All Points East Festival @Victoria Park - June 3, 2018

Nick Cave
Patti Smith
Baxter Dury
Shame

First off, I must say that All Points East is the best run festival I have been too. Easy to get around. Clean. Quality facilities and concessions. Great staff. Incredible artist line-ups and good sound. The whole place had a great feel and the crowd was happy and cool. Loved it.

Shame

Having first heard this band earlier this year on Radio 6 and really diggin the single Concrete, I decided that they would be a great band to catch live, and kept my eyes open for any shows. In February I bought tickets for their November O2 Kentish Town Forum show, but was a bit disappointed at how long off that was. My concert friend, Janey, asked if I was interested in this festival, and as you may or may not know from reading this blog, I am NOT a fan of festivals, but she convinced me and told me how amazing Nick Cave is live. Since then Shame got added to the line-up, so I was thrilled to get to see them sooner, even if it is in a festival atmosphere.

Brief placeholder to comment on how great Baxter Dury, Patti Smith and Nick Cave were, particularly the latter. One of the best live performances I've had the pleasure to see.

more soon....

The Streets @ O2 Academy Brixton - April 26, 2018

Loved this show way more than I thought I would. There was such a good vibe from both Mike Skinner and the audience, which was full of plenty of diehard fans.

Skinner is such a charismatic showman and chatted to us throughout the night, encouraging circle pits and good vibes. The songs were his greatest hits and delivered with infectious energy and joy. It was easy to see a good and sweaty time was had by all.


Setlist
Turn the Page
Let's Push Things Forward / Urban Hero
Don't Mug Yourself
Everything is Borrowed
Has It Come to This? / Little Man
Never Went to Church
Too Much Brandy
It's Too Late
Could Well Be In
Going Through Hell
The Escapist
Heaven for the Weather
Dry Your Eyes
Encore
Your Wave God's Wave God / Open the Till
Boys Will Be Boys
Weak Become Heroes
Blinded by the Lights
Fit But You Know it (with Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor mixed in)

Cabbage @ Norwich Arts Centre - April 13, 2018

I really enjoyed this show. To my amateur ear, Cabbage's performance was tight and the sound was really clean and good. While I love the energy and rawness of their music, I really wasn't expecting this level of quality from such a young band.

The two frontmen, Lee Broadbent and Joe Martin, looked comfortable on stage and were both compelling to watch as they traded vocal duties back and forth. Broadbent seemed bolstered by some liquid courage, but without detracting from his performance. Eoghan Clifford on guitar shared the limelight during Perdurabo, a song I have a new appreciation for after hearing it live. Stephen Evans and Asa Morley on bass and drums respectively were solid while blending into the background.

I'd read that Cabbage usually start their shows with an explosion of energy and end up shirtless, sweaty and crowd surfing. So, when they kicked off with the slow Reptiles State Funeral I puzzled over the choice and think it would have fit in better later in their set. They followed it up with the agressively energetic Uber Capitalist Death Trade, so all was forgiven. Unfortunately, during the show anyone attempting to crowd surf was manhandled down by an over-watchful bouncer, so it's not surprising the energy didn't peak as it could have, and the boys in the band never reached that point themselves. A jacket or two came off, and Broadbent came down to our level and enthusiastically sang to us from his side of the barricade, but that was it. No encore was forthcoming but I don't think they do them as a rule.

Being Norwich, and this being a punk(ish) gig, there was a fair number of older punters in attendance. They all stood around the edges, while the mostly younger fans formed a circle pit having a fun old time. It was a good vibe and no one was being an asshole that I could tell.

Before the show, just after we arrived, I had a brief chat with Joe Martin in the front lobby when I asked him when they were on. He was wearing a beret and a buttoned-up short trenchcoat, which makes sense when you find out he did performance poetry before the band formed. He said he liked my Sleaford Mods shirt in a low-key Northern accent, and I found out he has an aunt who lives near where I'm from in Canada.

Setlist
Reptiles State Funeral
Uber Capitalist Death Trade
Arms of Pleonexia
Preach to the Converted
Molotov Alcopop
Disinfect Us
Terrorist Synthesizer
Gibraltar Ape
Exhibit A
Dinner Lady
Perdurabo
Postmodernist Caligula
Necroflat In The Palace

Skinny Lister / Beans on Toast @ Norwich Waterfront - November 30, 2017

This show was part of the Double Trouble Tour: Beans on Toast and then Skinny Lister. Beans on Toast served up a big chunk of his almost stream-of-consciousness rap/sung folk songs. I get the feeling he is extremely prolific and just dumps his stuff on the audience. I couldn't help feeling that he might instead slow down and more carefully craft what he does, but maybe I'm missing the point of his output. It was certainly entertaining though, and he is engaging and fun, as he veers between the political and the personal. He had 4 musicians backing him up, which I understand isn't normal for him. I enjoyed his introduction of the violin player: she used to play with Lord of the Dance but quit when they wouldn't let her skip their performance for Donald Trump. Many cheers for that story.

