This day marketh the beginning of ye brand spanking new festival which shall henceforth be known as 'The Glened'. The Glened is a celebration running over the course of ten days and nine nights in which my two favourite troubadours - Glen and Ed the Ved ('ETV' aka Eddie Vedder) - delight crowds across Europe with their acoustic magnificence. I can claim credit for the creation of the concept of 'The Glened' but really it's just some tongue in cheek fun to get people excited and involved in this short tour. Very limited edition t- shirts and badges were available and a heap of people brought their enthusiasm and love of music along to the benefit of everyone!!!
This is the first time that Glen and ETV have toured together in Europe and given my experience at the US shows last year I am pretty darn excited because I know just how good these two are together. Everything kicks off in Amsterdam with a solo show that Glen has slotted in before Ed's first scheduled show. I arrive in the late afternoon to a gorgeous day of sunshine where bodies are strewn across canals and the mood is buoyant. Tonight's show is at De Duif and I am eagerly awaiting my entry into the venue as I am told by my Dutchies (read 'my good Dutch mates') that it is an acoustic dream. There are plenty of people clad in Frames and Swell Season t-shirts outside for the doors opening - which is a sign of the esteem which Glen has built up in the Netherlands over many years. I am not disappointed with the venue - it's stunning and intimate and absolutely perfect for the kind of show Glen excels at putting on. The opener tonight is Glen's mate from Dublin - Ollie Cole. Ollie actually opened for Glen last year at his Bitterzoet show and he intimates that he is delighted to be back sharing in the sunshine (which is a first for him in Amsterdam!). Ollie mixes his set up with both old and new songs. The audience happily participate as 'wolves' for Ollie's song Howl and the relaxed and respectful feel to proceedings bodes well for a terrific night with Glen. Ollie aptly ends his set with a song which I think should be the English summer anthem - When Will We Ever See the Sun? Great stuff!
Glen takes to the stage only fifteen or so minutes after Ollie. The church is packed - there are people sitting in chairs, on the floor, on benches - essentially anything that is around. Glen decides first to head to the piano and has to ask two audience members to 'borrow' the piano seat they are sitting on so he can play! As always, Glen is amongst everyone early on and it's just how we like it. Glen doesn't often display his chops on the piano (I suppose it is hard to detach him from The Horse!), but this track from Rhythm and Repose (R & R) is a fine example of the diverse way Glen can go about creating a song. It's soulful and not overly complicated by other instruments or parts. There's a certain sense of equality between performer and audience when Glen is in such close proximity - It's one of those innate qualities that Glen seems to exude effortlessly.
Glen then moves on to another instrument that he has previously not given much time to - the ukelele. Pennies in the Fountain apparently 'fell' out of the uke the day he bought it (in response to wanting to 'fit in' with ETV's Ukelele Songs tour last year). It's a gorgeous tune which missed out on a spot on R & R but remains in Glen's live setlist. I'm not exactly sure what kind of sacrifices Glen is making to his muse in order to allow such songs to 'fall out' of his instruments but whatever he is doing, it's working. Let's just hope that Glen hasn't been down to the crossroads!! Glen gets his loop on next with Talkin With the Wolves - add in some recorded beats on guitar, some screaming into the Horse's pick-up and a tune about some people who rely a little too much on their tarots/omens/lucky 8 balls and you've got yourself a right buzzin number!
