Kenelis live at the Scala

I went to see Kenelis at the Scala on Friday night, and was struck by how far Mel has come from the open mic nights more than ten years ago, where I’d drive down to Camberley and watch her perform. Kenelis the band have had a few incarnations, and the new line up (which isn’t that new!) has given Mel a shot in the arm and renewed drive. You can tell the band genuinely like each other, and are pushing each other to become bigger and better.

The last band I saw play at the Scala was Bright Eyes; so to see Mel and her gang standing on the same stage as one of my biggest heroes was a big deal. The Scala also holds other memories for us; a few wild, memorable club nights at Popstarz in our twenties meant that this felt like a homecoming gig of sorts.

The band opened with Moving to Brighton, which has a strong guitar part. I’d say Kenelis have two sides to them; a heavy, rock sound and a rocky/pop side. Personally, I like the heavy songs the most. I’ve always liked the screamy/ angsty ones and I like the acoustic ones too, but I think that's just because they remind me of old times! 

It was great to see the band up on a screen in the venue, too. I like the Scala as a venue, and the sound was great. The last big venue I saw Kenelis in was the Indigo2 club at the O2 arena, and I think they really lend themselves to filling up these big venues with their big sound. 

Next was GFY, which I’d say was more poppy, although it still has a rocky guitar and loads of energy. I think you can hear Mel’s accent come out much more when she sings now, which is always a good thing. I love hearing accents in songs – real accents, not put on ones!

Next up was Don’t Kill My Rock, which has a punky feel to it, with handclaps and ‘heys’ from the boys in the band. I really liked With Scars, which is where there were some technical difficulties, but I actually liked the more stripped down feel of it, as it is more of a ballad (or was that night!) Ballad is the wrong word; I don’t think Kenelis do ballads!

With my memory, I can’t remember which songs are very old or very new, but Holes feels to me like a classic Kenelis song (even if it isn’t), with strong lyrics and a catchy chorus.

The band finished with Prodigy Witch that has Metallica-esque guitars – I loved it. The song has a lot of different parts to it, stop-starty bits in the verses, screaming, slow bits and sing-song parts with backing vocals. It has a Paranoid Android sort of structure to it. I like it when you don’t know quite where you are with a song. It just has a bit of everything – to me it’s perfect Kenelis because it encapsulates all of their strengths; it’s got heart but it’s also got just proper headbanging parts. I like the ‘witch!’ screaming at the end, too. I always like screaming on songs! 

I don’t think the crowd were in the least bit bothered by any technical difficulties. I noticed how the venue filled up as the set went on, and when it finished, I felt like we’d just been getting started. Hopefully this gig will give Kenelis a push onto the next level of stardom; they have paid their dues and they deserve to be big. We’re sadly lacking in strong front-women in rock at the moment, and Mel, in her grey and black union jack jeans, is more than ready to step up. 

Live: Placebo at Brixton Academy (16 December 2013)

I arose from my pit to go to my annual gig last night (although I think I saw Desaparecidos this year too) and staggered out to Brixton Academy to see Brian and the boys (and girl). I decided on my usual no coat/ no drinks policy to get as close as possible: I didn’t count on pissing down rain and a car going through a puddle at high speed in Brixton soaking us from head to foot. Oh, well. At least any beer splashed on me after this point seemed harmless.

We just caught the end of support act Toy, who looked quite decent, and slinked down the side, so we were one place behind the barrier on the side (my favourite spot). The people around us seemed quite normal. So far, so good.

No dirgy intro vids with Placebo (I’m looking at you, Morrissey), they hit the stage promptly soon after nine, opening with crappy single B3 –‘ passion flower, catherine wheel’, check. Still it was exciting to see our Brian on the stage. I knew the set would be new album heavy which I didn’t mind as I really like the new album but they played such a lot of other songs that it didn’t seem that way. I wanted to hear a mix of brand new or quite old, and I wasn’t disappointed.

 Loud Like Love was the first one they played and ‘breathe, breathe, believe’ sounded epic at this volume (and right by the speakers).

The last album was only touched on with the Gameboy kitsch of For What It’s Worth and later, Speak in Tongues, which was pretty much the right balance (although I did miss Battle for the Sun). Me and my boyfriend exchanged glances when they played Twenty Years as neither of us like it, as it seems to go on for twenty years, but actually the second half of the song is quite good live. I might need to give it another chance. They followed it with the unmatchable Every Me, Every You (the only time a song has ever been ‘reimagined’ live to be better than the original) which really got the energy going. The couple next to me were very enthusiastic!

Too Many Friends was brilliant and made highly ironic by all the camera phone idiots filming it whilst Brian sang the line, ‘when all people do all day, is stare into a phone’. The camera phones, and the size of them, do make me feel a bit old, and the bouncers were like vultures, pouncing on anyone who was filming rather than taking a pic. One particularly annoying girl got hers knocked out of her hand by a bouncer after he’d told her a few times, and it seemed to stop working, which cheered me up immensely, as she’d been bumping into me about five minutes before. Thems the breaks, indeed.

Scene of the Crime was really good (handclaps! Washing machine!) and Rob the Bank is gloriously stupid. A nice surprise was Space Monkey, one of many tracks off Meds to follow (although sadly not Because I Want Youuuuuuuuu-ooooooo). My boyfriend recognised Space Monkey long before I did. I must admit, I still do pine for the toy megaphone. I think a computer does the voice distortion now. Still, better than when he just did it with his own hands one year. Space Monkey and all the fab Meds songs bring back memories of the best Placebo Gig EVER Rock am Ring, with the sunset going down. I think we must have watched that about 20 times. Not that I was there. But I wish I had been. There were some good visuals for Space Monkey going on at Brixton, too. Next they played Blind, which is OK, but I don’t think I can ever get over the lyrics of ‘your eyes forever glued to mine’ – ouch.

It was lovely to hear Meds (was dancing quite a bit by this point) and not at all lovely to hear the terrible Song to Say Goodbye – not helped by a vertically challenged little dick trying to pick a fight with me. ‘Is there space there for a midget?’ No there isn’t, plus I’M a midget. He ended up pushing my boyfriend, which is always delightful. I just love leaving the house and mingling with the human race!

