SHOW REVIEW: Antony & the Johnsons, Hammersmith Apollo, London (27/5/09)

A Beautiful Person
Hammersmith Apollo, London
Wednesday 27th May 2009

I’ll admit first hand that this gig was purely a review writing exercise. I’d heard of Antony & the Johnsons and all my arty-farty friends had assured me they were absolutely fantastic, but I’m more of a rock riff kinda girl so had never bothered to bother until now.

The support was a performance artist named Joanna that did bizarre and questionably choreographed moves in an even more bizarre and questionable costume. She was dimly hued by a spotlight and looked like a bad guy from Alien or a female version of Predator. I’m not saying I could have done any better, but it looked like a collection of not-so-in-time-with-the-music arm and leg flailings with a few costume changes. The crowd loved it - whatever floats your boat I suppose.

Antony and the Johnsons were a lot less bizarre and much more in time, flowing and beautiful. The band consists of an amazing collection of musicians, all of whom seem to be classically trained or sessions musicians, with the ability to play more than one instrument whether it be oboe, drums, guitar, clarinet, violin or cello – all of which were featured. At the helm of it all is unlikely conductor Antony – a soft spoken angel-voiced prose-laden piano player who starts off shy and reserved, sweeping sweetly from one song to the next until he surveys the crowd and they in turn earn his respect. He finally opens up, sharing jokes and telling tales of how his songs came to fruition and showing you just how heartfelt his lyrics can be.

It was an outstanding performance even though I know none of their work previously. The highlight for me was a tune featuring a take of ‘…being in love with a beautiful boy…’ consisting of mainly piano with a little guitar and his voice bewitching all and the story, being that of loves had and lost and marking the heart. After this song all others seemed to pale in comparison and for the second half of the show I found myself getting slightly restless. Antony and the band are amazing musicians and have put together and outfit that is rivalled by none in their genre, but in the end I did find a lot of the songs sounding too similar.

However so they were entertaining, and after an intimate and humorous explanation of ‘Heaven Mountain’ – the story of a female Jesus being resurrected in the Afghanistan mountains – Antony and the Johnsons showed us there’s no limit to the imagination, what you can do or who you can be.
　

SHOW REVIEW: Maximo Park, Brixton Academy, London (26/5/09)

Apply Some Pressure
Tuesday 26th May 2009
Brixton Academy, London

Maximo Park are England’s answer to Grinspoon: everyone loves them whether it be for their punchy pop-rock style, care free Northern stained lyrics or stylish dress sense and dance moves. They’re an easy band to love and even easier to sing along to, so it’s no surprise they spent 2 sold out nights at Brixton, especially when backed by popular newcomers The Noisettes.

The Noisettes have eclectic musical influences and it shows. Every song tells a different story, with guitar riffs and drum beats bouncing from the synth-pop of the 80’s to the proper R’n’B riffs of the 60’s. Their lyrics tell you to shake your tail feather whilst musing of loves won and lost, all with the soul driven smoky vocals of Shingai Shoniwa.

Maximo Park then explode at us like a firecracker with perfect stepping stone chord progressions and stick cracking beats. They’re a tight outfit with a stylish pop sound and an even more stylish lead singer. Paul Smith looks the part in his usual white collared shirt, black suit, sleeves rolled up and black bowler hat, and this man has the moves. His Northern twang and charm bounce around the stage along with his sexy crutch thrusts and leg kicks that catch every girls eye.

They pull out all their hits including Graffiti, I Want You To Stay, Limassol, Girls Who Play Guitar, and finish off with obvious crowd favourite Apply Some Pressure – a song I hold dear to my heart and live by more often than not in my various world travels. And after such an amazing show I will continue to do so.

SHOW REVIEW: The Specials, Brixton Academy, London (7/5/09)

Come on in, it's been a while...
Thursday 7th May 2009
Brixton Academy, London

Thanks to my folks I’ve been listening to The Specials from a very young age. ‘A Message To You Rudy’ was a favourite of mine as a little girl and I played it so much even my folks got sick of it. So when, after 30 odd years, the boys from Coventry announced 5 – count ‘em 5! – night’s at Brixton Academy I was first to sign up for bar shifts.

Then came the wait – 3 months of barely containable excitement pushed to boiling point until the afternoon of the first show. I ran throughout my day job shouting ‘Happy Specials Day!’ to everyone, listened to their tunes all day and watched old footage of clubs gig’s I wished I’d been alive for. Then I got the call. 5:15pm Wednesday 6th May 2009. 45 minutes until I was due to work at Brixton. ‘It’s Tina’ said my boss ‘They’ve cancelled due to illness’.