Next I get to hear one I haven't heard before - Friend/Enemy. Glen introduces it as one he never finished - but it sounds pretty near finished in terms of its intent to me! I later find out that it's an oldie that has been kicking around in the ether for a while. Love Don't Leave Me Waiting (LDLMW) brings with it a great story. Apparently Glen found himself in Amsterdam with a righteous hangover and a wish to see Jimmy Cliff after seeing his gig poster outside a venue he walked past. A dubious and crafty tout talked Glen into a €50 ticket to this 'sold out' show only for Glen to find out after entering that not only was the show not sold out, but Jimmy Cliff was not even performing! Instead Glen was treated to reggae band, Morgan Heritage (who were according to Glen worth the €50!). LDLMW is later dedicated to both reggae artists and we are treated to a tag of Many Rivers To Cross in their honour. A further tag of Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing in Low Rising brings out the Irish Catholic guilt in Glen, and he comments that non- Catholic churches seem to be a lot more open to gigs such as his within their walls - his explanation for this is that the Catholic church has only one singer - being JC - and they are not generally amenable to others providing musical entertainment in a sacred space. I am not of any denomination but I have to say I find myself thinking about how music is my religion more than once throughout this show. Swell Season number Feeling the Pull is next, followed by my stand- out track from R & R - Bird of Sorrow. As on other occasions, I find myself in tears during this song. I'm pretty sure everyone can relate to the song's intent and purpose on some level even if you aren't one of the three subjects of the songs - which Glen says are: Ireland, someone close to him (his Ma) and himself (as all songs are by the person who wrote them). I cannot see the effect of this song waning for me anytime soon.
Another first for me tonight is hearing Glen's cover of the Pixies' tune Cactus. This has been on my wish list for a while and although it's been played by Glen often I have always managed to miss it. Favourite lyric check: "I miss your soup and I miss your bread And a letter in your writing doesn't mean you're not dead"
A Levon moment is next. Glen seems to have reservations about attempting 'The Night They Drive Old Dixie Down' by himself, but the audience helps out and it sounds good. The penultimate tune for the night is the lynchpin of R & R - The Song of Good Hope. Glen describes this song as having come to him like a visitation, and I refer to my previous comments regarding muse sacrifices in its regard. This arrow of intent is truly moving and I know my good friend (and Glened collaborator) Dan is beside himself to hear it. As I am sure most music junkies will agree, a lot of the time it takes seeing the effect of a song on another person to comprehend just how good it is.
So, here I am thinking that the night just can't get any better - how wrong I am! The final song of the evening is a cover of Bruce Springsteen's Drive All Night. Glen recalls being in awe of the Boss at his recent Dublin show, and acknowledges the high watermark left by him in terms of live performance. Part way through the song Glen suggests that it could really do with some piano, and he asks if there is anyone in the audience who could help him out. Chris from Germany puts his hand up, sits down at the piano, confirms the chord structure with Glen and then proceeds to absolutely nail the accompaniment - it's an amazing turn of events and something that could only happen as a result of Glen's absolute benevolence as a performer. A friend of Glen's in attendance (Ross) is also called upon to fire up the church organ upstairs and soon we have a complete track of instruments alongside Glen's stirring rendition of this Bruce classic - I have to pinch myself to confirm that I am actually witnessing this! This is what intimate, live performances should be all about - my awe now matches that of Glen's to Bruce. Drive All Night melds into Parting Glass and we finally all raise our glasses in thanks for a mind-blowing, face-melting, heart string - tugging show. Groetjes Glen!
