The Soul Traders @ Fiddler's Elbow - September 7, 2018

Now that I'm living in London, I'm looking forward to checking out the smaller live music venues and hopefully find some favourites. Other than the Monarch in Camden I'm pretty clueless, but as I find some places, I'll try to remember to post about them here.

First discovery: Fiddler's Elbow in Kentish Town.

Was looking for something interesting and close by since the closer the venue, the more likely it will become a regular haunt for me. After some googling and listening to some online tracks I chose to go check out The Soul Traders at The Fiddler's Elbow. It was a 3-band lineup but as my guy agreed to go with me, I was pretty sure it wouldn't be an all-nighter for us. We only stayed for the first band, as the second was too 90s American-style grunge (in a bad Pearl Jam way) for my taste.

The venue is very bare bones but pretty awesome. Couple tables, couple couches, a back bar, main bar and a big open floor in front of a small, raised stage with not bad sight lines from most spots. 150 capacity makes it intimate. Bar service was friendly and pretty quick. Sound was clean and good volume.

The crowd tonight was pretty basic in the sense that it wasn't all subculture looks - just normal, mainly younger people; although there were a few older folk too which is great to see, us included!

The Soul Traders really impressed me. They were four young guys, but pretty tight and demonstrating some impressive songwriting chops. Some songs, like Ghost Train were guitar-centred 90's Britpop singalongs, similar to Supergrass. They definitely like their 50s rockabilly guitar. Think Eddy Cochran. Then I had flashes of Beach Boys melodies, followed by almost Libertines, twangyiness with dual-vocals. The song Fun recalls the Cribs, but this is a cover of a Skegss song. The vocals were pretty off-key frequently but not enough to ruin the overall infectious and upbeat sound. Jerusalem is chugging, pretty, but lyrically reaching for something more than just a standard pop song. I hope they are knowingly quoting Lennon's "you may call me a dreamer, but I'm not the only one". I was almost reminded of the Magic Numbers, but I'm not sure they would take that as a compliment. It is, unless they want to go in a weightier direction. The single guitar notes intro is reaching for epicness.

The Soul Traders capture the excitement and energy of all the artists I name above, but as they are such a young band their less than captivating stage presence isn't surprising. I hope it comes for them. Audibly, they are drawing from some excellent inspirations, and sound as though they have the talent to continue molding their own sound.

In writing this, I see they are next playing live on October 23, but the venue is across the city from me - The George Tavern in Stepney/Shadwell area - and on a Tuesday, and the day before I have another concert. Doubtful, but we'll see. Venue looks awesome tho...

Setlist (partial with some guesswork)
I Only Want to Hang Around With People Just Like You
Ghost Train
Jerusalem
Footsteps
Darker Shades
Yeah, Yeah, Not Too Bad

Notes: The show was put on by NLTS, so I'll watch for future shows. The Soul Traders name is being used by at least two pretty popular cover bands, so that might cause some issues down the road.

British Summer Time @Hyde Park - July 7, 2018

 

Editors were on first after we arrived at 4pm and we missed the first couple of songs as we tried to secure the first-come first-serve access wristbands for the fenced area in front of the stage.

Once in, I was pleased to see that singer Tom Smith was much more animated than how I remember him from 2008. He moved from keyboard to guitar to microphone, sometimes quirkily twisting his body to the music and making use of the extended stage sides to get closer to the whole audience. His red-check trucker hat and scraggly beard was a slight shock, as I think of him in a tailored suit, but the performance is far more important and that was great.

 

The sound at the Great Oak Stage was good for all the bands, and I particularly enjoyed hearing Munich and The Racing Rats live again. (I was still lined up during Smokers).

Setlist

Hallelujah (So Low)
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
Blood
Munich
Violence
No Harm
The Racing Rats
Papillon
Magazine

The Twilight Sad

First time seeing this Scottish band. They came to my attention following the sad death of Frightened Rabbit singer, Scott Hutchison. The bands have a long history being on the same early label and collaborating on things, so when I saw they performed a cover of a FRabbit song at a recent performance, I knew I didn't want to miss it if they did it again. I wasn't disappointed, as they closed their short set with Keep Yourself Warm. Never seeing a FRabbit concert, I was grateful to at least see one of their songs live and was moved by the tribute and the added lines at the end: "it's not the answer."

It's a very fitting song for Twilight Sad to cover, seeing as how singer James Graham provided extra vocals on this song for the live album Quietly Now, recorded in Glasgow in 2008.

Setlist
Last January
Don't Move
The Arbor
VTr
There's a Girl in the Corner
And She Would Darken the Memory
Keep Yourself Warm (FRabbit cover)


Interpol

I also saw Interpol live in 2008, at an outdoor festival as well. I don't think their performance has varied much since then, and (unlike Editors) was a bit disappointed that it was a similarly rather dull performance. Still, they played lots of their songs that I like and the sound was good, so I still enjoyed it.

Setlist
Not Even Jail
All the Rage Back Home
Take You on a Cruise
Obstacle 1
Rest My Chemistry
The Rover
Length of Love
Roland
Lights
Success
The New
Evil
Slow Hands

The Cure

One of the major highlights of this time seeing The Cure live was that they played Killing An Arab. This song has been omitted as too controversial for years, but was an early fave of mine from the Standing on a Beach album, and being a fan of existentialist fiction and Camus' The Stranger.

Robert Smith was gracious and endearing as he chatted to the fans between songs. He was obviously touched that this was their 40th Anniversary concert, and seemed humble and grateful for such a lengthy run.

The visuals behind the band, were good, especially after the sun set, and worked well in the vastness and open air of the festival setting. They made good use of splicing live camera shots into the effects. The sound was one of the better I've heard for open air, which I think must be so tricky. The fans were obviously international with many accents and languages and ages around us represented, but all seeming thrilled to be there.

The setlist had lots of well-known favourites in there. I remember from my first Cure concert being amazed at how long the set was - 33 songs. Although this was close at 29 songs, I never felt like it was going on too long.

Setlist
Plainsong
Pictures of You
High
A Night Like This
The Walk
The End of the World
Lovesong
Push
In Between Days
Just Like Heaven
If Only Tonight We Could Sleep
Play for Today
A Forest
Shake Dog Shake
Burn
Fascination Street
Never Enough
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Disintegration
Encore
Lullaby
The Caterpillar
Friday I'm in Love
Close to Me
Why Can't I Be You?
Boys Don't Cry
Jumping Someone Else's Train
Grinding Halt
10:15 Saturday Night
Killing An Arab

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
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