Manchester show the crowd and the band themselves were more upbeat, more vocal and more overt in their appreciation for the set. Throwing in A Praise Chorus, which was notably absent from the night before really added to the already abundant energy of the crowd. Tonight’s set highlighted the passion in JEW’s songs, which are largely viewed to be less frenetic than current emo bands.
Both nights ended with the predictable choice of song, The Middle, however it was interesting to see the reactions to it. In Birmingham the more sedate atmosphere and set meant it seemed almost out of place, whereas in the Manchester academy it really finished off the night. I hate to pick favourites, especially when my city loses out, but the Manchester gig really did offer a more rounded version of Jimmy Eat World’s repertoire.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
New Found Glory
Leeds Cockpit
7th February 2008
There’s something almost religious about seeing New Found Glory in such a small venue. The intimate settings of the cockpit contrast heavily with the huge venues NFG are playing as support to Paramore, and the hardcore fan base at the cockpit allows for a near perfect show. The fantastic mix of classic fan favourite songs and current covers from latest album From Screen to Stereo 2, New Found Glory know how to put on a show.
Support comes from The Conditions and You Me At Six. The epiletic inducing lighting during The Conditions set really detracted from their sound, but it was good to hear their tightly performed pop-rock sound on a proper support slot than on the Paramore shows where they were largely ignored. You Me At Six’s set is dogged by sound difficulties and resort to half covering Rihanna’s Umbrella – something which is becoming overdone in the genre. It’s not that either band are bad, it’s more that for a headline band who are pop-punk perfection, you’d expect the support bands to have a little of the uncontained ecstasy found in New Found Glory songs.
New Found Glory themselves play a perfect set with almost all fan classics, including a unique request for ‘2’s and 3’s’ from first album Nothing Gold Can Stay; an album which is usually ignored from NFG sets, but proves that the band are willing to please their fans regardless. The band banter on stage like they’re talking to old friends, joking that overweight guitarist Ian Crushinck and his pink towel turban should grace the covers of Men’s Health. The crowd laps up the songs, singing along with favourites like ‘Hit and Miss’ and the interaction with ‘Coming Home’ sounds hymn-like.
Their enthusiastic brand of unadulterated pop-punk puts New Found Glory at the top of their genre and this small show proves just how good they can be. Each song proves just how good they can be and how strong each album they produce sounds live. The crowd laps up everything on stage. There really are few gigs better than this.
~ * ~
NFG hung round the cockpit afterwards and chatted to fans, which was ace to get to say hi to one of my favourite bands. Also the music at the cockpit was awesome and there was just good song after good song, which is why we ended up leaving so late. Hey, they played Brand New twice, how could it not be good?
7th February 2008
There’s something almost religious about seeing New Found Glory in such a small venue. The intimate settings of the cockpit contrast heavily with the huge venues NFG are playing as support to Paramore, and the hardcore fan base at the cockpit allows for a near perfect show. The fantastic mix of classic fan favourite songs and current covers from latest album From Screen to Stereo 2, New Found Glory know how to put on a show.
Support comes from The Conditions and You Me At Six. The epiletic inducing lighting during The Conditions set really detracted from their sound, but it was good to hear their tightly performed pop-rock sound on a proper support slot than on the Paramore shows where they were largely ignored. You Me At Six’s set is dogged by sound difficulties and resort to half covering Rihanna’s Umbrella – something which is becoming overdone in the genre. It’s not that either band are bad, it’s more that for a headline band who are pop-punk perfection, you’d expect the support bands to have a little of the uncontained ecstasy found in New Found Glory songs.
New Found Glory themselves play a perfect set with almost all fan classics, including a unique request for ‘2’s and 3’s’ from first album Nothing Gold Can Stay; an album which is usually ignored from NFG sets, but proves that the band are willing to please their fans regardless. The band banter on stage like they’re talking to old friends, joking that overweight guitarist Ian Crushinck and his pink towel turban should grace the covers of Men’s Health. The crowd laps up the songs, singing along with favourites like ‘Hit and Miss’ and the interaction with ‘Coming Home’ sounds hymn-like.