Setlist: Ollie Cole Helium Heart Howl Like a Gull Too Beat Sweet Songs (new) When Will We Ever See the Sun? Glen Hansard The Storm, It's Coming Pennies in the Fountain Talking With the Wolves Friend/Enemy Love Don't Leave Me Waiting - Many Rivers to Cross (Jimmy Cliff) Low Rising - Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye) Felling the Pull Bird of Sorrow Friends (The Mary Janes) Finally Leave Astral Weeks(Van Morrison) - Smile (Pearl Jam) Come Away to the Water Backbroke When Your Mind's Made Up Say it To Me No/ Gold (Interference) Magnolia (All of the Time) (with Ollie Cole) Cactus (The Pixies) The NIght They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band) Song of Good Hope Drive All Night (Bruce Springsteen) - The Parting Glass (Traditional) Further info available from Order in the Sound here: http://www.orderinthesound.com/24-july-2012-amsterdam-nl-de-duif-church More pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59794835@N00/sets/72157630804800002/
It's always nice to tick a performer off my 'must see musicians' list and tonight I've got a pretty big name to mark a line through - Van Morrison aka Van the Man ('VTM'). I have absolutely no idea what to expect tonight. I've heard infamous stories about VTM being a temperamental stage dweller who pays little or no attention to his audience and regularly chastises members of his band for no apparent reason - yes, I have been warned! Tonight's show forms part of Bluesfest and as a result I am not expecting a greatest hits set. It's a bonus that my favourite VTM songs lean heavily towards his blues tendencies. VTM appears on stage promptly at the stated start time of 8.30pm. He is clad is his trademark black suit, black hat and dark glasses (how he can see anything is beyond me as the stage lights are down low already!). Some of the highlights were: * The first song is one of my all time VTM favourites - Them's Baby Please Don't Go. I love the down and dirty feeling to this tune be I am always reminded of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam inviting people to 'boogaloo until we puke'. VTM mentions at the end of the song that when it was released they probably sold about 10 copies - I assume this is a noted dig at the fact that he never received any royalties from his work with Them. * You Know What They're Writing About Lyrics sees VTM's first foray in the sax. He is, of course, known as a formidable guitar player but obviously has musical skills well above and beyond the 6 stringed instrument. It's good to see that VTM is still engaging with an instrument onstage rather than simply providing vocals (and stern directions to his band!). * 'No Safety net, No Plan B' is VTM's new mantra. It's a great tune which echoes thoughts which perhaps should belong to a much younger man. Perhaps VTM is just touching on Leonard Cohen's invitation of "I'm old, I'm broke - follow me". * There was only one real divo (as opposed to diva) act of the night during I'm Not Feeling It Anymore where mid-song VTM barks directions at one of his band to charge instruments and his sound. It's not something I have seen before but given warnings previously noted, it is not particularly unexpected. VTM comments with some cheek at the end of this song that 'Paul Macartney says you can't buy love and he should know'. * I'm a relatively young member of the audience (yay!) and by and large the crowd is very respectful - well until some dufus yells out an ill-timed request for Brown-Eyed Girl. Ahh dude it's Bluesfest - get a grip! * VTM's voice is strong and easily matches the band's verve. I personally think that is pretty impressive for a 66 year old, and seeing him on sax and harmonica at various points throughout the night (although always of short duration) indicates to me that VTM has a few more years in him yet!! * The last song of the set is another Them classic - Gloria. It seems to me that this is played more to appease the audience than for any enjoyment that VTM is getting out of it. After his vocals are finished VTM leaves the stage unceremoniously well before the band finishes. It is a decent set and I'm glad that I've made he effort to see VTM in the flesh. It hasn't however melted my face off or otherwise moved me to rave about his stage presence, but it is another musical 'wanted' poster that I can take off my wall.
So how's about this? I've never been to this venue before! How could that possibly be given that I've been to more gigs in London over the space of ten years than I've had hot brekkies? Who the heck knows, but I'm glad to have found this little venue attached to the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank - not least because it has the most comfortable seats I've been in at a gig for a very long time (although it does also remind me of a university lecture theatre a little too much!).
The capacity here is 900 and she's full up for tonight's performance by Lisa Hannigan & Friends. Yes that's right I'm seeing another Irish singer/songwriter and yes I know I am making somewhat of a habit of that, but when there is good Irish talent around you definitely want to be in the room partaking.
The opener tonight is John Smith who comments that he needs all the help he can get given his'common' moniker. John gives us some fairly pleasant acoustic tunes on his 'gheetar'. The most amusing part is when he tells us about his fear of breaking a string while he is de-tuning and sending said string into his arm. Sure enough a couple of songs from the end of his set he does just that (although thankfully without the arm injury).
Lisa is on around 8.15pm and when she says 'friends' she means it! I count seven people onstage with various instruments - piano/banjo, violin, double bass, trumpet, guitar (in the form of opener John Smith), drums and Lisa (on guitar, mandolin, percussion and piano accordion). In other words it's a full on Irish festival of sound - giddy up!