Anyway, this ended up as a bit of a result for me, as my boyfriend moved me in front of him, out of the midget eyeline, and I ended up having a better spot, just in time for the singalong greatness of Special K. The crowd was really going mad by this time, and there was a great atmosphere. By the time the first notes of The Bitter End kicked in, the roof was off. Yeah, I said it! The roof was off. Amazing.

After the encore, they came back and did the slowed down version of Teenage Angst (I’d prefer the normal version) and the epic Running Up That Hill. I love the way Brian sings ‘God’ as ‘Gaaaaaaad’.

The best part though, were the final two songs of Post Blue ‘It’s in the water, baby’ and the unstoppable Infrared. I was amazed they did so much off Meds, and if there’s a better line on record than ‘Someone call the ambulance/ there’s gonna be an accident’ I’d like to hear it. Just a fantastic way to end.

Brian doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t need to, the songs do the talking. He and Stefan have a great rapport with the crowd, and with each other, and looked genuinely happy to be there. And despite a puddle and a self-proclaimed midget threatening to ruin things, the force than is Placebo could not be ruined. Thanks for a good night, Brian. 

Review: Desaparecidos live at the Electric Ballroom, Camden

So last week I went to see Conor Oberst perform solo at Barbican, and it was a really lovely gig. A great venue, and a good mixture of Bright Eyes, solo and new songs. White Shoes had me in floods of tears and You are your mother's child had me crying for my pregnant mate who couldn't be there. Even my boyfriend, who was a stand in, and doesn't LOVE Conor, enjoyed it (or at least didn't moan the whole way through). The only downside was it was all seated, and although the view was good, we were a bit far back and you never quite get the atmosphere of a proper gig. I was jolted towards the end gig, though, when Conor said 'my other band is playing next week'. And he didn't mean Bright Eyes, who I've seen numerous times. No, he was talking about Desaparacidos, his best and loudest side project. The band only has one album so it would be guaranteed they would be playing all my favourite songs on it, and they haven’t played for 10 years! But tickets had sold out ages ago. I had to dig around.
After a close call with a conman on Gumtree (don't ever put a request for tickets on there!) I finally got a ticket for £50 on eBay. Quite a lot over the face values of £15 but £15 seemed very low in the first place (it was £30 for Conor solo). I would have paid up to £100 if I'd had the money!
So I met up with the guy selling the ticket outside – thank god he turned up! – and then there I was, at my first ever gig I'd been to alone. I did a smooth manoeuvre to the front; there was a guy at the barrier obviously saving a space for a friend, so I kind of slid into the spot over a period of about five minutes. Come on, you can’t hog barrier, be there, or be usurped. I could tell he was a bit grumpy so I offered him a Tic-Tac (I was on a strict no fluids policy, as I have a pathetically weak bladder) and then I felt I’d made my peace. When his friends did finally turn up there were about 12 of them, so I didn’t feel so bad.
I hadn’t heard of support band Johnny Foreigner, but I admire their name. I think he said, ‘we’re from Chicago’ when he came out in a very-non-Chicago accent, but at the end he admitted they were from Birmingham. I’d describe their sound as a yelpier Bloc Party, and the band had a girl and a black bloke, so it covered all bases. Was good to hear a woman screaming (hold on, that doesn’t sound quite right) and they looked the part. She reminded me of Kylie off Corrie. I enjoyed them and I rarely say that about a support band.
Desa (can I call them that for now, I still struggle to spell it) came on about 9.15, and the place KICKED OFF.
They opened with a new song Left is Right (thanks to Lee who sold me the ticket, because I only had two of the new songs, and he alerted me to two more! I'm a bad fan) and the energy was just crazy. I felt like a young person again!.Conor came out in some hideous stars n stripes sunglasses and the long hair he’s got at the moment and a little stars and stripes neckerchief. I hate his long hair but that’s beside the point. I can honestly say, I think I had the best spot in the house, right in front of where Conor finally came out, and just on the edge of the mad moshpit so whilst I got jostled a fair bit, I didn’t want to kill someone (an occupational hazard at gigs).
Probably the most amazing song was the second one, Happiest Place on Earth, which is one of my favourite songs of all time, it just has the most amazing lyrics, a song about war that you don’t resent for being a song about war. Actually, he’s good at those (see also No one would riot for less and the silly When the President talks to God - notable for me going 'I DOUBT IT!' quite a lot). It was just perfection, and everyone was going mad. I was even headbanging – WTF.
Probably the best thing about Desa is they don’t have any slow songs, every single one is a screamer. So it was a nice contrast to the acoustic gig of the week before. Also, as they only have one album, you knew every song. It’s quite cool to go to a gig where you’ve been listening to that one album for 10 years, never expecting to hear it live, because the band had disbanded. And then when they get back together it’s not a tired old money-making racket like Pulp, for example.
At one point Conor  played the song $$$$ and limp-wristedly threw some money in the air, that never even got as far as the end of the stage, and at the end of the gig, the bouncer stole it! What a git. It was £35 as well because I could see it sitting there (hey big spender) – that would have covered the extra cost of my ticket! Conor also said he'd been shopping on Camden Market; wish I'd gone there that day!
All of the songs were good (there was a Clash cover which I wasn’t fussed on, but it beats Moon Over Kentucky or whatever crap Morrissey normally tries to inflict). But my favourite has to be Man and Wife, The Latter (Damanged Goods). I must have played that song in my car over a thousand times. It’s just pop perfection. So to hear them play it seemed slightly unreal. The crowd was literally bouncing all over the place, I haven’t been to a gig with energy like that in years. And thank fuck I was on the barrier, or I would have had to run for cover.
It was so nice just to be that close to Conor and not to have to worry about anyone else, but just to do exactly what I wanted. I would definitely recommend going to a gig on your own, it’s fun.The crowd was small as well; there wasn't even a queue. I thought Conor fans would have turned out in droves.
I really pray that Desa put out a new album now, Conor is at his best when he’s screaming or heartbroken, and about as far away from a country guitar as possible. He promised to come back sooner, so don't let us down!

Blog fail/ Plug victory - catch Kenelis this Fri at the Barfly.