Their enthusiastic brand of unadulterated pop-punk puts New Found Glory at the top of their genre and this small show proves just how good they can be. Each song proves just how good they can be and how strong each album they produce sounds live. The crowd laps up everything on stage. There really are few gigs better than this.
~ * ~
NFG hung round the cockpit afterwards and chatted to fans, which was ace to get to say hi to one of my favourite bands. Also the music at the cockpit was awesome and there was just good song after good song, which is why we ended up leaving so late. Hey, they played Brand New twice, how could it not be good?
Monday, 4 February 2008
Paramore and New Found Glory
Birmingham Carling Academy
4th February 2008
If ever there was an example of a band gaining mainstream recognition without the time to build a loyal fan base, then this show was it. Pop-punk veterans New Found Glory grossly overshadowed headliners Paramore, and the crowd knew it.
Another problem was the amount of bands playing and the lack of time. First band Conditions played as the majority of people entered the venue, to no fault of the crowd. Which meant that for the best part their set was entirely ignored, a shame as their set was good. Kids in Glass Houses received a better reception, possibly because they’ve more exposure here and their song ‘Me Me Me’ received moderate radio play.
There had also been great confusion over whether the Riot tour was a Paramore tour or a double headliner Paramore / New Found Glory. If this is the case then first headliners New Found Glory certainly stole the show. Clearly having a large proportion of fans in the crowd the atmosphere was electric. A set which ran through some of their classic songs and covers from their new album were an instant hit, including a guest performance from Hayley Williams on ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’.
Any atmosphere generated by New Found Glory was lost when a large proportion of the crowd went home and those left seemed only to be there only out of curiosity. Hayley Williams and co are certainly energetic on stage, but the atmosphere from the crowd lacked greatly – at times it felt more like watching a live performance on a large television than being there in person. Songs from current album ‘Riot’ were well received, but when Williams informed the crowd they were about to play songs from the first album there was little acknowledgement.
An odd atmosphere for a tour where the penultimate band on stage held the audiences attention more so than the main performance. Paramore aren’t bad, but that the show illustrated the entire loss of fan connection with a band that become big before they’ve earned their stripes.
4th February 2008
If ever there was an example of a band gaining mainstream recognition without the time to build a loyal fan base, then this show was it. Pop-punk veterans New Found Glory grossly overshadowed headliners Paramore, and the crowd knew it.
Another problem was the amount of bands playing and the lack of time. First band Conditions played as the majority of people entered the venue, to no fault of the crowd. Which meant that for the best part their set was entirely ignored, a shame as their set was good. Kids in Glass Houses received a better reception, possibly because they’ve more exposure here and their song ‘Me Me Me’ received moderate radio play.
There had also been great confusion over whether the Riot tour was a Paramore tour or a double headliner Paramore / New Found Glory. If this is the case then first headliners New Found Glory certainly stole the show. Clearly having a large proportion of fans in the crowd the atmosphere was electric. A set which ran through some of their classic songs and covers from their new album were an instant hit, including a guest performance from Hayley Williams on ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’.
Any atmosphere generated by New Found Glory was lost when a large proportion of the crowd went home and those left seemed only to be there only out of curiosity. Hayley Williams and co are certainly energetic on stage, but the atmosphere from the crowd lacked greatly – at times it felt more like watching a live performance on a large television than being there in person. Songs from current album ‘Riot’ were well received, but when Williams informed the crowd they were about to play songs from the first album there was little acknowledgement.
An odd atmosphere for a tour where the penultimate band on stage held the audiences attention more so than the main performance. Paramore aren’t bad, but that the show illustrated the entire loss of fan connection with a band that become big before they’ve earned their stripes.
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Gig Tally
January
Plain White T's
Dashboard Confessional
Stars
Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit
A Wilhelm Scream
Total amount of gigs so far this year = 5
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit
Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit
Birmingham Glee Club
30th January 2008
Fresh from supporting the likes of Jack Penate and Iron & Wine, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit are back, this time on a small headlining tour. The rich, old-style folk sounds are often at odds with his youthful good looks, but luckily his voice is a good one and so this is easily overlooked. The well-heeled storytelling and imagery in Flynn’s musical tales are certainly more audibly akin to Iron & Wine than Penate and Flynn’s backing band do a fine job of supporting the tales with fantastic music.