This is the last night of the band's European tour but there's no mucking around - we are off instantly and straight into Little Bird. I've not managed to see Lisa live before as a solo artist and it's great to hear her voice echo through the hall. I find that her voice has a delicious raspiness to it which makes it unique, and it's something that attracts me to her work.
Another aspect of Lisa's work that I enjoy is her penchant for tunes with gorgeous and subtle melodies and one is offered up immediately in the form of Pistachio.
I said damn this band are a multi-talented lot! We've got a myriad of instruments being whipped out, and for the next number Ocean and a Rock there is some glockenspiel and accordion action - tidy work!
One thing about Lisa is that she always seems to be to be fully invested in her music. It's as if her own songs captivate her, and that's what I want to see. If music is your passion in life and you are lucky enough to be making a living out of that passion then there is no reason why you shouldn't be leaving everything you've got on the stage every night. You cannot ask anything more than that from any performer. If you leave your heart and soul on the stage then you've done justice to your art - if the audience doesn't get it, then that's their issue. That being said, there's no such issue tonight because the audience are attentive and appreciative at every stage.
Lisa then takes a new mandolin on 'her maiden voyage' with Venn Diagram which is sweet, as is her duet with John Smith which follows (O Sleep).
A slight technical issue (a guitar not tuned to Lisa's liking) has the band changing around the set list slightly and the nest tune - O Sail - eventually has the whole band involved and it sounds wonderful.
One of my favourite Lisa tunes is next - Flowers- there's some great direct lyrics here:
"I don't know the rules of this game, And I don't think I want to play"
Lisa's moving around the stage like she's been possessed here - her whole body is involved in this process and there's something slightly hypnotic about it.
Paper Hats from Lisa's latest album Passenger is next, followed by Nowhere to Go (which sports a gorgeous violin solo) and then Lisa decides to pull out yet another instrument (this time a melodica) for Teeth- ok c'mon how many instruments does she play?This is making us non-musical plebs feel even more inadequate!
Home, Lille (with great glockenspiel) and Safe Travels (Don't Die) are a lovely threesome with the last tune being dedicated to the band's good fortune at escaping death throughout the tour. I Don't Know and What'll I Do round off the main set. Darn - are we near the end already?
There is a very short encore break and then the band come back on for what, in my view, is the highlight of the night - a musical tribute to Levon Helm in the form of an inspiring version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. It's the band singing all together with only a guitar accompanying them. It's a pretty perfect way to honour Levon and I'm pretty sure this performance wouldn't have been out of place at any of his infamous rambles.
Lisa ends the night with Knots - which is a fantastic ukulele driven track. We are left bopping in our seats on a high and positive note. This has been a very enjoyable night and something which I certainly hope to repeat at some time in the future. Ta muchly to Lisa and her extremely talented band!
Setlist:
Little Bird Pistachio Passenger Ocean and a Rock Venn Diagram O Sleep A Sail Flowers Paper House Nowhere To Go Teeth Home Lille Safe Travels (Don't Die) I Don't Know What'll I Do
Now this is a result - a gig over my side of town! The Troxy is an old art deco- styled venue which to be fair is probably more suited to lounge acts or vaudeville shows but which has recently been host to some pretty amazing indie rock artists - such as Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey and Cake. Tonight the 2,600 capacity venue is putting up the newly reformed Garbage.
I was actually at the 'very last' Garbage show at Brixton Academy years ago and it was an amazing performance. I cannot, however, believe that took place over 7 years ago! Surely not? Where does the time go? And more importantly how old am I - gah!
I first saw Garbage in the origins of their hey day co-headlining with Alanis Morrisette in Canberra (October '99) of all places. I distinctly remember Shirley tearing up the stage and making the night of numerous hapless boyfriends (who had been dragged along to the show by their girlfriends!) by strutting around the front of the stage with her very short skirt and white undies - they were actually very good that night and Alanis had to significantly up the ante to match it.