I've been a total arsehole in that I was meant to blog Kenelis at Indigo2 but I met up with a friend I hadn't seen in a year and got so bloody pissed that I couldn't remember anything that happened at the gig. I do remember a couple of things actually. I remember thinking the set was too short. I also typed these words into my phone 'we could die any minute' so I can presume that was a high point. And they definitely played Jealous. Also the new Kenelis merch is rather good. I overestimated my size somewhat, but my boyfriend has been wearing the T-shirt.
Mel Sanson is my favourite rock frontwoman after Courtney Love, and that is high praise. I find most female rockers quite disingenuous, but Mel means every word, and I just love watching her every time, especially at Indigo2, which is a fantastic venue (but with overpriced drinks, which is why we turned up so drunk, like 12 year olds). She was belting them out as usual, and as usual was better than the rest of the line up. From what I can remember.
The band did a cover of These boots are made for walking by Moz's old buddy Nancy Sinatra, which you should definitely investigate. Now if only I could remember how to embed videos. What sort of blogger am I!?
My evening ended puking outside Morden tube, which I'm sure is how most evenings end outside Morden tube. I did go round the corner a few steps, at least. Bloody good fun, though.
For my proper review of Kenelis's last gig, see here. Or to see for yourself what they're like, cos they are supporting I Am Giant at the Barfly in Camden this Friday 13th April (not sure why it says July on that page, perhaps they're drunk, too?). I Am Giant might be good too, I'm going to check them out. Kenelis are on stage at 7.50pm and apparently it's going to sell out. I can't make it as I have a date with a rollercoaster (well, a train taking me to one) at 7.20am the next morning. But I'm sure Kenelis will be just as loud as Nemesis. Probably louder.

Kenelis Live at the IndigO2

It's not often you can say you liked something before almost everyone else, and for it to be actually true, but I might just have bragging rights here. Last night I went to Glow, which saw the launch of the Kenelis single Jealous. There were some other bands playing, but Kenelis pretty much blew them away.
I have to declare a vested interest. I've known Mel Sanson, the lead singer for about ten years, and used to go and see her play when she was a singer/songwriter sat on a stool at open mic gigs, and not shouting quite so loud (although she was still angry)! Although she's a friend, I've always respected her music (you know me, I wouldn't go and see a band twice I didn't like). Tonight just seemed like where it had all been leading up to.
The Indigo venue is amazing, I was gobsmacked by it. The location is obviously dogshit as it's hard to get to the dome, and the dome itself if a soulless airport hanger filled with boring restaurants. But the Indigo2 (I don't like writing that) was actually a little jewel inside. The stage is really high so you can see everything well, and it was really fucking loud, too. The support acts ranged from Ocean Colour Scene-alikes, to a band who seemed to be fronted by Mary from accounts who'd got lost after work. But they actually all put on a pretty good show.
I've never heard Mel's band sound so tight, and her voice sound so strong (although her accent sounds more London than I remember previously!). She can really scream. Her tunes are really great, too, my favourite song by a mile was Give Her The Gun, it was just so angry. Sick was really excellent, too. Her lyrics are really honest and raw and her tunes are catchy enough to sing along to. Mel was headbanging, dancing round, playing the keyboard, playing guitar, doing the foot-on-speaker posturing and had a really good connection with the crowd. The crowd looked much more excited than they had all night.
Mel was born to be a front woman and pretty much lives life as if she's famous already. I felt really proud to see her up on such a big stage. She's be brilliant as a massive rock singer because she's a lot more interesting as a person and performer than.. well, anything you saw at The Brits this week, for example.
I know for a fact people care passionately about Kenelis because I met someone with a gigantic Kenelis tattoo on their leg! You can't really get more dedicated (or mental) than that.
If you like angry female rock voices, you'd be mad not to check out Kenelis where you can see her videos and stuff. Oh and you can buy her new single Jealous on Monday on Itunes, woo. PS. My photo's not very good, cos my camera is shit.

Placebo: live at Brixton Academy

Went to see Placebo at the beautiful Brixton academy last night, which was pretty much doomed from the start. First I got the wrong tickets (the circle instead of standing) and then they released a 2nd date so I could have got standing tickets, but couldn't afford them, so was grumpy anyway after that.
When we arrived the queue was massive, so we went round the corner for a drink. The queue seemed full of small goths with the occasional old person (ie. us). By the time we got back the queue had gone and we got fairly decent seats in the circle.
The night was badly marred by a fat, pathetic attention-seeking cretin who sat in front of us. Red flags were raised when she began introducing herself to everyone, before headbanging to the (dire) support act. When Placebo came on, she decided to stand up, even though everyone else was sitting down. When the bouncer told her to sit down (repeatedly), she went ‘fuck you’ and started calling her names, so I was forced to tell her to stop being a cunt. But she couldn’t be. Cunt DNA was running through her. Luckily, after about four songs, her and her cronies fucked off to make someone else’s life a misery. It’s a good thing too; I’d have happily thrown her over the edge of the circle had she stayed.
Anyway, that wasn’t Placebo’s fault. But here’s something that is. Playing virtually the same setlist that we saw LAST YEAR. Last year! That’s a long time ago. The only variations were Trigger Happy Hands (mindlessly stupid, but fun to sing along to live), Teenage Angst (seemingly remixed by Coldplay) and ‘It’s in the water, baby’- (WTF is that song actually called) which was the best song of the night, and they spend a few quid on smoke machines and glitter cannons at that point, too. The light show was good, but not as good as it was at Manchester.
I quite liked Teenage Angst version they did, though, with a loud riffy guitar over it. I do like the way the experiment with old songs and sometimes it pays off (Every Me, Every You) sometimes it doesn’t (Because I want You), Obviously knocking the end shouty part off Bitter End still hurts, too. Oh they did All Apologies too, which was quite good (married, buried, etc)
Brian didn’t seem to say much, and looked the same as always, and stood in one spot the whole night as he has on the whole tour. Stefan was wearing his silver suit, recycled from the O2 dates. I wish they could mix it up just a little.
I enjoyed Nancy Boy, Every Me, Every yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew, Meds, Bitter End and Infra-red. I didn’t enjoy sitting in a chair with no leg room and the bouncers constantly telling people to sit down- a battle they lost about 5 songs from the end.
They caned the (not new anymore!) album, too, obviously. And they even ended with Taste in Men! Zzz. It’s worse that Morrissey with First of the Gang to Die. I mean, if they’re boring us, they must be boring themselves, right?
To top it off, my boyfriend was in a foul mood and didn’t even clap one song. I’m sure the gig was great if you were down the front, but it felt like we were watching from over a hill, whilst needing an injection of antidepressants. Which is probably what being a Placebo fan should feel like.
I know one day I will see the Placebo gig I deserve. But it’s just not going to be this year. But that’s OK- my Placebo obsession has calmed for the moment anyway. I’ll consider reinstating it when they sack the ‘Trigger Happy clown’ (I preferred Peirrot).

