Brendan Benson: The Koko / March 5^th 2010

Originally, I was going to write about a 30 Seconds to Mars gig a couple of weeks back. It was a good show, with anthems, flashing lights and huge screens, however after the ringing in my ears had subsided I discovered it was missing the three things that this gig had in spades, heart, soul, and a shed-load of utterly brilliant songs. And to be honest, many bands can stick a huge amp stack behind them and play at being rock stars for an evening, but it takes a special talent to write a bunch of songs that send shivers down the spine and make you go weak at the knees on the first listen.

You might know Benson as the “Other half” in The Raconteurs with Jack White, what you might not know is that bar a few album fillers, he is the main creative force behind them, so the fact that he still can’t quite sell out the 1,500 capacity Koko is quite frankly criminal. Songs like I’m Blessed, Tiny Spark and Cold Hands (Warm Heart) are all strong arguments that there is still nothing quite like a guy with a Telecaster poring his heart and soul out to you and only you with a large dose of melody on the side. Sure, some of the songs sound similar, but when they sound that good, I’m not complaining!

He opens with quite possibly the greatest opening salvo I’ve ever seen at a rock gig in my life, Folksinger into Good to Me into Eyes on the Horizon into Spit It Out and suddenly everyone in the audience is in reserved raptures, observing this ridiculously talented man do what he does best. The latter song providing the most exhilarating moment of the night as the drums crash into the chorus, the guitars roar and the high harmonies (provided expertly by Bass player Jared Reynolds and Guitarist Mark Watrous) perfectly complement Benson’s timeless croon.

After the plutonium-powered opening, the pace slows into a settled ramble which jars a little with the previous frenetic pace, but then he plays Cold Hands (Warm Heart) and all is forgiven. The slowing down means that the audience can now properly lose themselves in the songs, rather than watch in awe as they rattle past. It’s important to note that this is no less awesome than before, but it’s a very different kind of awesome, one that is more like listening to a record you’ve heard many times before and finding things you never heard before, except in a surprisingly chilly converted theatre in Camden. Such as life!

If I had one quibble about the set it’s that the sound really screws up an otherwise graceful Garbage Day and the band seem to notice, playing with less abandon than before and ending the main set on a slightly confused note. And it threatens to derail the momentum of the entire gig; however they come from backstage rejuvenated and ready to unleash Bensons best song, the at once hopeful and unequivocally sad What I’m Looking For, and with that song, the night is saved. A Graham Nash cover and Feel like Taking You Home from Benson’s latest album My Old, Familiar Friend, and the gig is over. A great night and a firm statement of the importance of a well written guitar-pop song which too many take for granted.

9/10

The Wildhearts - Islington Academy - 22nd December

After being quite possibly the drunkest band of the nineties, The Wildhearts have gone on to be one of the most consistent bands of the "noughties" (Christ I feel so dirty whenever I say that...) getting straight back on track with the albums "The Wildhearts must be destroyed", "The Wildhearts" and last years spectacular "Chutzpah!". But on this "Xmess tour", tonight is all about the classics, and what classics they are.

Now, before we get any actual reviewing done, it must be noted that The Wildhearts are not cool. Unfairly so. The major exposure they've had this decade was being supported by (and humiliatingly enough, supporting) cock rock clowns The Darkness. But in all seriousness, who gives a flying fuck? Not me, Not Ginger, not anyone in this utterly rammed venue, and fuck me sideways and call me Noddy, we're right. Who's going to get this much pleasure out of nodding along in a detached manner to These New Puritans? Idiots that's who.

Anyway. After rock-etting on stage to Vanilla Radio (hur-hur), the band give a simultaneously relaxed, yet raging performance. This is far from the biggest gig they've played and they know it, they're playing in front of people who know the band, know what they'll get and get it in spades, yet it still feels as fresh as a daisy doused in febreeze. Between songs the frenzied mosh pit calms and Ginger either starts tossing guitar picks into the audience straight from the hapless roadies hand, or telling long, rambling stories like a slightly pissed best mate (It's that or introducing the "Pilled up Pug" from the top of his amp, I say time for a fifth member lads. he's small, furry and powered by two double A batteries) .

