THE winner of April's Reviewer of the Month is:
Gogol Bordello @ Academy 1
Anita Gocoul
TREMBLING, disorientated and exhausted I stumbled out of the Academy and turned to my mate, “I’ve just been battered by music!” and indeed we had.
Gypsy-punk sensation Gogol Bordello is the immense music force that had reduced us to sweat, frizz and a level of giddiness that is unprecedented in adulthood.
They make no sense, visually or vocally but somehow everything about them is right. I felt like I’d been to seven different gigs and travelled the world in the space of a few hours; I was amazed to be back on Oxford Rd, shivering at 10:45pm.
The level of enthusiasm, energy and euphoria that is belted out with every song is sent proudly out into crowd forcing erratic, dangerous movements from everyone it hits.
The encore was immense. They teased the crowd for what felt like hours as they slowly built it up. The anticipation was unbearable; people were cracking under the excitement, screams here and there until finally… release!
An explosion of banging beats, jumping, noise, screams, everything you could have ever hoped for.
I first saw Gogol Bordello at a very soggy Glastonbury last year and they brought the sunshine momentarily with them, but nothing prepared me for what they did to me in Manchester.
Gogol Bordello, we are not worthy!
---
And the best of the rest...
James @ Blackpool Empress Ballroom
Stephanie Webb
THIS is the closest to a hometown gig that this tour gets. Saul Davies, guitar, violin and percussion player, even greets the crowd, ‘Hello Manchester’.
Upside, from the new album Hey Ma, is a well received opener with its infectious singalong chorus though it’s Born of Frustration which stirs the nostalgia and brings the capacity crowd to life.
Tonight, the setlist seamlessly integrates old and new. Oh My Heart and Boom Boom are equally as brilliant as the life-affirming Waltzing Along. Oh my Heart showcases Tim Booth’s vocals whilst Boom Boom is anthemic and, you feel, defiant.
Bizarrely, Hey Ma has become a joyous singalong to rival any old school hit. It’s upbeat tune is completely at odds with its subject of war fatalities but it doesn’t seem coincidental that Hey Ma has outlived 72, a second political song, in the setlist. Maybe its mix of happy and sinister is genius or maybe it’s just darn catchy.
There’s no such ambiguity when it comes to the gorgeous Of Monsters and Heroes and Men. Barely a gig at Empress Ballroom goes by without a reviewer paying tribute to the ornate venue and it certainly adds another element to this epic, which is simultaneously beautiful and haunting. It’s simply mesmerising and feeds perfectly into I Wanna Go Home.
Next we’re on the home stretch with the big hits, like She’s A Star and Say Something, interrupted only by Whiteboy which is cheeky, energetic and fantastic fun.
Sometimes proves a more than ample replacement for the iconic Sit Down. The crowd need no prompting to singalong with gusto and at length. It’s an uplifting end to the night. The fans are ecstatic and the band visibly moved.
James' fans should be full of hope for the band’s future. A victorious night.
---
The Glass Menagerie @ Royal Exchange
Elizabeth Fortune
I WARNED my companion that he may find this adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ bleak tragedy to be draining, and I may cry as I had done as an earnest teenager reading the play.
Sadly, any such emotional connection to the play was lost at the Exchange amidst the lazy and inappropriate responses of an audience more interested in belly-laughs than the subtle torment a young man’s torn soul.
Some of Williams’ most heartbreaking lines were met with roars of laughter: at one point Brenda Blethyn’s Amanda Wingfield tells her crippled daughter that she looks “as pretty as… you ever will”, which everyone seemed to think was a cracking one-liner.
The biggest laugh, however, was saved for the moment where Amanda hit her son on the head with a hairbrush – at which point the slapstick-loving audience obviously thought they’d had a great night out.
Whether the cast fully intended to play out a screwball comedy, or whether they just played along when the audience started to laugh, they contributed at least a little.
Mark Arends’ Tom was the worst offender, with a portrayal lacking in subtlety. Rather than inner-turmoil, I saw a bit of a brat.
It’s a shame because the set was impressive, Emma Hamilton’s Laura was restrained and moving, and the final lines delivered by Tom were still affecting. Played to a silent audience, this could have been great.
As it was, anyone not familiar with the play before, may well have gone home believing it to be a comedy.
Maybe I was just too earnest back then, maybe the audience’s laughter was a nervous one counterbalancing the tension of the piece, but personally, I like my tragedies bleak.
---
Dara O Briain @ The Lowry
Daniel Seifert
I WOKE up this morning with a dull ache in my cheekbones and stomach. Why? Last night I watched Dara O Briain, and spent most of his show alternately grinning or guffawing like a loon. There’s no point in couching it in eloquence – this man is bloody hilarious.