The short support slot comes from nineteen year-old Londoner Jay Jay Pistolet. A mere four songs long Pistolet seems awkward on stage, blaming this on the coke and Vanilla ice-cream from Whetherspoons, but more likely it’s to be the closeness of the audience. It’s a terrible shame that his set is so short, his voice is deeper than Flynn’s and he sings with the same richness which seems to be coming from the more populist female singers from London. Pistolet’s rich voice fits in well with the simplistic acoustic guitar he plays. His few songs seem to lament over love lost, emphasised on the fantastic song ‘Stuck On Us’. It really would have been nice to have a longer set from Pistolet, but these four songs were a good introduction to his music.
The hour long set from Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit is also on the short side, but the numerous songs and constant instrument switching makes it feel longer. It is almost possible that Flynn and his band could play any instrument thrown at them, playing anything from a fiddle to a flute. Each of the four core members play at least three instruments throughout the set, leading to a diverse sound all rooted in a traditional folk sound, but moving into Celtic folk with the aid of the fiddle. Flynn’s voice perfectly spins situations and stories, with the addition of his sister on backing vocals adding melancholic layers to the songs.
However the real problem at this gig is the venue itself. The Glee Club is perfect for comedy, a small intimate venue, which allows comedians to interact with its audience, but for a music venue its intimacy is intimidating – as admitted by Jay Jay Pistolet. You get the feeling that Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit would also have more to say between songs if it weren’t for the fact the audience wasn’t literally stepping over the set to get the bar. The drummer and Flynn do try and banter, but the awkwardness of the setting is obvious. It’s a shame, for a venue that brings rising talent to the second city, it seems to scare them off.
Excluding the lack of banter and the swiftness of the performances, both Jay Jay Pistolet and Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit show the signs of being great artists, and had the venue been more befitting the gig would be more engaging. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit support Laura Marling and will be back at the Glee Club in March, hopefully with a little more confidence in the venue.
Birmingham Glee Club
30th January 2008
Fresh from supporting the likes of Jack Penate and Iron & Wine, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit are back, this time on a small headlining tour. The rich, old-style folk sounds are often at odds with his youthful good looks, but luckily his voice is a good one and so this is easily overlooked. The well-heeled storytelling and imagery in Flynn’s musical tales are certainly more audibly akin to Iron & Wine than Penate and Flynn’s backing band do a fine job of supporting the tales with fantastic music.
The short support slot comes from nineteen year-old Londoner Jay Jay Pistolet. A mere four songs long Pistolet seems awkward on stage, blaming this on the coke and Vanilla ice-cream from Whetherspoons, but more likely it’s to be the closeness of the audience. It’s a terrible shame that his set is so short, his voice is deeper than Flynn’s and he sings with the same richness which seems to be coming from the more populist female singers from London. Pistolet’s rich voice fits in well with the simplistic acoustic guitar he plays. His few songs seem to lament over love lost, emphasised on the fantastic song ‘Stuck On Us’. It really would have been nice to have a longer set from Pistolet, but these four songs were a good introduction to his music.
The hour long set from Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit is also on the short side, but the numerous songs and constant instrument switching makes it feel longer. It is almost possible that Flynn and his band could play any instrument thrown at them, playing anything from a fiddle to a flute. Each of the four core members play at least three instruments throughout the set, leading to a diverse sound all rooted in a traditional folk sound, but moving into Celtic folk with the aid of the fiddle. Flynn’s voice perfectly spins situations and stories, with the addition of his sister on backing vocals adding melancholic layers to the songs.
However the real problem at this gig is the venue itself. The Glee Club is perfect for comedy, a small intimate venue, which allows comedians to interact with its audience, but for a music venue its intimacy is intimidating – as admitted by Jay Jay Pistolet. You get the feeling that Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit would also have more to say between songs if it weren’t for the fact the audience wasn’t literally stepping over the set to get the bar. The drummer and Flynn do try and banter, but the awkwardness of the setting is obvious. It’s a shame, for a venue that brings rising talent to the second city, it seems to scare them off.