Garbage, time, were mainly about very slick pop rock songs and some serious Scottish attitude (care of their iconic leading lady). I am keen to see whether they still have the ability to sliver up the goods. I am also somewhat concerned about the fact that yet another band from my own hey day has come out of retirement - where is the new guard? In a perfect music world there would be no room for those who voluntarily left the stage many years ago. Perhaps the fact that bands like Garbage, Blur, Soundgarden and The Stone Roses (amongst others) are able to successfully tour again says something about the dire state of a music industry overrun by artists created by Simon Cowell - or maybe it just indicates that I am getting overly critical in my old age!
At least Garbage are not simply resting on their old laurels - there is an album full of new material on its way and I assume that we going to get a taste of some of the new tracks tonight.
Following a DJ opener (who really did remind us how old we were by playing 'classics' like L7 and The Damned) , the band took the stage just after 9pm. The crowd are full of people around my age in various shapes and forms and lots of goth looking girls with pink, blue and purple died hair - go the youngins!
The supervixen herself stepped straight up and into the track of the same name from Garbage's debut album (yeah that pink one!). She was decked out appropriately in red and black hot pants and heels and proceeded to throw herself around the stage in her infamous 'circling the prey' manner.
Unfortunately the sound system at the Troxy wasn't able to keep up with the band's intent and the result was a really muddy mix where Shirley's vocals could barely be heard - which was somewhat concerning given that I was standing in the front row. I've been at the Troxy a number of times and not experienced muddiness of this level before so I can only think that it's the set up that is creating the problem. It does improve over the course of the set but it's still a little off.
By the time we get to Queer we are able to hear the vocals a little better. The band sound good and the Shirley swagger is in effect - although it is slightly diminished by the minion who appears to relieve Shirley of her heels in exchange for flat boots - fair play!
Stupid Girl a few tracks later gets the crowd going and this is shortly followed by my personal highlight of the night being the triple whammy of #1 Crush (with awesome Madonna Erotica intro), Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go) and excellent new track Blood For Poppies. Really they sound like the 7 year break was only 7 weeks - which bodes pretty well for their upcoming tour.
Shirley takes the opportunity to thank the crowd, their manager and their families (most of whom are here tonight) for their love and support and there is a collective feeling of nostalgia which I think is felt by most in attendance - ahhh the 90s - those were the days!
We then move into full nostalgia mode with Milk and I Think I'm Paranoid. It's good to see that there is still some venom in these tunes - especially given that some of them are over 17 years old!
Man on a Wire and Bad Boyfriend from (album) keep the energy high and we then find ourselves with two further old friends to end out the main set - Only Happy When It Rains (which starts out low key and almost acoustically) and Push It.
I am still yet to hear probably my favourite Garbage tune (Vow) but I have high hopes for the encore - although I am wondering what else they are going to play given that most of the biggest Garbage hits have already been dealt with.
I have to say I am pretty surprised to see them pull out new track Automatic Systematic Habit and The Trick is to Keep Breathing as the first two songs of the encore. It's not exactly keeping in line with the high energy which they had created but it's certainly different and enough to sort the men from the boys in terms of Garbage fans.
We are suddenly at the end of the night and I am rewarded with my favourite track - Vow. This is the song that started it all off in 1995 and is a fitting finale for this 'comeback' show. We even get a tidy sample of Patti Smith's Because the Night at the end before Shirley runs off stage and leaves the boys to finish things up.
It's a fairly satisfying night for us old Garbage fans. It will be interesting to see whether they can garner some interest with this latest album amongst the new brigade.
So I am back at the intimate Bush Hall in Shepherd's Bush. I had a pretty great night here in February so the precedent has been set. Tonight it is Canadian indie singer-songwriter Dan Mangan.