The show started with Dara – no warm-up act needed for this guy. He strolled onstage with all the confidence of a man who knows he can hold an audience in the palm of his hand and make them quite literally wet themselves with laughter.
Yet at any point in the show he just seems like ‘the funny guy’ at a pub, cracking a few jokes to his mates. This must be why he’s so massively popular; he banters with the audience and treats them like equals during his freeform, improvised gigs.
Most of the comedy comes from how he reacts to the answers to his various inane questions: At one point he asked “What don’t you want to have happened in a house that you’re buying?”, to which someone bellowed “Wars with whores!” – an answer that would have stumped any ordinary mortal, but the superhumanly witty Irishman simply spun it into a gag: “That would make for an interesting show, wouldn’t it? Today on ‘Wars with Whores’ we’re here with Tanya, and we’ll be asking her about the Crimean conflict…”.
Classic.
Early into his set he told us he’d almost called his show ‘You Had to Be There’. I’m glad I was.
---
The Kills @ Academy 3
Daniel Seifert
YOU can’t get much cooler than The Kills. They’re like a funkier White Stripes, with a sexy, minimalist vibe that throbs darkly throughout their hypnotic music. Sadly, little of this seemed to manifest itself onstage.
The evening kicked off with their support band, These New Puritans, who would have been mediocre had they not been so appalling.
Their lead singer had no rhythm, and the rest of the band seemed so apathetic they might as well have been waiting for a bus.
I walked out after their second song. I worried that I was growing old before my time, thinking “they just sounded like noise!”. Luckily, fears for my musical taste abated when what seemed like the entire audience rapidly joined me at the union bar for a drink.
When I returned, eager for The Kills to restore my spirits, I was pleased, if only for a while.
Their opener U.R.A Fever had all the trademarks of guitarist Hotel’s throbbing tones and VV’s sexy, crooning voice that blend together to form hypnotic music that pounds into your skull like a jackhammer.
But not many songs later I realized, sadly, that The Kills are one of those bands that just sound better on your iPod than in person.
Yes, favourites like Fried My Little Brains still had me bobbing my head crazily along with everyone else, but on the whole they lacked energy, and seemed to be going through the motions.
After the lackluster closer Good Night Bad Morning (what a dull song to end on!), they stumbled offstage, to polite fanfare. I went home and listened to their classics – Pull a U, Cat Claw, No Wow – and reminded myself that The Kills are still a good band.
---
Black Kids @ Mint Lounge
Tom Whittaker
AMIDST the fanfare and hype of bands who are saddled with the NME seal of approval we usually miss the most important thing; the music.
Floridian indie-pop-disco-soul five-piece 'Black Kids' are the latest bunch to seemingly come out of nowhere to rapturous critical acclaim before they've even had an official release, but on the evidence of their packed out Mint Lounge show on a wet 'n' wild Thursday evening it seems that, for once, the hype may be justified.
Delivering songs that combine the playground chants of the Go! Team with twisted pop melodies and beats that ensure the crowd don't stop moving for a minute, frontman Reggie Youngblood and his gang keep the energy high and the mood joyous.
The formula seems simple enough, but they fuse just enough complexity and variety to keep things interesting rather than repetitive.
It's strange to see so many people singing along to songs that haven't even been released yet, but the MySpace revolution has meant that bands can build up a fanbase long before they've even been seen by the A&R heads of a record company.
It also helps that Black Kids give away their self-released debut EP as a free download, an increasingly popular marketing strategy in the digital age.
Black Kids performance is energetic and slick, and it's hard to decipher who's having more fun out of the band and the audience, but as they close the short set with debut single 'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You' I decide to call it a draw.
---
Aiden @ Academy 2
Jessica Thornsby
SEATTLE pop-punk outfit Aiden take to the stage to such a rapturous reception that it’s almost impossible to hear a capella show-opener ‘Opening Departure'.
Right from the start it’s clear that, for tonight’s crowd, Aiden can do no wrong. Rather than take advantage of this, Aiden feed off the crowd’s enthusiasm and deliver a focused and furious set.
Lead Singer wiL has stage presence in abundance, mixing genuine charisma with a slight demonic edge as he stalks the stage, revelling in the role of frontman.
Their set is gimmick-free, devoid of gushing speeches about how great their fans are and how they’re living their dreams, as Aiden concentrate on pouring all their energies into burning through their set.
The one spectacle they do indulge in is wiL Francis clamouring up onto the speakers to perform a death-defying leap into the crowd that has the entire audience craning their necks to check whether he’s survived the fall in one piece.
Tonight’s setlist draws mostly from latest album ‘Conviction’.
This is met with circle pits and raised voices a plenty, but it’s the older material such as ‘Die Romantic’ and ‘The Last Sunrise’ which receive the truly fanatical reception. When wiL calls for a wall of death during oldie ‘The Suffering’ it ends up being the length and, amazingly, very nearly the breadth of the room.