Excluding the lack of banter and the swiftness of the performances, both Jay Jay Pistolet and Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit show the signs of being great artists, and had the venue been more befitting the gig would be more engaging. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit support Laura Marling and will be back at the Glee Club in March, hopefully with a little more confidence in the venue.
Monday, 28 January 2008
Stars
Birmingham Barfly
28th January 2008
I’ll admit to going to this gig because I vaguely listen to the band more than being a fan, yet Stars are a band worth seeing live. They seem to play a wistful brand of American indie-pop music that is totally at odds with the self-admitting depressing lyrical content.
It may be the acoustics of the barfly, but first band Destroy Cowboy’s set resembled that of a bunch of fifteen year-olds who were given instruments for Christmas and are determined to make as much noise as possible. They’re probably talented but the selfish playing of every instrument comes off as noise.
Main support comes from Apostle of Hustle and luckily they make up for the lesser first support. Their sound is far more similar to Stars and more importantly they don’t take themselves too seriously – announcing they’re “from Canadia, you guys have heard of Canadia right?” They seem at home on stage and this is evident with tight-knit songs and banter between songs.
Stars arrive with the most ornate decoration the Barfly has seen, with 5 lamps and enough flowers to put a florist to shame, which fortunately decorate the industrialised venue. They open with the line “when there’s nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire” from album ‘Do You Trust Your Friends’ which shows the depressing nature of the songs. However the band themselves appear to less depressed than the songs would suggest; bantering with the audience and giving out some of the assortment of flowers. The male lead singer pogo’s round the stage and adds energy to the show that the subdued music leaves behind.
Stars played a large range of songs from their various albums well, but the audience seemed somewhat lukewarm, which was unsurprising given how cold the venue was. Stars play a brand of American indie-pop which isn’t exactly known for its enthusiasm and despite the cold and the depressing lyrics, the performance itself was fun and the crowd seemed at least somewhat interested, but not entirely compelled.
28th January 2008
I’ll admit to going to this gig because I vaguely listen to the band more than being a fan, yet Stars are a band worth seeing live. They seem to play a wistful brand of American indie-pop music that is totally at odds with the self-admitting depressing lyrical content.
It may be the acoustics of the barfly, but first band Destroy Cowboy’s set resembled that of a bunch of fifteen year-olds who were given instruments for Christmas and are determined to make as much noise as possible. They’re probably talented but the selfish playing of every instrument comes off as noise.
Main support comes from Apostle of Hustle and luckily they make up for the lesser first support. Their sound is far more similar to Stars and more importantly they don’t take themselves too seriously – announcing they’re “from Canadia, you guys have heard of Canadia right?” They seem at home on stage and this is evident with tight-knit songs and banter between songs.
Stars arrive with the most ornate decoration the Barfly has seen, with 5 lamps and enough flowers to put a florist to shame, which fortunately decorate the industrialised venue. They open with the line “when there’s nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire” from album ‘Do You Trust Your Friends’ which shows the depressing nature of the songs. However the band themselves appear to less depressed than the songs would suggest; bantering with the audience and giving out some of the assortment of flowers. The male lead singer pogo’s round the stage and adds energy to the show that the subdued music leaves behind.
Stars played a large range of songs from their various albums well, but the audience seemed somewhat lukewarm, which was unsurprising given how cold the venue was. Stars play a brand of American indie-pop which isn’t exactly known for its enthusiasm and despite the cold and the depressing lyrics, the performance itself was fun and the crowd seemed at least somewhat interested, but not entirely compelled.
Monday, 21 January 2008
Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional
Birmingham Carling Academy 2
21st January 2008
Having the chance to see an acoustic performance of Chris Carrabba’s alias of Dashboard Confessional is a real treat, especially as in recent times Dashboard’s offering have been more electric. Luckily with the turn back to the more stripped down sound on latest album The Shade of Poison Tree, Carrabba has returned to his acoustic sound and the UK.