Live: Placebo at Manchester Central

My name is lightupvirginmary, and I am a Placebo addict. I have listened to nothing but Placebo for 6 months. My boyfriend and I watch Placebo play live at Rock AM Ring 2006 pretty much every weekend, combined with a bunch of our other favourite Placebo gigs, interspersed with our Placebo remix youtube disco. It is obsessive. My last FM has seen Placebo overtake The Killers, Patrick Wolf and Bloc Party. Even Morrissey has looked nervously at their onslaught. (Bright Eyes has a fairly reasonable lead, but with his latest output, even Conor would be wise to be worried).
So it didn't feel real that we were going to actually get to see them; although how I've not seen them beforehand, I do not know. I must have seen the Manic Street Preachers ten different times at festivals over the past 15 years, so why never Placebo, as I was always a fan? Because it was all building up to this moment, that's why!
I really didn't want to go see them at the O2, as I saw Coldplay there and it was like watching a gig in an aircraft hangar. So we decided to go up to the old Gmex in Manchester and make a weekend of it. Beforehand I was dreaming about Placebo pretty much constantly, panicking Molko was going to get killed in a plane crash or something. Or that I'd get killed and he'd come to my funeral and hook up with my boyfriend. Serious anxiety dreams!
We arrived about 6.30 and there was quite a sizeable queue. I expected everyone to be about 16 but there was a bit of a mix, and more men than I thought there'd be. We got a pretty good spot, to the right side of the barrier (Stefan side!) and did the usual no liquids policy so we could stand our ground all night. The support bands weren't that great; the name of the first one escapes me, but it was quite unwieldy and they were a bit bland. The second support was the Horrors; great if you're into Gonzo from the Muppets shuffling round impersonating Pete Doherty. I SWEAR I saw the singer yawn at one point! I saw the Horrors once before and they were shit then, and shit now, but with an 80s keyboard thrown in. Fuck off.
And then... the Battle for The Sun began! We saw the mics being set up and were a bit miffed because Brian's was right on the left hand side of the stage (we'd gone right for Stefan!) But I shouldn't complain because we were in the front row, and some of the footage of people's view at the O2 was so bad may as well have been on a different continent.
They opened with For What It's Worth, then did Ashtray Heart and Battle for the Sun. I think I was in shock for the first three songs, because I can't remember then very well. The lights were spectacular; when you're used to seeing Morrissey in small venues, this was a bit special; they'd actually spent a few quid. The big screen behind them was tilted at an angle and looked quite epic. The first old song they played was 'Soulmates' which I can't stand so I got my camera out at this point, but my photos were all pretty awful. There was a glut of dodgy songs in the middle; Follow the Cops Back Home (which is obviously a fan favourite, but I think the lyrics are lame) and Special Needs (enough said). But songs like Breathe Underwater and Julien off the new album were fun to hear. The definite highlight of the first part was Every Me, Every You- the guitar bit they do at the start and the end is just magical. And I can die happy now I've heard him go 'every meheeeeeee and every yeeeeeehooooow!' You couldn't wipe the smile off my face after that (although it did waver when he played Blind, which is the dullest song on Meds by a mile). He's doing a Moz and making us work for the good stuff, which is his right.
Was also thrilled to hear the actual song Meds. Was un-thrilled to hear Song to Say Goodbye (my oh my) as it's such a weak song, and when they went off after it, I just thought it was a bit lazy (goodbye, then off for the encore).
But they came back on with a vengeance. Bright Lights sounded lovely live. Special K was a singalong classic (as it should be) and The Bitter End was just fantastic. I was really scared that new violinist was going to screech all over it but she didn't. I still miss the 'suicide' bit at the end, but Brian obviously can't be arsed to sing that bit anymore.
Then they went off again and I thought that was it and turned to my boyfriend and went 'where's infra-red?' because it's his favourite song. And at that exact second the intro to it kicked in. Honestly, it was soooo good! It was really amazing. Then they finished with Taste in Men, which I think is a weird song to end with, but it did sound really decent. Stefan also came down into the crowd and was larking about which was a bit of excitement.
What else? I really like the end when they all came to the front of the stage and bowed, there was a nice feeling to it. Stefan was wearing a silver suit which was the best thing I've ever seen him wear (and we've watched a LOT of gigs, as I said). Brian looked cute with a little bob (my boyfriend said he looked haggard but he loves writing off every popstar we go to see).
When we got in we watched a 2009 gig from Paris and he gave them some of the same patter he gave us! Cheeky. And I will not rest until I hear Because I Want You live. Seriously, I need to hear it.
All in all, totally lived up to my expectations, and can't wait to see them again. I love Brian so much. I wouldn't at all be surprised if we went abroad to see them. How else are we going to hear Protege Moi?