My screams echoed throughout the office and snapped everyone out of their Outlook afternoon haze. This was awful! This was horrible! ‘They haven’t cancelled tomorrow though so be on stand by’. We’d been waiting for 30 years I suppose, what’s one more day?

It’s hard to describe the energy that fills a room when 5000+ people arrive to see a band they’ve been waiting to see for 30 years. To say everyone was ‘excited’ would be an understatement (and my tips for the next 5 nights certainly proved this!). Sitting through supports was almost torture, apart from the Dub Pistols who played the first 2 nights and were excellent. But I’ve gotta say, Ska these days just isn’t the same. I’m not sure if it’s the cultural influence, social conscience or music that’s lacking, but it just ain’t the same.

There was also a DJ and MC playing some top notch old ska and dance hall tunes that provided perfect pre-set sing-a-long conditions. Every night the crowd turned into a grand choir delivering drunken versions of ‘A Town Called Malice’ and ‘The Israelites’ at the will of the MC. And his ever present chant of "Ruuudde Boooyyy’ was always met with an enthusiastic response.

Anticipation was at breaking point when The Specials hit the stage. Opening with ‘Do The Dog’ they set Brixton off – beers were thrown, clothes and bags were cast aside as years of bottled up skanking exploded in 2 hours of beats, jams and lyrics that have been blasted in bedrooms for years. They played the perfect set each time: Monkey Man, Little Rich Girl, Rudy, Rat Race, Ghost Town, my very favourite Night Klub, and the perfect finale Enjoy Yourself.

It was so amazing to see The Specials after 30 years off the circuit, and after some tumultuous times they’re still as relevant as ever. Their performances were spot on and they never missed a beat, nor the chance to convey their regret to the crowd for having taken 30 years to return. I am now stylishly equipped with a Specials bag and T-shirt (never to be worn together lest ye risk looking like a stalker). They later announced shows at both Glastonbury and Hammersmith Apollo (my other place of bar tending) which pleased me no end, as they became like a house band no one ever wanted to see the end of at Brixton. Once they were gone I missed them so. And as I recall these skatastic tales I feel butterflies in my stomach as I remember the excitement and happiness they’re shows produced in people.

Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.

SHOW REVIEW: Lady Gaga, Brixton Academy, London (14/7/09)

Pop Puppets
Thursday 14th July 2009
Brixton Academy, London

I’ve never witnessed the magic that is a pop sensation. I’ve seen live rock bands, DJs, choirs and countless other forms of musical performance but never a one-man (or woman) pop show. Tonight I witnessed the publicity train that is Lady Gaga and it was not a pretty sight.

Having heard a rumour that Miss Gaga goes bankrupt every time she goes on tour I wasn’t surprised to sight various acts of frivolity as I entered the venue. Black tie O2 waiters hovering with free Haribo tooth pick skewers and a lairy pink back drop featuring a mix of world monuments were just a few. We were later told during one of Miss Gaga’s monologues when she sees something that ‘amazes and inspires’ her it is then incorporated into said backdrop.

Her entry was a black and white mock French avant gard film featuring her in a string of mysterious scenarios, which I suppose is fitting as she once described herself as ‘New York avant gard’. What followed was what I can only imagine is your normal run of the mill female pop icon formation dancing, posing and flouncing backed by a rock’n’roll session band. Lady gaga has a good voice and at one stage played a long and very drawn out version of ‘Poker Face’ solo on a pink baby grand, which was not all bad.

She does have talent. Her talent is somewhat over shadowed by her gratingly annoying and always outrageous persona accompanied by gimmicky costumes and backdrops. New York avant gard she definitely was not. Another pop puppet adorned with trinkets and exploited for the masses she definitely was.

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Global Gathering: Long Marston Air Field, Stratford Upon Avon, UK (24/7/09)

It’s All About The Relish
Friday 24th July 2009
Long Marston Air Field, Stratford-upon-Avon

As luck would have it I returned from Benicassim Festival to find I’d won 2 tickets to Global Gathering festival through TNT magazine. I mindlessly enter competitions all the time so had no idea what the prize entailed, but a short click of my mouse informed me I had won the following:

• 2 VIP tickets to the 2 day festival featuring Prodigy, Scratch Perverts, Pendulum, Digitalism, Stanton Warriors, DJ Yoda and more
• 2 return train tickets to the event
• 1 tent
• 2 sleeping bags
• 2 sleeping mats

‘Not a bad haul!’ I thought and immediately called my dancing buddy Kel to sort out a plan of attack. After much too-ing and fro-ing we decided to go only on the Friday night, as I had just returned from Benicassim, Spain and my body and wallet were feeling the effects.