Skinny Lister is a new discovery for me. They are about to release their fourth album (springtime?) and tour unrelentingly. It shows. Their set is tight and crazy fun. All the band members are natural entertainers and provide a great night of jumping around and singing along. But I have to single out the indefatigable Lorna Thomas, singer and whirling ball of energy. She is flanked by her husband on guitar and sharing singing duties, and her brother, on accordian, who along with the rest of the band all have spotlight moments that richochet between band members. They share their energy and essence, and delight the crowd as one cohesive, and churning engine delivering (what they call) Shanty Punk. I'd love to see them live again, and will wait impatiently for the next album.

Setlist:
Tragedy in A Minor
Christmas Calls
Cathy
My Life, My Architecture
Geordie Lad
The Devil in Me
John Kanaka
Rollin' Over
Trouble on Oxford Street
Bonny Away
Wanted
This is War
Hamburg Drunk
Encore:
Beat It From the Chest
This Christmas (with Beans on Toast)

-Setlist is approximate. They might have played Thing Like That and George's Glass among others.

Sleaford Mods @ UEA, Norwich - November 8, 2017

Janey turned me onto TCR about a year ago and I was immediately hooked. I don't get crazy excited about many bands these days, but I am so impressed and obsessed with Sleaford Mods. They are proof music can still deeply effect me. It seems fitting that the duo are about my age, and so was a large part of the crowd at tonight's show. But this isn't sad old people music. This is punk and vibrant and angry as fuck. Even if Jason Williamson denies being punk; this is the very definition in 2017.

Openers Nachthexen are a female quartet with a keyboard replacing the guitar in the usual expected line-up. They don't have a full album released yet, just a couple of EPs (if that's what they're still called). Their sound is very reminiscent of X-Ray Spex, particularly the female screamy lyrics. I'm sure their sound will grow and diversify before much longer, but what they have right now is still pretty good and appealing. All four have a disinterested stage presence; too cool or too focused on their instruments to do much else.

Jason Williamson has the polar opposite of a disinterested stage presence! He is mesmerizing to watch. His physicality is irrepressible, full of posturing, twitching, and tics and marching around with the mic stand. The lighting set up and plain backdrop silhouettes clouds of dispersing spit as he raps his vitriolic lyrics. Andrew Fearn, the music producer as it were, seemed to be loving the night, frequently grinning as he vigourously bops his head along to the beats he's created.

The setlist is very English Tapas heavy. My pre-show research showed that they don't vary the setlist, so I knew not to expect some of my favourite tracks from their earlier albums. But, as this is my first time seeing them, I didn't mind at all. It helps that I love just about everything they do. Out of the 15 songs pre-encore, the SMs played 11 of the 12 tracks on their recent album. We got TCR mid-set which fired everyone up, and then an absolute cracker of an encore, which a group of young men couldn't resist, rushing down front to start up a moshpit. Perfect.

As fits the age of the band and the crowd, the volume wasn't deafening and the sound was incredibly clean and clear. The only tiny downside was the lights on the crowd that messed with taking a decent photo, but I did my best. Next time they play nearby, I'm going! With their current output of new material, it shouldn't be long before they're on the road with a new batch of songs. Top!

Setlist:
I Feel So Wrong
Army Nights
Just Like We Do
Snout
Moptop
Dull
Carlton Touts
I Can Tell
TCR
Time Sands
Routine Dean
Jolly Fucker
Drayton Manored
Cuddly
BHS
Encore:
Jobseeker
Tied Up in Nottz
Tweet Tweet Tweet

Air Traffic @ Islington Assembly Hall, London - October 9, 2017

Air Traffic have been performing a handful of gigs to celebrate their only album, Fractured Life's 10th anniversary. This is an added-on date due to the first shows selling out quickly.