Support comes from British band The Tournaments, who recently supported Lucero and played the much smaller Bar Academy here last month. They’re an okay band, but seem lost somewhere in between the harsh British indie and the more melodic American kind. They clearly have some fans here who are clapping along to their nostalgic longing sounding song, but the majority of people are clearly just waiting for Carrabba, who makes an appearance wandering around the crowd.
Carrabba opens the show with Swiss Army Romance, a song from his first album, which is usually is just Chris and his guitar, but the enthusiastic audience provide almost another instrument in their backing vocals. In fact the whole show becomes a sing-a-long and Carrabba himself comments that this is the best way to hear his songs, they’re better than they ever could be on their own. After ‘Vindication’ the fan interaction prompts Carrabba to admit he fell in love with the audience a bit and pleeds to extend sleep well. There is clear fan interaction and banter with the audience in a manner that shows real connection between the man and his fans.
Carrabba comments on how loved and how special it is to be able to be on stage, it’s oddly difficult to hear someone gush about his feelings in such a manner outside of his songs – some times it seems almost too over the top to be real, yet there’s the belief that Chris Carrabba really is just this honest. Telling the audience that during ‘she pulled you in she bit your lip’ the song dragged him back into the moment he wrote it. And he even admits that many of the songs are about girls and when someone questions him on the life of a rockstar he questions the audience if they were doing his job would they have a few girls or a lot. It really feels like the audience are treated as friends rather than fans, he even suggests that we should visit his hometown.
Chris admits he’s going to play “enough songs to make your head spin” and deftly runs through most fan favourites and covers a Counting Crows song ‘Angels of the Silence.’ The audience is informed that he never intended to play this song, but that this guy was his hero and he wanted us to hear it. It’s a fantastic song that fits in so well with Dashboard’s repertoire. We’re also treated to new song ‘Get Me Right’; an interesting song which talks of feeling lost from religion and needing a maker, something which is previously an untouched subject in a sea of songs about women and relationships. However newer album ‘Poison Tree’ has started this diversity, including ‘Golddigger’ which Carrabba sings live and if ‘Get Me Right’ is an indication, the branching out will be found in the next album. Ending the set with ‘Hands Down’ he admits that he has no idea why it is this song has connected with so many people, but he’s glad it has. It really is a perfect way to end a wonderful show.
Dashboard Confessional’s music has always been heartbreakingly honest and seeing Chris Carrabba sing live with nothing more than his voice and a guitar, he appears to embody this. Occasionally his honestly seems so over the top a cynic would suggest its insincere, but the fans lap it up. He plays all the favourites fantastically well and the sing-a-long element just adds to the atmosphere of the show. Seeing Dashboard Confessional in such an intimate environment really is a treat.
Birmingham Carling Academy 2
21st January 2008
Having the chance to see an acoustic performance of Chris Carrabba’s alias of Dashboard Confessional is a real treat, especially as in recent times Dashboard’s offering have been more electric. Luckily with the turn back to the more stripped down sound on latest album The Shade of Poison Tree, Carrabba has returned to his acoustic sound and the UK.
Support comes from British band The Tournaments, who recently supported Lucero and played the much smaller Bar Academy here last month. They’re an okay band, but seem lost somewhere in between the harsh British indie and the more melodic American kind. They clearly have some fans here who are clapping along to their nostalgic longing sounding song, but the majority of people are clearly just waiting for Carrabba, who makes an appearance wandering around the crowd.
Carrabba opens the show with Swiss Army Romance, a song from his first album, which is usually is just Chris and his guitar, but the enthusiastic audience provide almost another instrument in their backing vocals. In fact the whole show becomes a sing-a-long and Carrabba himself comments that this is the best way to hear his songs, they’re better than they ever could be on their own. After ‘Vindication’ the fan interaction prompts Carrabba to admit he fell in love with the audience a bit and pleeds to extend sleep well. There is clear fan interaction and banter with the audience in a manner that shows real connection between the man and his fans.
