shame @ O2 Forum Kentish Town - November 30, 2018

After the Touts debacle, we got to the venue with plenty of time to get a drink and a position in front of the stage before the 1st opener's start at 7:45 p.m. We were some of the first to get there and it was nice to see the Kentish Town Forum with the lights up and not jammed with people. It's a beautiful old Art Deco cinema that now has a 2300 capacity.

Not wanting to miss out on a great band, I did my research ahead of the show and thoroughly checked out both Sorry and Fontaines D.C. I'm really impressed by the Fontaines D.C., a young sort of post-punk meets 50s surf band from Dublin City (thus the name). Their sound is fresh and infectious with a Irish literary and cultural influence in the lyrics. I was so looking forward to seeing them and was even more impressed with them after their compelling eight-song set.

They did a great job winning over the initially tame audience, having them whooping and clapping by the end and sounding like they would be happy for more. They didn't play my favourite track of theirs Winter in the Sun, but ran through just about everything else I'd heard and couple I hadn't and had to look up after the show. They only have 4 singles (all double a-sides if you ask me) released, but I read they have recently been signed to Partisan Records (Idles are their new label-mates) and hopefully we'll see their debut album soon rather than just an EP. For such a young band they seem plenty prolific, so fingers crossed.

Their look is very interesting if initially a tad bizare. Four-fifths of the band remind me of 70s rock fans looking out-of-date by the 80s with straggly hair, some dodgy beards and questionable thrift-store gems.  I think I remember a Velvet Underground tee. The singer, Grian Chatten, seems to be chanelling Ian Curtis with his sad eyes and frenetic energy; a throw back to a working class past where your da's hand-me-downs would have to do, and you're just going to have to pull off that dress shirt and corduroy pant look. He paced the stage repeatedly looking as though he were about to go ten rounds with the audience. Quite mesmerizing.

While the rest of the band had a bit of a dazed, or overly-chilled, look to them, the sound they produced was the opposite: tight and driving. Several of the early songs (like Big) began or were driven by Deegan's bass and then layered upon. You then can't help but hear the influence of the Beach Boys and other surf sounds (Link Wray) as well as Buddy Holly in the dual guitars and be thoroughly charmed. The cherry on top is the Irish accented voice of Chatten, echoey and atmospherically droning in the best post-punk sense. Fontaines D.C. have created an exciting, new sound out of some stellar and diverse influences.

After the show I bought an awesome band T-shirt of a grubby, little kid smoking a roll-up, and within a couple of days had bought tickets for their next available local show at the Garage in April.

Setlist:
Chequeless Reckless
Big
Sha Sha Sha
Too Real
The Lotts
Liberty Belle
Boys in the Better Land
Hurricane Laughter


shame review and setlist coming...

Trampolene @ Dingwalls, London - November 28, 2018

This was a last minute decision and exactly why I am loving living in London: a midweek show in a small venue cuz I was in the mood and have wanted to check out Trampolene.

Dingwalls is awesome; a 500-capacity club cum live venue that's been around since 1973 and has hosted some legendary musicians including plenty of punk bands. The photographer Roger Morton called it "low and dark and full of life" and that is a perfect description. It's a bit seedy and has a great feel with it's multiple layers stepping down to the concrete floor in front of the small-ish stage. There are plenty of great sightlines no matter how close you want to get to the action. The staff were good, especially the bartenders, and the crowd was mercifully not super young as I'd feared, but mainly 20s to 40s and attitude-free.

First on were Lacuna Bloome, a very young band with some pretty good songs, but a fairly dull stage presence. They were definitely shown up in that department by the headliners and the other openers, The Surrenders, who were energetic and fun to watch.  The latter's music skews a bit southern US rock (Black Crowes, Jack White, early Stones) for my taste, but they sound great live and were electric and winning, particularly the lead singer, Connor who has a great sense of style and physical presence, and the lead guitarist.

After a couple of songs, including the really catchy Maybe There'll Be Blood, we got an introduction to the band: "We're Connor, Richard, James and Scott. And you're London." Their seven song set (also including the memorable No Paper) warmed the room up perfectly and must have won them some new fans if there's any justice in the world.