I discovered Air Traffic shortly after their 1st album was released in 2007 when I was loving all the British new wave of post punk revival bands and the like at this time. 2008 was a packed concert year for me and seeing Air Traffic open for Elbow in an Anglican Church in Vancouver was one of that year's sweeter musical moments. I vividly remember the opening duo of drums that begins No More Running Away acoustically filling the church. It was uplifting and almost spiritual. Just beautiful.

The other memory is the hard pew Steve and I had to endure, and how the mellowness of Elbow had set Steve nodding off before the end of their set. Still, it was a uniquely lovely show in a unique venue. Air Traffic remain one of only two bands I've gone to see specifically when they are still opening acts. Elbow was just bonus.

When I stumbled across this gig it was pure luck. We had been listening to some of their songs that are favourites and I happened to look them up to see if they had done anything lately. Such great timing. Steve was actually happy to go with me. I couldn't quite believe it but he was singing along towards the end. That was fun to experience.

I predicted that the audience would be mellow, but I've been surprised before. This time, however, I was spot on. The crowd was exactly what you'd expect: late 20s, 30-something mainly; many in couples, and not a mosher in sight. This fit perfectly with the singer's banter about getting older. He finished Take Your Hands Off Me by saying "God knows what we were so angry about." The crowd could clearly identify. They laughed when he introduced This Old Town as Bournemouth, and told us it's the town  they're from, were desperate to get out of, and all now live once again.

Chris Wall and the rest of the band were clearly enjoying themselves and he continued the audience interaction with charm. By the end of the set and in the encore we had three big singalongs to Your Fractured Life, No More Running Away and Shooting Star. In fact, when the set ended and the crowd kept up the "No More Running Aways", Wall did a cartoonish slow-motion running escape from the stage and the whole band was brought back as we all kept up the chant. I wondered if this had happened every night, but checked out some videos of other nights and suspect this may have been original. It would be a fitting piece of appreciation on Air Traffic's last night of this particular group of reunion shows.

The sound was great. Not too loud and no ringing ears today. They performed tightly and with energy and joy and it was an enjoyable concert. The penultimate song was introduced with the information it is a newly written track that has just been released as a single and humourously that "Album 2 is riding on it. No pressure." I like it and would be really pleased for more material and to see them get back to doing something they obviously love. Wall thanked a host of people, but particularly the band, singling out their drummer, David Ryan Jordan, as the real impetus behind the reunion. Cheers David!


Setlist:
Just Abuse Me
Never Even Told Me Her Name
Time Goes By
Can't Go Back
Come On
Empty Space
I Can't Understand
This Old Town
Charlotte
I Like That
Take Your Hands Off Me
Get In Line
An End To All Our Problems
Your Fractured Life
No More Running Away
Encore:
The Running Caught Me High
Almost Human
Shooting Star

Against Me! @ WUK, Vienna - December 18, 2016

Despite the one hour delay to start the show, this is one of the better Against Me! shows I've seen (I'm up to 7 now.) There was a good vibe and lots of smiling from the band. I went with friend and fellow Against Me! fan, Janey who's a great concert pal. As opposed to London where they played 7 tracks off the new album, Shape Shift With Me, tonight they only played 5. The new song Norse Truth wasn't done in London and was the penultimate song during the encore. Kind of a lyrical follow up to Delicate, Petite & Other Things I'll Never Be which they also played.

A huge highlight of the night for me was when they played their cover of Clash song Train in Vain. I'd seen videos, but it was cool to get to see and hear it live and jump around like a mad woman. I got the feeling not everyone around me was as familiar, which was strange. Does that make me old?

WUK is a really nice venue to see a show. It has a 550 standing capacity, so a good size, plus good sitelines. It's basically one big square room with concrete floor and a wide raised stage at one end. The room next door is the bar and set up really well. The efficient bar staff were all friendly. They have reusable drink cups, so that's great. Best of all, they stayed open after the gig so we could have another drink or two after the show without being rushed out. What a treat! It was also really easy to get in and out without logjams. Even the bathrooms were easy. Such a great venue really helps improve a concert experience immeasurably.

Setlist:
True Trans Soul Rebel
333
Haunting, Haunted, Haunts
Unconditional Love
White Crosses
Dead Friend
Pints of Guinness Make You Strong
T.S.R. (This Shit Rules)
Cliche Guevara
Walking Is Still Honest
Bamboo Bones
White People for Peace
Delicate, Petite & Other Things I'll Never Be
Rebecca
Transgender Dysphoria Blues
I Was a Teenage Anarchist
Black Me Out

Encore:
Train in Vain (Clash cover)
FUCKMYLIFE666
Norse Truth
Sink, Florida, Sink