Friday finally arrived, as did the 3-carriage peak hour train to Stratford-upon- Avon, so we crammed ourselves on with 5000 others and set about our adventure. A packed train and one empty double decker shuttle bus later and we were at Long Marston Air Field, collected our VIP tickets, tent and sleeping bags (no mats, disappointing – and an early warning of what was to come…) and head to the VIP entrance.

To this day I have no idea what VIP meant in relation to these tickets. On paper they touted a VIP camping area, clean showers and toilets, plus a bar, food and Jacuzzi area. However these VIP tickets were also available to the public for an extra 100GBP, meaning the majority of festivalgoers were ‘VIP’. Entry was speedy and hassle free – most of the folk arriving through the normal gates were being searched in a manner akin to someone with a bomb strapped to them going through LAX. The whole procedure looked highly unpleasant and I was glad we coasted through… Coasted through to a VIP Camping Area that had more people squeezed into it than the train we rode in on.

VIP entailed being crammed into an overcrowded unorganised mess of tents with one stable-like communal shower tent and a few white cubical loo’s that became as bad as a port-a-loo after a few uses. The chill out bar and food area were OK and did feature a Jacuzzi however all were situated outside and soon became uninviting as the freezing night air drifted in.

We arrived late due to work commitments and had the foresight to borrow a friends pop up tent to avoid erecting a new and unknown tent in the dark. Once camp was set up we ventured into a festival site consisting of a small and terrible sounding main stage, a selection of club arena tents (God’s Kitchen and the like) and a brightly fluorescent, incredibly scary set of carnival rides in the middle. Throw in some loos, a sad excuse for a chill out area and a chew-and-spew food alley and that was it. No theme, no vibe and a fun park so evil I was waiting for Tim Curry a la clown-from-It to jump out at any moment.

Upon exploration we found most of the tents empty bar God’s Kitchen which had a great set up and light show but techno trance just ain’t my thang. The acts I wanted to catch (Prodigy, Pendulum, Stanton Warriors, DJ Yoda to name a few) were in massive tents that were half full, devoid of any atmosphere and – possibly due to the aforementioned – played mediocre to terrible sets. Determined to have a good time Kel and I circled the site numerous times, checked VIP for signs of life – of which there were none – then circled and circled again. Retiring to our tent at 2am, the curfew time for the Friday night, the verdict was all too grim.

With a sight too large and tents way too big for the amount of punters Global Gathering was an empty shell of hopeless vibeless dance music trying to recapture the heady club days of the early 90’s and failing miserably. Maybe the Saturday was better as it was more Drum and Bass oriented – I hope so. Congratulations to God’s Kitchen for having the only constantly pumping tent during the Friday night, a great testament to their staying power. The sad fact remains, and Kelly and I agree, the best thing about Global Gathering was the relish on our midnight snack hamburger.

SHOW REVIEW: Friendly Fires, Kentishtown Forum (31/4/09)

Spark Me Up

Thursday 31st April 2009
The Kentishtown Forum

Friendly Fires are relatively new to the scene so to sell out The Kentishtown Forum is nothing to sneeze at. The album they’ve produced is great, with good dance beats, funky guitars and nice melodies and harmonies in the vocal department. I’d seen them blow everyone off stage earlier in the year at the NME Awards with a Brazilian carnivale and exploding confetti rendition of ‘Jump In The Pool’, so this was their time to shine with a whole set to themselves.

Their stage presence was larger than expected with various risers full of saxophones, trumpets, keyboards, percussion and the 3 main players - Ed Mac, Jack Savidge and Edd Gibson. Essentially they’re a 3 piece so I was excited at the prospect of seeing them with a bit of oomph behind them, but unfortunately the oomph failed to hit the spot. The songs are great and the crowd was pumping but as of yet they only have one full album. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a new band with so much hype behind them so no doubt the lack of material will soon be rectified. Their renditions of ‘Skeleton Boy’, ‘On Board’ and ‘Strobe’ were stand out’s, as well as crowd favourites ‘Jump In The Pool’ and ‘Paris’.

However there’s no denying that this band are young, inexperienced and short of tunes as it showed. The set had no flow, no direction and was at times halting and mood breaking. The lead singers dancing and the bands overall enthusiasm are great factors and with more touring and material they will be one of Britain’s stand out acts in no time at all. But tonight came across as a hurried, unplanned, mismatch of songs that left us all high, dry and wanting more. I have no doubt they’ll be able to deliver it, it’s just a question of when.