Carrabba comments on how loved and how special it is to be able to be on stage, it’s oddly difficult to hear someone gush about his feelings in such a manner outside of his songs – some times it seems almost too over the top to be real, yet there’s the belief that Chris Carrabba really is just this honest. Telling the audience that during ‘she pulled you in she bit your lip’ the song dragged him back into the moment he wrote it. And he even admits that many of the songs are about girls and when someone questions him on the life of a rockstar he questions the audience if they were doing his job would they have a few girls or a lot. It really feels like the audience are treated as friends rather than fans, he even suggests that we should visit his hometown.
Chris admits he’s going to play “enough songs to make your head spin” and deftly runs through most fan favourites and covers a Counting Crows song ‘Angels of the Silence.’ The audience is informed that he never intended to play this song, but that this guy was his hero and he wanted us to hear it. It’s a fantastic song that fits in so well with Dashboard’s repertoire. We’re also treated to new song ‘Get Me Right’; an interesting song which talks of feeling lost from religion and needing a maker, something which is previously an untouched subject in a sea of songs about women and relationships. However newer album ‘Poison Tree’ has started this diversity, including ‘Golddigger’ which Carrabba sings live and if ‘Get Me Right’ is an indication, the branching out will be found in the next album. Ending the set with ‘Hands Down’ he admits that he has no idea why it is this song has connected with so many people, but he’s glad it has. It really is a perfect way to end a wonderful show.
Dashboard Confessional’s music has always been heartbreakingly honest and seeing Chris Carrabba sing live with nothing more than his voice and a guitar, he appears to embody this. Occasionally his honestly seems so over the top a cynic would suggest its insincere, but the fans lap it up. He plays all the favourites fantastically well and the sing-a-long element just adds to the atmosphere of the show. Seeing Dashboard Confessional in such an intimate environment really is a treat.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Plain White T's
Plain White T’s (with support from Cartel and Boys Like Girls)
18th January 2008
Birmingham Carling Academy
It would be a mistake to view this tour as anything other than a triple headline tour. Plain White T’s admit this was the best line-up they’ve ever had, and they’re not wrong. Both Cartel and Boys Like Girls are on a similar level to PWT’s in the US, and if it weren’t for the song ‘Hey There Delilah’, any of these bands could headline this tour.
Cartel unfortunately start early in order to satisfy the curfew, meaning the majority of the crowd were outside and so didn’t get the full offering Cartel had to give. This didn’t appear to faze them and they clearly had a core group of fans who’d arrived early to see them. Their experience as a band was obvious; the music and vocals were spot on. They had the audience’s attention from the beginning, clapping and quietly singing along - an impressive thing to do considering most people were probably at this sell out show due to the radio play of ‘Delilah’.
Boys Like Girls provided enough excitement for a headline band, with people clapping along to the drum testing and as the lights went down the screams were audible enough to suggest this was the main act. And they behaved as such. Johnson is a formidable front man, charismatic and comfortable on stage. He interacts with the crowd and promised to “get this party started”. The mixture of acoustic and anthem songs had the worry of copying PWT’s, but they proved to be able to play songs with a frenetic energy and a paced-down soulfulness. They hope to be back in the summer, and if so, would definitely be a band worth seeing on their tour - they stole the show.
PWT’s set started with the new single ‘hate (I really don’t like you)’. Moving through the current stuff, it was easy to see most people knew the latest album better than the others. Yet it’s worth seeing them live to see the continuity between Every Second Counts and All That We Needed. The heavy drumming on All That We Needed is placated and though the songs are certainly less poppy, they don’t sound as generic as the album makes them out to be - live ‘Breakdown’ sounds like homage to Bon Jovi. The newer stuff certainly is more polished - Figure It Out sounds 60’s inspired, and audience participation favourite Our Time Now sounds like New Found Glory mixed with a sugary Fall Out Boy.
Their set did illustrate that they’re a highly polished band, too polished if that’s possible. The band has less presence than Boys Like Girls, but their music was performed with great accuracy. ‘Hey There Delilah’ opened the encore producing a mass sing-a-long and camera recording. Clichéd as it may be, this song really cemented their set and the final song Take Me Away couldn’t be more fitting “I know we just got here but I think it’s time to go…”.
Plain White T’s, Boys Like Girls and Cartel are all typical of the genre they inhabit. They do not attempt to push the boundaries of their sounds, but they do put on one hell of a show, and it’s all thanks to ‘Hey There Delilah’ - love it or loath it.