Live: Morrissey at Alexandra Palace

Had an unexpected treat last night as my boyfriend won two tickets to see Morrissey at Alexandra Palace on Facebook! We’d decided against going due to money and having already seen him 3 times this year, so it was really great to have this extra chance. The only bad part was I’d already looked at the setlist! Boo. But he did mix it up.
I saw Moz at Alexandra Palace in 2005, even getting a piece of hallowed shirt (well, not me directly, but I seem to have won THAT custody battle). Last time I didn’t like AP much as a venue, it’s a bit airport hanger-y and I remember being stuck on the bus trying to get out of there for what felt like years. This time though (maybe because it was free!) everything seemed easy. There was no pressure to have a good time, and we were just lucky the old man was still standing, really.
Doll and the Kicks were good as usual, although not impressed with the guitarist’s haircut, I liked his massive afro! I thought ‘If you care’ was very moving. The other songs do sound a bit the same, but they’re all good the same, so that’s not too bad. I like Doll, fantastic outfit, she looked very cool (nightmare before Christmas shadows are so very now!), and I like her slightly ‘drunk grandma at a wedding’ dancing. The best Moz support band EVER. Buy the album, I did.
Then there’s the insufferable video clips. Seriously, I thought I’d escaped that tyranny. I want my own youtube disco to force on people; clips of brian molko tipping over a table, clips of courtney love with one foot on the speaker, conor oberst miserably telling us to become vegans, and Richard off Pointless telling people off for not listening to the question SPECIFICALLY. Don’t think it’s gonna happen.
And then. We were quite close to the front at the side, and these two very loud Scottish guys came behind us, and I just knew we were in for trouble! Everyone surged forward for this charming man and I was getting totally battered, so just had to move back about three rows, which was fine, as I still had a really good view. For some reason my boyfriend chose to stay in the middle getting molested and sung at, but we were reunited in time for (ugh) The Loop.
I though the first six songs were the best, the atmosphere was rowdy but buzzing and the pace of songs was kept up well. Very much enjoyed Was it Really So Strange, always nice to hear one you’ve never heard before. Was also pleased to hear First of the Gang early as I’m sick of it as an encore. I could actually enjoy it, and then there was the mystery of what might be the encore instead! Stand out song of the night for me was Ganglord; I think he does it beautifully live. Really strong performance.
Cemetry Gates was nice to hear but it seemed a bit limp live to me for some reason. Liked ‘stonely read the graves’ for a lyric change though. Mid set there was a bit of a lull; Paris (bothered) and Teenage Dad, a dire song, with lyrics that make Brian Molko look opaque. I like Ask but I can take it or leave it. I quite like his cover of Moon Over Kentucky, his yodelling in it is pleasing (it’s better than Redondo beach, right). How Soon Is Now I’ve just seen too many times, plus I don’t like that cut and paste version, it’s all about the build up at the start for me. Because of My Poor Education can fuck off, I couldn’t even sing you a line of it. I‘d rather hear Asian Rut (I have no idea how that goes, but how bad can it be, right?). And One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell over Mama? Ich don’t think so!
Death at One’s Elbow is silly but was fun to hear, Crashing Bores, if I never hear again will be too soon (and I used to love it!). His shows are quite Quarry heavy but I’d like to hear I Have Forgiven Jesus or something just for a change. The Loop has never been acceptable, and will never be, you can take The Loop and Sing Your Life and shove them up Boz Boorer’s arse. People didn’t seem as wildly enthusiastic about The Loop as they were at Brixton though; they were literally intoxicated by the shitness of it there. I despaired for humanity.
The set ended on a high, Irish Blood doesn’t date, it’s still powerful, and I’m OK By Myself is bloody brilliant. I love the screeching/ cardboard box bit at the end, it’s amazing, like a glimpse of Moz as a real rocker. It works fantastically live (and I’ll even bite my tongue about the shoulder/ revolver line). I like hearing Squeezing My Skull too, not sure it’s strong enough for an encore, but I enjoyed it a lot. When he threw his shirt in at the end I got an elbow in my chest (pain at one’s elbow) and was winded! Honestly, people (no, men) are too aggressive, it’s not worth trampling on someone’s head for a bit of Moz’s shirt; I’ve got a bit, so I know.
Banter: he was taking a lot, slagging off Michael BublURGH (‘England looks after it’s own’), David Cameron for shooting stags, and mentioning he was wearing a purple poppy for all the animals killed ‘against their will’ in the war. Were any willingly slaughtered, I wonder?! Good old Mozzy. I thought he was on good form; I’ve seen him when he’s been a right grumpy sod before, but he seemed up for it last night. His voice was strong, too. And the lights were quite good. My boyfriend said Moz looked ropey, but I didn’t think so.
I do have a couple of pics too, perhaps I’ll post later.
Bit disappointed there was no Nowhere Fast, but no worries. I still think the setlist wasn’t bad, despite my grumbles (it’s Moz, we’re allowed to grumble!)
Got out of there SMOOTHLY too. Very good indeed. Thanks Facebook. I enjoyed being on the guesty. Next stop: Molko in Manchester. Bring on the fine whines!

Live: Morrissey at Troxy vs Morrissey at Brixton Academy

So the rescheduled Morrissey gigs changed from a Tuesday and Thursday night to a consecutive Saturday and Sunday. We decided to try and get down the front for the Troxy so we could just relax and have a drink on the Sunday at Brixton.
Troxy was a really cool venue, with interesting art-deco style architecture and features, and rather fetching carpets. We got right at the barrier, but a bit towards the side, which was a result really, as we were just on the cusp of the craziness, but could still see very well.
Doll and the Kicks were good, but I prefer her blonde. We like their song that sounds a bit like Pink.
There was the usual suffering through the intro vid, and then there he was. We were pretty close to him, and the view was excellent. He seemed a bit subdued, not really saying much. The setlist had changed from Yarmouth more than I expected, and he did 'I just want to see the boy happy' (zzzzzz) and Pigsty (yay!) but no Seasick. Also, no 'Squeezing my Skull'. I think he should have hammered the new album more, and cut some of the Smiths songs. As for The Loop- give us a break. Still, very enjoyed You Just Haven't Earned it Yet Baby, and I liked his changing of the lyrics at end of 'How Soon Is Now' to 'and now half my life is gone... thank god'. When Last I Spoke To Carol is also really brilliant live; especially when Moz adds his 'waaaw' sound effects and wing-flappy bits.
A few people were chancing getting on the stage, but the bouncers were quite heavy handed. Moz was shaking hands and generally quite friendly, just a bit quiet.
There was less pressure on us on the Sunday as we presumed it would be the same old setlist and we could just kick back and have a drink. I've been to Brixton Academy before (to see Morrissey!), but the memory must have fallen out of my brain as I had totally forgotten the sloping floor and everything. It's actually a very cool venue which means you can see a lot more easily from most places. We were in the middle towards the side I'd say, and could see pretty well. The sound was also good in there.
I was surprised that the setlist was so different; and very happy indeed when he played 'Mama..' which I'd been dying to hear! I could have lived without 'I Keep Mine Hidden' but that 'Moon Over Kentucky' cover version was pretty good, and he even made 'Because of My Poor Education' listenable. Not sure why he insists on finishing with First of the Gang To Die... I'm totally over it. Similarly, Crashing Bores gets on my nerves.
On the whole though, two excellent gigs. Yarmouth was something else, it just had that extra special quality because it was touch and go if he would be there, and it just felt like magic was in the air that night, but these two gigs were good, too. Personally I'd like Moz to ditch the Smiths songs (OK, he can do I Know its Over) and bang out a load of stuff from Viva Hate/ Arsenal/ Vauxhall. Oh and play It's Not Your Birthday Anymore. But it's Moz. He'll do what he likes.