After a pause, plenty long enough to get another drink and get repositioned for the main act, a taped recording of Artwork of a Youth came on. It's spoken pattern of "Alicia Pitson was the first girl I ever fancied..." and so on gave me a giggle, when I noticed that some of the names were bleeped out, leading to thoughts of old friends awkwardly asking to not be named so publicly.

Trampolene's front man Jack Jones came on stage in a fuzzy hooded coat, looking like a crazy but adorable muppet and was quickly joined by his bandmates, bassist Wayne Thomas and drummer Rob Steele, who immediately launched into Under the Strobe Light. I'm glad I took a quick photo, because the coat came off as soon as they were warmed up.

I first heard Trampolene last year when they made a big impression on me mainly with the spoken word poetic pieces Ketamine and Saving My Life in A & E. Jack Jones has a prodigious lyrical ability and an almost embarrassing truthfulness about drugs and sex, his ego and his ambition. By the end of the night and witnessing his tremendous showmanship and connection to his fans, it is clear that he could be a very big rock star in the making. I'm surprised that it didn't click in my brain that he and the band are Welsh until this show. The drum kit was draped with the Welsh flag and suddenly I heard his accent as he chatted to and charmed the crowd. He certainly possesses that loving genuineness I've noticed in the Welsh.

So, I mentioned that this was a last minute gig for me, and it's because I was worried that Trampolene may be another youthful band aimed at winning teenage girls as fans, similar to how I now see The Kooks or Razorlight. And while it's inevitable they will appeal to a young, female fan base, this show demonstrated that they deserve a much wider and critical audience. Jones' lyrics can sometimes be romantic and slow and deal with love, but it's done with a genuinely deft poetic skill. Somehow the Welsh heritage makes this an easier conclusion to come to when I think of Dylan Thomas. And then they just rock out much more than you might expect from their recorded material.



During several of the set's songs, Jack easily got the crowd singing along, and at one point read a poem written by a regular show attendee, Alex, called "This Wednesday's Different". Bassist Wayne's little brother then joined the band on guitar for Imagine Something Yesterday. The final song of the night was introduced by Jack with "my grandad always said that if you want something you can't pray for it, you have to Storm Heaven", and during the guitar solo, Jones played his guitar while crowd surfing. The amazing performance was topped off by a now very drunk-seeming but still coherent Jones reciting the spoken word Pound Land to a crowd that were hanging on his every action and word.

What a night. I bought a T-shirt before heading home, not so much because I liked it, but I just felt that this gig was worth so much more than the mere £10 ticket price. Definitely one of my musical highlights for 2018, and yes, I really hope to see them again before too long. If you like their music at all, I strongly suggest you go experience them live.

Setlist:
Taped Intro: Artwork of a Youth
Under the Strobe Light
It's Not Rock and Roll
You Do Nothing For Me
Alcohol Kiss
Adrenaline
Ketamine
The Gangway
Beautiful Pain
Tonight We'll Be Fine
Imagine Something Yesterday
The One Who Loves You
Dreams So Rich, Life So Poor
Storm Heaven
Encore:
Pound Land (Jack's spoken word)

TOUTS @ Electric Brixton - November 17, 2018

Looking forward to seeing TOUTS since first hearing them on Radio 6, I believe. They're from Northern Ireland and definitely share a punk sound with Stiff Little Fingers. They were the first openers for this show, and as far as I can tell the only thing in common is the fact that they are all teenagers or their fans are.

Doors were at 7 and I figured we should be okay getting there at 7:30. Unfortunately being a 14+ ages show, there was a long line-up to get in, with tons of kids eager to hang out with their friends. There were lots of wasted kids which slowed down security as well, so we didn't get inside until 7:45 to hear the TOUTS were already playing.

We plowed to the front of an already packed floor and disappointingly only managed to catch one and a half songs. I was bummed, but saw enough to know I am eager to see them again. The whole of Bombscare was energetic and fun and helped redeem the night.

We got drinks and found a spot upstairs on one of the balcony levels to watch grandson. He was very energetic, but seemed perplexed by the crowd of kids. As they repeatedly formed several circle pits that uncertainly crashed together, he asked the crowd if they were even there to see a rock show. It was clear they were there only for Rat Boy and to have a fun time with their friends.