I was first put on to Mr Mangan last year by one of my fellow music-loving mates, Leonie. She's one of my Dutchies and has excellent taste in music so I was more than open to her suggestion. The result was the fairly heavy rotation of Dan's 2009 album Nice, Nice, Very Nice 'NNVN' (yep it's a Kurt Vonnegut reference). It's a fun album chock full of skilfully writtenl songs about a myriad of different subjects such as robot love, pining for your home whilst on tour and how humans fit into this thing we call life. I have to say I had a great response to it do I was keen to see what Dan was going to offer up live.
I made it to the venue in time to see the last couple of songs by support group Zeus. They are a Toronto based unit so not physical comrades of Dan's (who is from Vancouver). They make plenty of noise and have a real 70s feel to them. It's not particularly ringing my bell but they get a great response from the crowd.
Dan is on at 9.30pm. He has a full band with him - drums, bass, guitar and even trumpet - and they start without ceremony. Well I say start, but to be absolutely honest it's hard to tell whether they are trying to set an ambient mood or tuning their instruments - we soon work out that it is the former and that they are in fact segueing into About as Helpful as You Can Get Without Being Any Help from his latest album Oh Fortune.
This is not the acoustic Dan Mangan I was anticipating, but I enjoy the fact that he is immediately stepping outside my expectations and pushing the audience beyond it's comfort zone. This is what a true artist should do in my opinion.
It takes the band the first couple of tunes to get into the swing of things - the songs from Oh Fortune are not as immediately accessible as those on NNVN but it's good to know that Dan is stepping outside the well delineated 'folk-rock' mould. It's a very big sound that they are bringing to the stage and I'm finding that the sound mix is not particularly great - as Thom Yorke would say it's 'buzzing like a fridge' at the back of the room where I am standing but to be fair that's not unusual in this box of a room.
The crowd also warm up sufficiently to get into NNVN track Sold. Catchy little number that one - 'it hurts, it kills, it screams' - yep sounds like a normal day at work for me! I always wonder whether the musicians I see realise that they are living the dream whilst us mere unmusical plebs deal with the rat race - these guys are at least having a good time.
Dan is active all over the stage, even dropping back to his guitar player's mic at times to do his own backing vocals (with some effect assistance).
The next highlight for me is Basket - which Dan says is a song really about birth - it's more a song about re-birth at various stages of life to me but let's not be pedantic about these things! This song showcases Dan's songwriting talents - the lyrics are incredibly visual and compassionate at the same time:
"We are old And our son took the dog away And fair enough, guess we're tired all the time All the time And you know dogs they need ample time outside"
This is closely followed by an all in singalong to one of Dan's most well-known tunes - Robots. I love this track and the audience are well up for some backing vocal duties.
Somehow we've managed to wizz through the set and an hour and bit bin we are already heading towards the 11pm curfew time and Dan notes that the standard action would be for them to leave the stage and come back on however its his view that the best use of their time is to ditch the encore break and just play to the curfew- I am down with that!
We are back into some more NNVN territory with Fair Verona where Dan is cut and pasting the starts to his heart - the boy has got some charisma and he's working it overtime at the moment.
He then invites the members of Zeus back on to the stage for a rendition of Elliott Smith's Waltz #2. It's a cool cover and the stage is suddenly very full of Canadians tearing it up.
Dan saves the best for last - he declares that he is coming on down into the crowd to get amongst it and then gives us some specific backing vocal duties - there's no words, it's just a melody which he is going to sing over and off he goes into So Much For Everyone. It sounds fabulous and the audience collectively decide to really bring it. I live for this shit at gigs - it's entirely engaging and this last five minutes is worth the ticket price alone.
Dan has certainly showcased his talents tonight and I'm glad to have had an opportunity to see him at such close quarters.
I've had myself another night of musical goodness at Bush Hall for a tenner - long may this trend continue!
So we're off to see the Wizard - well not really but we are at least seeing where he lives. It is Monday night in London which is a day off for the Wizard of Oz musical and a perfect opportunity for someone else to use the Palladium theatre for musical entertainment. Enter stage right Mr Ryan Adams - the alt-rocking, cat loving native of North Carolina.