Gig: Bloc Party live at the Olympia Grand Hall

I went to see Bloc Party on Easter Sunday! Woo, I'm hoping to see ALL my favourite bands this year. In fact I'm seeing Morrissey three times... but that's next month.
A word of advice: read the goddamn ticket yourself! We ended up going to Earls Court instead of Olympia because of a 'technical error' with my boyfriend's brain. Already feeling worse for wear from the night before, every additional step was pain. Plus we had no money for a drink. Then were greeted by sniffer dogs, which seems a bit much. What are we gonna do, toke someone to death?
We got there JUST in time for the end of Bloc Party's first song, so I cannot tell you what Wet Paint or the Foals were like, although fictional psychopath David Platt likes the Foals, so that's one mark against them.
The Olympia Grand Hall was massive, and half empty. I thought this gig had sold out? There was tons of room in there, and we got right down at the front to the side (we couldn't go too far in as we were both feeling a little queasy, in fact I was struggling to keep standing for the first half- but that's my fault, not Bloc Party's).
I thought the setlist wasn't THAT hot at first, it seems a bit second-album heavy, which is, of course, their worst album. That one about going to mall and mentioning the freeway always makes me balk a bit, for obvious reasons.
However, I thought things really picked up about a third in, particularly with Banquet, Two More Years, This Modern Love, Blue Light, The Prayer and Mercury. I LOVE Mercury live, and was so glad they didn't play it first so I didn't miss it. At wireless they played it first so I was panicking.
Kele was in good spirits, wearing a silly bunny outfit for the encore and getting fluff stuck to his face. Oh and they finished with Flux! They had lasers and everything, it was the perfect ending.
One thing I will say, I don't think the acoustics were great in this venue, it sounded like his mic was a bit quiet at first. I've heard louder at festivals, which shouldn't be the case (mind you, nothing could top Glastonbury for completely destroying the Killers gig for me- bastard Eavis!)
So, Bloc Party. Everyone was about 12, but we still enjoyed it. If you haven't got the new album, you should. Even their b-sides are excellent.
Come on, I'll do you a mixtape, let's go old skool.

Live: Patrick Wolf at Heaven

Ahh, Heaven. Memories of vomit, trannies and dancing dating back nearly ten years now. But I'd never seen a band there. I thought it might be a good venue for it though, and I was quite right.
I was so excited about seeing Patrick Wolf. I love, love, love Patrick Wolf so much; he's just totally original, so incredibly talented, and seems like such a genuinely nice person. I have seen Wolfy live a few times, (KOKO, the Astoria, a pub garden) and I can honestly say I have never seen him so CAMP as tonight! Leather, braces, shorts, arse-slapping, thrusting; it was all there. He came on stage with bizarre wings/ giant shoulders, making him look about fifteen-foot tall, and he's pretty tall anyway. He was also wearing some not-misguided leather trousers which showed pretty much EVERYTHING, which was a nice treat for the girls and the gays alike. I love the fact he puts on such a show; he has such great energy, mad style, and is a true artist. Morrissey said recently some people 'just are art' and whilst that sounds utterly pretentious, that applies brilliantly to Mr. Wolf.
The show started really strong; the songs from the new album sound absolutely amazing; and he also did Tristan, which is obviously a huge crowd pleaser, and I enjoyed his chickeny outfit. I think the show lost focus a bit about halfway through; there were just too many new ones; which I fully expected, but I haven't heard the new album yet and I think the crowd was a little restless. I felt he was a teensy bit self-indulgent, but that's also a little unfair because I know I will easily fall in love with all these songs, and if I went to see him live again in three months I'd probably feel quite different.
Patrick has two modes of song; screechy, crunchy technoey yodelling pop songs, and heartfelt, pretty piano-ballady ones. I think he kept on the right side of the line, but he could have done with throwing in Don't Say No or A Boy Like Me halfway through and I would have been set for the night. He did do Bluebells, and Accident and Emergency which is obviously brilliant but I felt like he was coasting a bit during that one. He had taken his top off by this point though, so can't complain.
The show definitely picked up again two thirds in. I can't WAIT to hear the new album. Hard Times sounded so fucking good, the new songs sounded really lush and epic and theatrical and overblown and just fantastic, really. I just wish I could have sung along.
After the encore he came back and did a very 80s/Gary Newman style song (Vulture?) and he did Magic Position which I thought he might not do, but was very glad to hear. That song cannot fail to make me smile, it's the happiest song ever. It's just the best, poppiest love song and should have been a massive hit. My boyfriend says it's too twee, but it isn't! He finished with Bloodbeat, which was well-needed and just the perfect rave tune.
Patrick Wolf is amazing live; an true artist, and his voice has never sounded better than tonight. He put on a great show and I love seeing him throwing himself around the stage, he really does belong up there, and he felt perfectly matched with Heaven.
If you don't know Patrick Wolf; I'd seriously recommend buying Lycanthropy or Wind in the Wires. If you want it more poppy, then most accessibly, The Magic Position. Then put on your glitter and go see him live. A life without Patrick Wolf is a life left wanting. Truth!