I was actually rather impressed by grandson's music and performance. The Rage Against the Machine influence was evident but his political comments fell on deaf, insensate ears. Not sure he won any new fans this night, but he deserved to.

Rat Boy was boring, sophmoric rubbish. He had hardly any stage presence and his songs were pedestrian, good-time nothings. We gave him a good chance to win us over but left about 1/2 way through his set. This is not music aimed at us, 40-something punk fans.

Gaz Brookfield @ The Monarch, Camden - November 8, 2018

I first stumbled across Gaz Brookfield in 2015 when I was looking for a drink after the Faith No More Roundhouse show. He was finishing his set at The Monarch and his instantly singable songs made me want to hear a lot more. He was actually the first person I followed on Twitter so I could hear about future shows near me.

A year and a half later I was in Norwich to go to the Levellers' Levelling the Land Anniversary show. Gaz Brookfield was the first opener so I asked my concert companions if we could try to catch his set. Wrangling several people for a 1/2 hour drive prevented this, and we walked in during Gaz's final song. He did a big splits jump at the end to underline what a good set we must have missed. I did manage to have a quick, awkward chat with him at his merch table, and grabbed a flyer with future dates, still hoping to catch his set one day soon.

Newly moved to Camden borough, of course I wasn't going to miss the next Gaz Brookfield show at The Monarch. I doubly wanted to go after discovering Solo Armada, a group for music loving solo gig-goers who want to support live music and meet up at shows. On their gig listings, I saw a few people were going to be there sporting their buttons. I had a slight second-thought when I got an alert that a ticket became available for Art Brut at Boston Music Room, but I'm glad I stuck with my plan, because it was good to meet some Solo Armada folk and see a really fun, engaging show.

Ben Sydes, aka B-Sydes, was part way through his set when I arrived. There were several laughs about shots being delivered to the stage and stage banter that all three singer-songwriters would continue alone and together through the evening. They were obviously good friends and having a fun night with the audience feeling part of the celebrations. I can't say any of B-Sydes songs particularly grabbed me, and his nasally voice isn't for me, but he did a great job of warming us up and setting a friendly tone.

Next up was Jake Martin, a great showman with some belting singalongs like For Fuck's Sake Jake where the crowd was encouraged to sing back "You're an Asshole" after the lines "I'm a King Without a Castle / You're my Queen. I'm an Asshole" and cooperated with gusto. He later joined Gaz Brookfield for a couple of songs that they've written together for their Aged Revolt album, a collaboration where they cover each other's songs.

There wasn't much of a pause and Gaz soon jumped into action with a short but energetic and feel-good set. We got a few songs from each of his albums and most of the crowd sung along enthusiastically. Brookfield is a warm and funny performer, happy to share jokes and go with the flow through any surprises or glitches.

Finally seeing a full Gaz Brookfield set has only reinforced my liking for his music. His songwriting is sincere and original. His guitar playing is clean and upbeat in the best indie folk  tradition and I really enjoy his gravelly voice. He's a well-seasoned performer and delivers a fun night out. Pretty damn good value for a mere £6.

Most songs were introduced with a bit of banter and before he sung Aged Revolt he shared a story about the origins of the name. Apparently, he and Jake wanted to write an album called the Travelodge Diaries and when he contacted Travelodge corporate for permission to use their name, they declined. So into an anagram generator went "Travelodge" and the album and tour had a name, and a fitting one he's mused, sharing that (despite his boyish looks) he is almost 40.

The final song of the night, the new Great Minds Drink Alike, saw Jake and Gaz off the stage in the middle of the crowd singing among us. I shot most of it on video if you care to have a look.


Setlist:
Solo Acoustic Guy
The Diabetes Blues
The March of Progress
The Tale of Gunner Haines
Under the Table
It's All So Rock and Roll
Godless Man
I've Paid My Money
Aged Revolt
Be the Bigger Man
Thin
Encore:
Great Minds Drink Alike

Bloc Party @ Alexandra Palace - October 24, 2018

This was my first time seeing Bloc Party, a band that were part of the Post punk revival circa 2005 that got me re-excited about music after one of my lulls. And Silent Alarm was the debut album that was core to this sound. I had many of its tracks on heavy rotation along with Arctic Monkeys, Interpol, Editors, The Cribs, The Libertines, The Hives, Clinic, Art Brut, and so on and so on...