Ryan pretty much hits London in some shape or form a couple of times a year. The last time I caught him was at Cadogan Hall following the release of his latest album Ashes & Fire and it was a pretty decent solo performance so the bar has been set pretty high.
I am quite surprised about how good my seats are - I have never been to this venue before and, generally speaking, the balconies in London's theatres overhang the back of the stalls. Tonight my seats are in the first row of the lower balcony which I notice overhangs the stalls around the 12th row - result!
The other thing I take note of (given that I am going to see Chris Cornell here in June) is that there is a big gap between the stage and the first seats in the stalls due to the orchestra pit. The result is a bit of a reduction in the intimacy between the artist and the audience but this is what happens when you play venues which are purpose built for musicals as opposed to music.
The opener for tonight is Jason Roberts who declares that he is from Glasgow, Scotland. His set can be described as a number of Scottish tomes set to music which are not necessarily in themselves very musical. They involve tuneless songs of very long stanzas which use phrases like "my bonnie lassie" and which are accompanied by an acoustic guitar which is pretty much made to sound like a lute - man just lose the capo and lute up - it will be a lot more interesting!
Ryan comes on at 8.30pm on the dot -he is just so punctual now! His weapons of choice consist of the twin tricolour guitars, a piano and trusty harmonica. There is a seat with a mic and also a standing position with an additional mic and I always wonder if Ryan's seated posture (which looks completely uncomfortable) just can't be sustained for the whole show :)
He starts with Heartbreaker track Oh My Sweet Carolina. This song is a favourite of mine and it's more than enough to focus the audience's attention. I anticipate that Ryan will be swinging between old and new material tonight and the second track (being the title track from Ashes & Fire) confirms this.
Ryan is a great lyricist, but any punter attending his show needs to be aware that Ryan's muse is pretty much permanently stuck in a dimension which caters for what Ryan himself describes as "miserable bastard music". It doesn't make it any less appealing to me, but then I'm happy to get my misery guts on when required.
Ryan gives us a gorgeous Dirty Rain and Winding Wheel and then heads to the piano for Rescue Blues. Knowing that the subject matter is a little dreary Ryan manages expectations by introducing the next song (Please Do Not Let Me Go) as "another basket of fucking sunshine". Well at least he's got a sense of humour about his misery!
Firecracker - a song apparently about a guy getting drunk and trying to touch someone's boobs - is next. He is in very good form and sounds fantastic and the audience are enthralled.
Of particular comment is his harmonica skills. During Why Do they Leave? the sound resonates throughout the theatre. It's such a small but underrated instrument - tonight it is clear that in the right hands it can really pack a punch.
We then come to the point in the night where Ryan's posture needs correction. He's had enough of his seated Grandpa pose and makes a production of moving all his shit from the chair over to his standing position. We then are treated to a rousing English Girls Approximately - yeah now we are vaguely rocking!
A few songs later Ryan is back over at the piano heading into my personal highlight of the evening which I will call 'Ode to Mr Cat'. Ryan is a big cat-lover (just check out his twitter account) and frankly hearing his off the cuff scat to his 'soft as fuck incorporated' cat makes me wish I could have my own little fluff-ball. It really is funnier than it sounds!
After this brief PC (Pussy Cat) interlude we are hurled back into the joys of Ryan's great back catalog with New York, New York. I said shit, this is a good song - and it doesn't lose anything with this performance.
From the well worn and remembered, Ryan then gets out the cheat sheet (allegedly because he has 'filled up his RAM with bullshit') for Cold Roses tune When Will You Come Home. That one is even better than its predecessor. Stripping everything from these songs other than his voice and guitar really showcases the depth of Ryan's songwriting skills - and yeah he has been known to let his ego get the better of him on occasion (both on and off stage) but if he was to be judged on the music alone it would be hard not to put him up there with some of the best.