SHOW REVIEW: The Prodigy, Brixton Academy (18/4/09)

Survival Of The Fittest
Saturday 18th April 2009
Brixton Academy

Greeted with ‘Dizee Rascal has cancelled due to illness’ notifications we made our way through the doors of Brixton with less than happy faces. The fact he’d played a sold out O2 Arena the previous night and probably just had a hang over made the announcement all the more disappointing. Nevertheless the line up for the night remained stellar – Kissy Sell Out, Chasing Status and of course, The Prodigy – so we carried on through to quench our thirsts and boogie.

As you may know I have worked at Brixton for over 6 months so it may surprise you to hear I’ve never been to the venue as a punter. So with Prodigy being my first ever attended gig it was somewhat of a baptism of fire. Having worked 2 Prodigy Christmas shows last year I was well aware of how hectic a night it can be, but was nowhere near prepared for experiencing it on ‘the other side’ (please refer to ‘Creatures of the Night: Lesson 1 - http://sistersin-creaturesofthenight.blogspot.com/) . Walking into the foyer and through to Ra Bar was almost enough to make me turn around and flee. There were people everywhere – and I mean EVERYWHERE! The lines at all bars were nothing short of monumental and navigating through to each one was akin to being in a human washing machine.

Cutting our losses we grabbed a water from the kiosk and made our way down front to review the situation, and thankfully were pleasantly surprised. Everyone was rushing to get their drinks in before Prodigy leaving the front of stage area relatively roomy, so we decided to stake our claim and stay put. From what we could gather Kissy Sell Out’s set had been lengthened due to Dizee being a Rascal, and I won’t lie, I wasn’t impressed. I love these guys on record – ‘Her’ and ‘Let There Be Blazing Light’ are 2 excellent dance tracks and if I ever heard them live I’d cut a hole in a rug deep enough to hit China. But I’ve seen Kissy twice now – once at Glastonbury and then tonight – and never have either been played. What we were given before Prodigy was a set of mistimed, mismatched, badly cut tracks with a few solid anthems in between. Apologies to Kissy Sell Out if it wasn’t them as no amended line up was posted, but if it was I was sorely disappointed.

And then they came. 10 minutes early and as prolific as ever. They haven’t changed one bit in the 15 years I’ve been listening to them. Everything was loud. Everything was dirty. Everything was Prodigy. It’s hard to put on paper what this act means to many. To me they represent a time when I appreciated dance music without the lifestyle enhancements that come along with it these days. And as a teenager dreaming of England, to see Prodigy at Brixton Academy with 5,000 peaking Brits… awesomely quintessential. One of the finest memories I have of Brixton is working a Prodigy after party in the Ra Bar and watching everyone go crazy, dancing uncontrollably to ‘He’s Ebeneezergood’ (or whatever that song was called), and I hate that song!

‘Their Law’, ‘Smack My Bitch Up’, ‘Voodoo People’, ‘Firestarter’, ‘Out Of Space’ and a fine selection of new tracks – the list goes on and on – I’ve no need to tell you (if you’re on FB check out my awesome videos: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/?id=501673841). Liam is still the mad scientist and master of all blasting basslines, beats and electronic mayhem. Leeroy is still fit, fine and crazy-eyed as ever. And Keith, well we all know Keith – he’s the fire starter. And according to my friend Kelly the only 40+ man who can pull off tight red leather trousers, and I agree. Then there’s the over shadowed drummer and guitarist who can actually keep up with them all. Those two deserve medals, without a doubt.

Keith and Leeroy’s constant shout-out’s to those in the pit goes to show they’ve not forgotten where they came from and know most of these hard cores have been there from the beginning. And after seeing tonight’s efforts I deem being in a Prodigy pit not unlike being in a death metal circle or even heading off to war. They make you lose all sense of control and dance like your life depends on it, driving harder and faster and making you forget there’s anything else. And then they were gone.

It was over. Everyone collapsed on the floor, scrambled for shoes, clothes, brains and any kind of liquid refreshment they could ingest. Chasing Status had the daunting task of following them and playing until 3am but they did a damn fine job. It’s hard to imagine anything could follow mayhem like that but they did it, and they did it well with fine drum and bass, jungle beats and just enough rhymes slapped on top to keep the bulk of the crowd cheering at The Academy until closing (plus they had nowhere else to go as the Victoria Line was down – how unusual). And to be honest a bit of drum and bass and jungle came as sweet relief after what Prodigy put us through.

I hereby surrender. It’s over. I’m done.

Take
Me
To
The
Hospital.