This was a solo show for me. I've recently discovered an informal group called Solo Armada for people wanting to meet up with other solo gig goers. I was hoping to spot someone with one of their badges, but no luck.
I thought I might have spotted one when I was in a bar line up, but abandoning a drink to chase after a stranger disappearing into the crowd was a bit beyond me. Maybe next time.

After being fucked over by some Facebook chick who was going to buy my spare ticket - I should have known better when I saw all the hen party pictures on her profile - I made it in a bit later than I wanted, but in time for most of the opener's, Middle Kids, set. I'd checked them out ahead of time and liked their songs, even if they are a bit mellow. Their performance was dull. Four people standing still and playing. The lead singer reminded me of one of those thrift-store-sweater-wearing geeky girls with her guitar strung high and played awkwardly. They could keep growing though; the potential definitley seems to be there.

In the wait for Bloc Party, I found myself standing next to a young woman who was doing all the pre-gig physical arrangements that marks you as a regular gig-goer: layers off and tied around waist, hair in pony tail, etc. I asked her if she was here solo as well, and we chatted for 15 minutes or so. She summed up the evening perfectly: "do you get the feeling every 30 year old male in London is here tonight?" She was spot on. It was a predominantly white male 30-ish crowd of the type that don't seem to go to tons of shows. The ones nearer the front would be more the die-hard fans, but in a 10,000 capacity place (is Ally Pally really that big?) there were far more of the former, trying to recapture their late teens and early 20's passion, and mostly forgetting how. In other words, it was a well-behaved and mostly dull crowd.

Bloc Party's arrival was preceeded by a tape playing Every time is the Last Time, a hidden track off the Silent Alarm album. This show is a revisit of that album (one of 6 in European cities), albeit in reverse order acknowledging a tracklist ending with slow songs that wouldn't work in a live environment. So, the band comes on and quickly gets through the slow tracks. Things start to get a bit more interesting (in live terms) with Luno and build from there. I necked a few drinks and then started to make my way towards the front with each song. Tons of singing along and excitement from the crowd. It was nice, despite my snarkiness as a show like this isn't going to bring out the curious, but more established long-term fans and that makes for an engaged, happy audience. This Modern Love kicks off the really uptempo part of the show, culminating in the last song, Like Eating Glass, before the pause and encore.

more to come....



Setlist:
Compliments
Plans
Luno
So Here We Are
Price of Gasoline
The Pioneers
This Modern Love
She's Hearing Voices
Blue Light
Banquet
Positive Tension
Helicopter
Like Eating Glass

Encore:
Two More Years
The Marshals Are Dead
Little Thoughts
The Prayer
Ratchet
Flux

Gang of Four @ 100 Club - October 5, 2018

What did I expect of the 100 Club, or of Gang of Four?

I knew the 100 Club would be small and I was right. I expected gritty, bare and very basic. Pretty much. More basic, than overly gritty. I was surprised to see a massive pillar dividing the floor directly in front of the stage, effectively splitting the crowd in two. I was also surprised by how close we were to the band. So close. Almost too intimate. (It was weird repeatedly meeting Andy Gill's eyes.)

Based on videos of live performances I'd seen, we found a spot to the right side in front of where Andy Gill positions himself  which was perfect. We were close enough that we could see the whole stage to our left as well.

Draped behind the stage was a curtain blocking the 100 Club lettering I expected from photos. Video were projected here making the show atmospheric.

They opened with Anthrax, all squealing guitar and feedback and any doubts I had about seeing an old band milking their history disappeared. The bass and drums were turned way up for the whole show, which worked great. The bass player, Thomas McNeice, particularly impressed me.

After Not Great Men the setlist hit a bit of a lull for four or five tracks, including some unfamiliar tracks to me. Gill acknowledged this by saying something like "that's it for the slow stuff". The rest of the setlist was riveting though, beginning particularly with Natural's Not in It.

Gill seemed serious and a bit crotchedy throughout the show. I hate to say it, but he looked more like my posh, aging wine merchant than an art punk, but I'll give him every benefit of the doubt cuz of all the great music he's produced. I did notice some snark between him and the much younger singer. Gill made a comment about him 'taking notes'. A bit later the singer retorted with a Butlins jab that didn't seem to please Gill.