Gig: Tommy Reilly at Proud Galleries in Camden

Writing a blog has almost no perks. In my time here I have written squillions of words about Big Brother, Morrissey and crisps, and the most I've got for my troubles is berated by an angry virgin who I slagged off on a reality show, invited to a film thing, and invited to be on Freaky Eaters. Eek!
But last night I actually got invited to something good, so I dug myself out from my sick bed and ventured Camden-wardly. Last week I wrote about Orange Unsigned Act, and my pick to win, Scottish singer-songwriter Tommy Reilly. His PR read my blog and invited me to his gig, so I and JOTV went down to do some networking, darling (this actually involved sitting in a corner, having a migraine, with JOTV playing The Weakest Link on his clapped out old Nokia).
I got a text message alert on route that 'Tommy was having some food'. I felt like a stalker! Let the boy eat!
The Proud Galleries themselves are a peculiar venue, otherwise recognisable as a bit of Camden market (one of the bits that hasn't been razed to the ground). Normally in this area people are selling their old Smurf collection and Beanos, but they've gutted it, put up some nice artwork, and now there's a vast expanse of gig roomage (which had all the romance and atmosphere of an empty barn) and some 'stables' to sit in which are like little VIP rooms with flashy tables. The drinks were VERY cheap. I'm not sure why, but let's not knock it.
Tommy was being herded round various groups by his PR; which is my idea of a living hell, so I felt sorry for him that I was going to be adding to his list of schmoozing to be done. I had my photo taken with him (the less said about that the better). He seemed very disarming and up for a chat with some total strangers who may or may not write something horrible about him, when you can tell it's probably not his ideal evening either. I told him I'd found someone's fake nail stuck to me, but was soon whisked away from us. The next person he spoke to had a huge notepad of questions and JOTV berated me for being unprofessional, so the next time Tommy came in alone, I beckoned him over. I said I had some questions and he very politely took my notepad off me and started reading them (so thank god I didn't write anything offensive).
And here's the interview (I was trying to think of funny Smash Hits-style questions, but failed miserably):
What have you got on your rider? He would have pizza and beer, but he doesn't have one.
Who are your favourite bands? Scottish ones especially Frightened Rabbit (I fancy listening to these). I was pressing him on if he liked Bright Eyes as I think they have a similar sound and he said he had the live album, which is one step up from JOTV who just has the Christmas album (why oh why?!)
What TV do you like? I asked him this one for us! For the good of the blog. He said he liked the Mighty Boosh and Blackadder. He said more, but I wrote nothing down, and I forgot the rest (listen, I'm ill!) I asked him if he liked the X Factor and he said he hated Alexandra's Hallelujah (a popular feeling at present). Finally he was frowning at the last question on my pad, going 'what's that?' My final question was 'What do you think about the great lightbulb revolt?' as I had been mildly amused by reports of old people struggling to read by the harsh, buzzing, stinky light of the new energy efficient lightbulbs. Tommy concluded that he was pro-the new bulbs. I said, 'what if old people don't know how to use them because they get confused easily?' and he said, 'fuck 'em.' Or I might have said this, but he definitely agreed. It's all a bit hazy without a dictaphone. Anyway; that was all clearly very exciting but onto the gig!
Tommy came on at 11. I had a KILLER migraine, so if he could take my mind of that, then I was a fan. I thought his first songs all sounded quite short; but halfway through the set they seemed more fully-formed. I liked the lyrics, 'I dropped my words on the floor, can you pick them up for me?' Again, it's quite abstract and Conor Oberst-like (it reminds me of 'thought the kettle was a train/ thought that Monday was a doorframe' lyric off the solo Conor album).
The second half of the set was really good, he played 'Jackets', 'I Don't Like Coffee' (JOTV's pick) and 'Give me a call' my favourite, because, er, it's the best one. Tommy did really well to hold a pretentious London crowd's attention with just him, a cardigan and a guitar; no band at all. He told me it was his first gig in Camden, and the venue was about the opposite of the sweaty, jostling, fire-hazardy feeling you get squashed up inside the Barfly. But even without that sort of appealing gig-glue, he created his own atmosphere with his lyrics and his voice alone. I really like it when he pushes his voice as far as it can go. I like voices that almost make people wince; because there's truth in it. The kind of truth you don't ever get on X Factor.
It was really good to find myself entirely out of my comfort zone like this; I'm the least schmoozey, fan-ey, wanting-to-go-out-and-meet-people person in the world, so I think it was healthy for me to force myself into that situation. I am really looking forward to Orange Unsigned Act this week, any spare tickets going?! Haha. Maybe this schmoozing's alright after all. Vote Tommy, he is the best raw talent of the bunch. Oh yeah; and here's my super-high quality video evidence of proceedings, enjoy:

Coldplay at the O2 Arena (also known as the Millennium Dome)

Have you ever been to a gig in an airport? Well roll right up to the O2 arena, almost as cold inside as it was outside!
Yes, last night I went to see Coldplay at the O2, or the Dome, as it actually is. I last went to the Dome for a rave up in about 2001 and I just remember trudging around in a tatty pink dress, wide-eyed and freezing my arse off, and dreading the tube journey home (actually, it was good fun). But this was something completely different. The Dome has turned into a shopping centre, a trendy wine bar, and a big fuck off arena, all mangled together.
I think we must have bought these Coldplay tickets sometime back in 1998, because since then, I split up with my ex, moved house, changed jobs, lost my cat to a killer parasite and er... stopped liking Coldplay.
But actually, I was wrong to be too negative. You may mock, but those middle-class marker-pen loving boys put on a pretty good show. The O2 arena itself is vile; a huge expanse, with virtually no good seats, and believe me, it's ALL seats. No standing! I'd have sobbed if I'd seen Morrissey there, but he'd probably chew his own arm off to sell out three nights there, veggie or not.
We had reasonably good spots in theory, but unless you are sitting in the front row, pretty much all the seats were shit. Nice and comfy though; mmm! You appreciate this sort of thing as you age. I'd recommend binoculars if you're going to see The Killers there.
Sitting at a gig is morally wrong anyway, and the crowd were as you'd expect; bland scunt-wearing boyfriends, drab girls and older couples out past their bedtimes. The girl sitting next to me was eating a salad. The man in front of my seat, in a jaunty polo-neck, behaved the entire show as if he was getting sent to prison tomorrow and was determined to have the night of his life, no matter what. His dancing would have made a gay man weep.
But at least people did stand and dance I suppose, even if we were all forced into our designated space. Oh, a word on the support bands; the first seemed absolutely drowned by the venue, but the singer had a nice enough voice (do you expect me to look this shit up?). More peculiarly were the second support band, an ambient/techno outfit with acid-trip animations. They seemed entirely out of place; I almost felt like it was 2001 again; except they weren't very good. Hopefully they upset some of the old folk though.
And then. Everyone's favourite gawky, fuzzy-haired, movie-star fucker. I can't remember what they opened with but the whole show was like one big greatest hits set, which was good, really. Personally I don't want to sit through Spies, or any of that dreary shit. The hits just kept coming; there was only one song I didn't particularly like, and before the gig I could only name about three songs I DID like, so that says something, surely. The lights were spectacular; loads of lasers, freakish bally things with Chris Martin's distorted mug on, and during Lovers in Japan, so many paper butterflies fell from the sky, hat I suspect Coldplay single-handedly destroyed a decent-sized rainforest. Save the trees! My dear friend JOTV would have liked the balloons, but I suspect he's too cool for Coldplay.
I'd never seen Coldplay live before; and I have to say, they are definitely worth a look. Chris Martin threw himself around the stage like a slimy toy you'd chuck at a wall; like a mad-man being electrocuted by his pajamas. He can't dance, but he puts the effort in, and that's the main thing. I liked the little electro-medley they did when they all stood together and did God Put a Smile on my Face and something else (?!). I was happy to hear The Scientist played live, but the bestest thing was The Hardest Part, which is my top ten songs of all time. It's just heartbreakingly good (I got dumped to it once and it left it's grubby mark on me). They did a nice pianoey version. The new album was hammered, but not battered, and it was very singalongy.
Coldplay also came into the crowd at one point and sang Jingle Bells with (fucking) Simon Pegg on harmonica. It was good cos they were pretty near us. Simon Pegg is pretty insufferable, but hey, at least it wasn't Jay-Z.
And yeah, that was about it. All the hits, no sweat, and we even got a seat on the tube. Gigs shouldn't be this easy. Roll on the Morrissey scrum.