A quick break and the band returns with the heavy artillery, "29 x The Pain", iron clad newie "The Jackson Whites", a euphoric "My Baby is a Headfuck" and a rendition of "I Wanna Go Where the People Go" that tears the roof off the building and hurls it into the cold Islington night. A truly astonishing performance from one of British Rocks unsung heroes that leaves a smile on everyone in the rooms face.

Songs of The Night: Sucker Punch - The Jackson Whites - 29 x The Pain

The Battle is Won

Placebo - 02 Arena - 9th December

Placebo are an odd band. Perennially one of those bands who you've heard of but can't hum a tune of theirs and yet one that can sell out a sizable chunk of the 20'000 capacity 02 arena. In many ways a perfect place for a band to be, huge and utterly dedicated fan base, totally critic proof and no unwanted attention from anyone else. And after return-from-the-wilderness album Battle For The Sun, an MTV award for best alternative band and new drummer Steve Forrest, they seem to be, in front man Brian Molko's words, "reinvigorated, refreshed and ready to take on the world". The good news is, he's dead on the money!

Live, Placebo have so many people on stage they make Arcade Fire look like The White Stripes, there's a guitarist/bassist, five piece string section, five piece brass section and two keyboard players to complement the core trio. However, its very rare that they feel extraneous, a feat akin to canoeing the Atlantic using a traffic cone and a toothpick, and as a massive sheet in front of the stage drops to reveal the band pummeling into For What its Worth, the night begins.

The fact the band can get away with so many new songs is encouraging, certainly, some of the new songs provide some of the best moments (the aforementioned For What its Worth, Devil in the Detail, a Never-Ending Why that sends shivers) and for a band so resolutely image based as Placebo, the night belongs to the songs. Some screens and lights provide a backdrop but never take precedence (save for a strange video between main set and the encore featuring a women not wearing very much slowly rotating).

Placebo are a band that fans genuinely love, as I was told by many before the gig, and its definitely reciprocated, how else would they be able to create a set list that is so perfectly placed between old and new that it sends people genuinely apeshit. it's either love or a scarily automated machine that targets emotions, and the look on the entire bands collective face at the feedback soaked wig-out of a climax at the end of Taste in Men makes it undoubtedly love.

Songs of the night: Infa-red - For What its Worth - Taste in Men - The Never Ending Why

"Master"-ful?

Speaking in Tounges - Duke of York Theatre - December 11th

So I'll be frank, the reason I was at the Duke of York Theatre was to see John Simm in person. I am a complete fanboy, he was excellent in 24 Hour Party People, Life on Mars and Doctor Who and I'd been meaning to see this for a long time. I'd been expecting a cop drama, as i'd read that Simm plays a detective, but what I got was more personal, stranger and unsettling than I could have ever imagined.

The play seems to cram in as many ideas as possible, and because of that, just barely makes sense. the basic plot is that two married couples, Leon (Simm) and Sonja (Lucy Cohu), and Pete (Ian Hart) and Jane (Kerry Fox), are on the rocks, and an unintentional wife swap occurs. However, only Leon and Jane go all the way, Pete and Sonja get cold feet and part into the night. After confessing, Jane and Leon go on to tell their partners of unsettling events that happened while they were away.

After that is where the play gets confusing, in the second act all four actors take on different roles that are from the stories told in the first, they spiral into other stories from those affected, before coming full circle back to the original characters. The play is technically impressive in many ways, the set design is inspired and the opening scene, a comment on how similar the swapped couples' night is, is a stunning show of the acting talent on display, however the plot just spirals into coincidence and interlinking and there is no satisfying clunk as everything falls into place. Call me a philistine, but I like my plays to make sense after the second half of the second act.

As I said before, the collective talent on display is ridiculous, the actors all make the best of a confusing situation and save it from being the impenetrable mess it could have easily been, but its not quite enough to make it an experience that genuinely draws you in and make you care about the characters introduced in the second half. But in conclusion, I'm glad I saw it. It was at least a solid character study that unfortunately tried to introduce too many ideas for its own good.

hmmm, what do I do with this now...

Hey!
i'm will, and if you're reading this you probably know it... anyway, i'll be probably using this for reviewing Gigs, Music and plays, and basically anything that crosses my mind while i'm up here. if I remember to do it. it's likely that i won't always. anyway, enjoy my musical ramblings!