I have to say, John "Gaoler" Sterry, the singer, seemed a total visual mis-fit with my idea of the band. More Duran Duran than Gang of Four. His pretty boy looks were played up by his floppy blond hair and mildly arrogant performance. However, his voice was an excellent fit, letting one enjoy the songs rather than be distracted by a voice totally different from Jon King. Unfortunately he wasn't so much focused on his performance as looking at the other band members too much, particularly Gill; possibly his insecurity. Who knows? I chose to mostly focus on Gill and listen to the performance which was tight and energetic.


The encore began with He'd Send in the Army where Sterry went to town on a microwave that was brought onstage, first with a stick and then with a guitar neck. When I looked this up later, I found this is a frequent live performance piece of theatre of theirs. It was a fitting addition for a band whose sound is industrial, modern and edgy.

After the short 2-song encore and the house lights coming on, it looked to me like their roadie/tech guy was trying to signal "time" to the sound guy and Gill looked as though he was slightly limping as they left the stage for the second time. I had taken a shot of the setlist taped to the floor, but figured they weren't following it to the letter. So, we bailed, and found out after the fact that they played one more encore to the remaining 1/2 of the audience: I Found That Essence Rare. Damn it.

My love of Gang of Four goes way back to a Fast Product EP re-released sometime around 1982, but I probably found it a couple years after that. Gang of Four contributed 3 tracks: Damaged Goods, Love Like Anthrax and Armalite Rifle. Still 3 of my favourites tracks of theirs, and they instantly became a defining sound for me and my maturing tastes. A few years later, in probably '89 I finally bought entertainment! It still floors me at how their early songs are so urgent and undated. Damn I love that album. So hearing well over half of it played live was a huge thrill.  I jumped around accordingly with very little company among the older crowd and enjoyed myself immensely.

Setlist:
(Love Like) Anthrax
Where the Nightingale Sings
Not Great Men
Isle of Dogs
Ivanka (Things You Can't Have)
I Parade Myself
Paralysed
What We All Want
Natural's Not In It
Lucky
Damaged Goods
Why Theory?
I Love a Man in a Uniform
At Home He's a Tourist
To Hell With Poverty
Encore:
He'd Send in the Army
Ether
Encore 2:
I Found That Essence Rare

Sleaford Mods @ Roundhouse - September 22, 2018

We missed Grey Hairs, only hearing the final song as we were entering and checking out the merch table. Consumer Electronics were the other openers and were ferociously loud and sonically challenging. It reminded me of some of the more abrasive Industrial music of the 90s, so parts did appeal to me, but it was all too much and the earplugs went in quickly as we backed to the far wall. My loose cargo pants were vibrating against my legs it was that loud!

This is my second time seeing Sleaford Mods, and I very much doubt the last time. It hasn't even been a year since the Norwich gig I went to, but I snapped up the tickets when I saw they were going to be doing a couple shows at the Roundhouse, a great venue.

These shows were to support their new EP and they played every track. In fact of the 18 songs, 9 were new or songs they didn't play last show I saw. They opened with two new tracks, Flipside and Subtraction, that aren't even on the new EP, but possibly will be on their next album they have planned for Spring 2019.

The new EP tracks, beginning with the first single Stick In a Five and Go, were interspersed between firm fan favourites that sent the moshpit jumping and shoving. The only other surprise was a 2014 Divide and Exit track, From Rags to Richards that they don't play live often. Tonight they skipped the pantomime of an encore, plowing through an energizing final run from Jobseeker to Tweet Tweet Tweet.

The stage is the same sparse setup as always, but Jason Williamson is getting to be even more of an amazing performer to watch. All the ticks and physicality are present along with some more, bolder playing about. Another great show. I'm excited to keep going to their shows.

Setlist
Flipside
Subtraction
Stick In a Five and Go
Moptop
Just Like We Do
Giddy on the Ciggies
TCR
Joke Shop
Bang Someone Out
From Rags to Richards
Routine Dean
Jolly Fucker
You're Brave
BHS
Dregs
Gallows Hill
Fizzy
Jobseeker
Tied Up in Nottz
Tarantula Deadly Cargo
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