'The crazy man with his fucking depressing songs' ends the main set with one of his signatures - Come Pick Me Up. It feels like we're the obedient pet and we've been given a treat - I don't care I'm gonna take it!
Ryan comes on for the encore and declares that at least he is going to leave here happy and launches into Bob Mould's Black Sheets of Rain. It's a one song encore but we really don't need anymore than what Ryan has dished out. The Wizard has conquered the Palladium again - nice one Ryan - see ya next time!
Set list: Oh My Sweet Carolina Ashes & Fire If I Am A Stranger (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals cover) Dirty Rain My Winding Wheel The Rescue Blues Please Do Not Let Me Go Do I Wait Firecracker Everybody Knows Sweet Lil' Gal (23rd/1st) Why Do They Leave? English Girls Approximately Chains Of Love 16 Days (Whiskeytown song) New York, New York When Will You Come Back Home (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals cover) Lucky Now Come Pick Me Up
So I know very little about Frank Turner. I know of him but am not really familiar with his catalog BUT my PJ buddy Chris offers up his spare ticket to Frank's Wembley Arena gig in exchange for a place to crash in London - the Gigette is ALL OVER THAT!
We head out to Wembley early in the night to make sure we get the for the openers (of which there are three!) - the first is the solo Beans On Toast who is unusual and amusing and apparently a bit over-awed about playing in front of such a big crowd - to the point where he forgets the words of one song and interrupts two others midway through to jabber on about nothing in particular.
We then move on to poet and DJ duo Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip - to be honest, it is not my thing and me and my gig buddies decide to skip it in favour of food and drink so that we are ready to go for primary opener - Billy Bragg.
I have seen Billy a couple of times before and he does his absolute best to advance Joe Strummer's legacy of using music to be politically outspoken. It's a man with a guitar with something to say and he always commands an audience's attention and it is no different tonight. The only disappointment is that he is pretty much preaching to the converted here (given the nature of his audience ie the indi, hard core crowd who are independent enough to have their own thoughts and normally question authority).
And then it's time for Frank. This is the biggest show Frank has ever undertaken (selling out the 12,500 capacity venue) and we have been told that tonight is being filmed for a new Frank DVD so we are to expect a bit of a greatest hits set list which suits my fellow gig buddies (and huge FT fans) down to the ground.
The crowd are with him with a giant singalong from the get go. They are hanging off every word and it is unlikely that 'the FT' is going to do any wrong tonight.
Due to my complete lack of knowledge of Frank's catalog I am left to simply enjoy the songs and performance as they come. I don't have to wait for my favourite or compare live versions - it's great!
That said, there are a number of highlights:
* Frank's Mum (introduced as one of his biggest musical influences) coming out to do the harmonica solo on Dan's Song;
* Billy Bragg coming out to duet with Frank on Dylan track The Times Are A Changing;
* A rollicking cover of Queen's Somebody to Love;
* Frank getting a tatt live during the encore break to commemorate the occasion;
* Frank reminding the crowd of the unusual nature of the night and in particular that approximately 90% of the crowd has seen him previously in venues where he could sweat on them; and
* The strange (but endearing) way the whole standing section crouches down in honour before Photosynthesis which bears the lyrics:
"I won't sit down, and I won't shut up But most of all, I will not grow up"
It's a good night of music and well worth the trek out to Wembley. I have to say that I would prefer to see Frank in a smaller venue (I am told he is amazing solo with only his guitar accompanying him) but I am glad to be a participant in the biggest FTHC (that stands for 'Frank Turner Hard Core' for the uninitiated) celebration so far.
Set list:
Eulogy Try this at home If ever I stray Reasons not to be an idiot Nashville Tennessee Wessex boy Peggy sang the blues I am disappeared Love ire & song Glory hallelujah The real damage Dan's song Father's day Substitute Long live the queen I knew prufrock before he got famous Sons of liberty Four simple words (new song) The road I still believe Somebody to love
Encore:
The times they are a changing Ballad of me and my friends Photosynthesis