18th January 2008
Birmingham Carling Academy
It would be a mistake to view this tour as anything other than a triple headline tour. Plain White T’s admit this was the best line-up they’ve ever had, and they’re not wrong. Both Cartel and Boys Like Girls are on a similar level to PWT’s in the US, and if it weren’t for the song ‘Hey There Delilah’, any of these bands could headline this tour.
Cartel unfortunately start early in order to satisfy the curfew, meaning the majority of the crowd were outside and so didn’t get the full offering Cartel had to give. This didn’t appear to faze them and they clearly had a core group of fans who’d arrived early to see them. Their experience as a band was obvious; the music and vocals were spot on. They had the audience’s attention from the beginning, clapping and quietly singing along - an impressive thing to do considering most people were probably at this sell out show due to the radio play of ‘Delilah’.
Boys Like Girls provided enough excitement for a headline band, with people clapping along to the drum testing and as the lights went down the screams were audible enough to suggest this was the main act. And they behaved as such. Johnson is a formidable front man, charismatic and comfortable on stage. He interacts with the crowd and promised to “get this party started”. The mixture of acoustic and anthem songs had the worry of copying PWT’s, but they proved to be able to play songs with a frenetic energy and a paced-down soulfulness. They hope to be back in the summer, and if so, would definitely be a band worth seeing on their tour - they stole the show.
PWT’s set started with the new single ‘hate (I really don’t like you)’. Moving through the current stuff, it was easy to see most people knew the latest album better than the others. Yet it’s worth seeing them live to see the continuity between Every Second Counts and All That We Needed. The heavy drumming on All That We Needed is placated and though the songs are certainly less poppy, they don’t sound as generic as the album makes them out to be - live ‘Breakdown’ sounds like homage to Bon Jovi. The newer stuff certainly is more polished - Figure It Out sounds 60’s inspired, and audience participation favourite Our Time Now sounds like New Found Glory mixed with a sugary Fall Out Boy.
Their set did illustrate that they’re a highly polished band, too polished if that’s possible. The band has less presence than Boys Like Girls, but their music was performed with great accuracy. ‘Hey There Delilah’ opened the encore producing a mass sing-a-long and camera recording. Clichéd as it may be, this song really cemented their set and the final song Take Me Away couldn’t be more fitting “I know we just got here but I think it’s time to go…”.
Plain White T’s, Boys Like Girls and Cartel are all typical of the genre they inhabit. They do not attempt to push the boundaries of their sounds, but they do put on one hell of a show, and it’s all thanks to ‘Hey There Delilah’ - love it or loath it.
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Welcome
Hello.
Welcome to my new blog. I'm usually found at Livejournal, but I promised myself that this year I would document all the gigs I went to - especially as there were numerous planned for January and February. And I decided after writing up several that I wanted somewhere away from all the places I rant about stuff that is just my life and not, well, stuff.
So here it is.
I intend to mainly post reviews of the the gigs I go to. They're not professional, they're just what I thought to write. Occasionally I might write something else, I don't really know, I haven't planned it out.
Here goes nothing...
(Ps. the name, non-conformist punk, it's a joke...please don't take it seriously or expect it to mean anything at all. I'm not a punk, an anarchist or a rebel. I just liked the word play 6 years ago, and I can't bare to lost my online alias to something that makes sense)
Welcome to my new blog. I'm usually found at Livejournal, but I promised myself that this year I would document all the gigs I went to - especially as there were numerous planned for January and February. And I decided after writing up several that I wanted somewhere away from all the places I rant about stuff that is just my life and not, well, stuff.
So here it is.
I intend to mainly post reviews of the the gigs I go to. They're not professional, they're just what I thought to write. Occasionally I might write something else, I don't really know, I haven't planned it out.
Here goes nothing...
(Ps. the name, non-conformist punk, it's a joke...please don't take it seriously or expect it to mean anything at all. I'm not a punk, an anarchist or a rebel. I just liked the word play 6 years ago, and I can't bare to lost my online alias to something that makes sense)
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