Gig: Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band (Electric Ballroom, Camden)

So here I am, walking past a queue of people seemingly no taller than five foot (and I aint MUCH taller), to see screamy-turned-country-cokehead-genius-and-isn’t-he-cute!- Conor Oberst. The crowd does not match the music on offer tonight. But these are eyelinered teenagers who fell in love with The Calendar Hung Itself (that was the first Bright Eyes song I ever heard) and Lover I Don’t have to Love (if you’re younger).
Why do we stick by Conor as he goes from brain-bleedingly vital (Desaparecidos) and downright genius (Letting Off The Happiness/ Fevers & Mirrors/ Lifted/ Digital Ash) to generic country bumpkin? Because look how many albums WERE downright genius. How can you fall out of love with someone who gave you so much? I am a loyal little fucker and he has done more for me than 99.9% of people on this planet just by existing.
And so I took my place at the front of the barrier amongst the crowd who were 80% female and 80% under 20. I might be older, but I’m the same age as Conor. He speaks for me as well.
The support band were a bit peculiar, a Welsh David Icke lookalike and a guitar player who would have made a rabbit in the headlights look like it was sitting on a sun-lounger sipping a cocktail. But my general feeling was, it could have been a lot worse.
I had reasonably low expectations for the gig; I was fully expecting it to be a full on country-fest, which it was to an extent, but it seemed to work well in it’s own bubble. You just have to push the back catalogue out of your head and appreciate this for what it is. I saw quite a chunk of Conor at Reading on BBC3 and I thought it was OK, but it was much better when you were there (plus he didn’t look quite so much like he was in fancy dress).
Conor and The Mystic Valley Band came on in a collection of puke-coloured shirts. Conor later said they were ‘ill’; I think ‘drunk’ was more the word he was after. The guitar player looked like he was struggling to stand and Conor later said it was because he’d dropped acid right before the show; if that was the case, he did a sterling job.
I’m quite fond of the Conor Solo album anyway, but it seemed more alive on a stage, less mellow and like it was meant to be heard this way. The stripped down numbers like Lenders in the Temple and Milk Thistle were lush and I thought Conor’s voice sounded really good, especially as he seemed to have a sore throat. The lighting was really cool at times I thought and they did one song that I have an acoustic version of that they really rocked up and it sounded brilliant (I don’t know the name of it- they did it at the BBC session and it says untitled!)
Minor gripes; I don’t think there was one member of the band that didn’t sing a song (even the bloody drummer sang one!) which seems a bit of a waste; like getting some gormless ballboy to play a set at Wimbledon whilst Nadal sits drinking some barley water and staring into space. Actually those songs were OK, and the covers, and I thought the whole set was pretty good (oh OK they pushed it a bit at the encore, but the very last song made up for it.)
I do just enjoy watching Conor, I like watching him fall apart a bit, and stumble round, and I especially like it when he SCREAMS. The final song (which I have discovered is called Breezy) saw Conor take to the keyboards, for this ballady number, then halfway through the song kicked in (I Believe in Symmetry style!) and there was a fair amount of shouting. It felt like a moment. It was an absolutely brilliant song and I want it now!
I actually thought him playing no Bright Eyes tonight was just right. I’m sure some eyelinered teens will have been disappointed. But I’m older. I’ve seen him on five or six tours now. They just should have been born earlier!
PS. I think Conor will be our Madonna and go a bit pop/ dancey next. I’m hoping anyway.

Review: The Whitest Boy Alive at Koko

Last night I went to see the interestingly-named German band The Whitest Boy Alive at Koko (that’s the Camden Palace to anyone not 16). I had heard of the band, but had actually got them confused Black Kids (does this make me racist or just stupid?) My friend had a free ticket due to her male friends dropping out because of the football zzzzzz) So I went along for instead. My friend’s friend (who was black and also a last-minute recruit) cracked me up when she heard the name of the band and went ‘Am I going to be lynched?’
Luckily, the band turned out not to be Nazi death-metal, but had a jazzy/ techno vibe going on instead. I know, that sounds worse. But actually it wasn’t too bad. I thought they sounded a bit like Air in parts.
Koko was rammed, so people really like this stuff, but it lacked the punch of a real gig for me. I wanted some screaming, or at least some sweating. The closest we got was a cover of some old 90s trance song (the name has eluded me because my friend’s dad had bought me five vodkas by that point). I think the band were competent musicians but it all had a bit of a soft porn vibe for me.
The encore appeared to be a cover of ‘It’s gonna be a lovely day’ or whatever that song is called, so I think you’re getting an idea of the tone of the gig now- word of the night was mellow. I think my friends dad summed it up best when he said, ‘you might as well stay at home and listen to it on the radio.’ It’s true, the visuals weren’t brilliant, some afro-ed Germans and that was about it. They weren’t exactly showmen.
Having said ALL of this, I was utterly in the minority, my friend (and her friend who’d never heard of them before) absolutely loved it and were dancing the night away playing air-bass (!). A good time was had by all- even (begrudgingly) me.