Tonight was one of those rare occasions when both crowd and band are bursting with enthusiasm, and when this is the case an exhilarating gig is assured.
Aiden are a band on top form at the moment and, coupled with such a dedicated fan base, it seems likely that they’ll soon be laying waste to venues far bigger than Academy 2.
---
Mavis Staples @ Bridgewater Hall
Victor Chen
MAVIS Staples took to the stage with aplomb, preaching a strong sermon that made clear what she stood for and what her lifelong passion was.
In between songs, she spoke of a time of segregation, of her time in The Staples Singers, led by her father Pop Staples and of their travels with Dr Martin Luther King as he spread his seminal message.
She spoke not with a sense of bitterness, but with a sense of purpose and a good dose of humour.
The definitive moment was when she recounted how, in the face of discrimination and impending police action, a group of them linked hands and sang a song which she then launched into, 'We Shall Not Be Moved'.
Though it has been appropriated for various other causes of similar or less worthy note, her heartfelt rendition made it sound like it was purpose-written and it was certainly an excellent cap on a set-list of gritty blues-influenced spirituals and protest songs.
And a gracious front-lady she was, giving her backup singers lead duties and her guitarist prime stage time to dazzle as she took seat at the back, perhaps a concession to age but not without clapping along and shouting encouragement.
However, at no point was it ever in question who presided over this court. Though time had taken its toll on her vocal range and timbre, there was no denying the intensity of
her performance.
She exuded a charisma that comes with decades on the road, borne out of a love for her craft and dedication to her cause.
Absent were the vocal acrobatics common in a genre that bears little resemblance to its original namesake. Instead, with her earthy baritone she put the blues back in RnB, and the soul back in soul.
---
The Beach Boys @ Apollo
Martin Hutchinson
IT might have been a cold rainy night in Manchester, but in the Apollo it was definitely summer as the legendary Beach Boys took to the stage for the last night of their 2008 British tour.
They started in fine style with ‘Do It Again’ and the hits just kept on comin’. ‘Surfin’ Safari’, ‘Surfing USA’, ‘When I Grow Up To Be a Man’. I could list them all, but you know the hits of The Beach Boys.
Most bands manage about 20 - 25 songs in the course of a concert; these guys did over two dozen in the first half! Particular mention must go to ‘The Warmth of the Sun’ and the Dennis Wilson composition ‘Forever’, they were just sublime.
In the second half we had over 20 songs and in a special section they performed ‘Hearts Full of Spring’ accapella and some semi-acoustic numbers, before finishing off the show in style with ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice’, ‘Good Vibrations’ and ‘Fun Fun Fun’.
The sell out audience lapped it all up and some were on their feet before the end of the first song, and by the end everyone was up, clapping and singing. The band were spot on musically and the vocal harmonies had to be heard to be believed. Brian Wilson would have been proud. (Although it has to be said that founder member Mike Love’s voice was occasionally lost in the mix).
At one point, another stalwart - Bruce Johnston - shouted out, “Isn’t this a great way to spend a Saturday night?!”
Yes, it was Bruce, you’ve never said a truer word.
---
Jethro Tull @ The Lowry
Keith Oliver
RATHER like the heavy horses Ian sings about, Tull have ploughed their own musical furrow throughout their 40 years, never fashionable but quintessentially English.
Despite never having had chart 'hit' since the early Seventies they still manage to fill their tours as with this Lowry show.
The atmosphere was sadly subdued throughout the evening, having a rock concert whilst two plays are being performed at the Lowry does impact on sound. Even Ian's sparkling wit seemed a little laclustre.
Still for all those Tull fans they did play some more obscure numbers seldom performed from their early years. However one of the biggest cheers of the night was for a track from Broadsword and the Beast, Pussy Willow an album neglected live since being aired in the early eighties.
It was a night for the true fan, who could forgive the limitations of the venue, Ian's increasingly 'helium' induced vocals and a unecessary opening act. It was night of personal nostalgia, visually, thanks to an enormous backdrop Tull archive shots and musically through their vast back catalogue.
---
Jethro Tull @ The Lowry
Jay Tilzey
I HAVE seen The Mighty Tull (copyright Steve Coogan's Saxondale) many times over the years, but this was the best of the lot.
The show had been getting a little tired and repetitive in recent years, and I wasn't expecting much with the 40th Anniversary providing another excuse for a dearth of new material (nothing since Tull.Com, nearly a decade ago) - but my, didn't they freshen things up!
A genuine retrospective, with a couple of numbers recorded only for the BBC early in the set, and selections chosen from the '60s to the '90s (the latter being a high point - Beside Myself from 1996's Roots To Branches).
I hadn't heard Witch's Promise live before, so even a two minute snatch as part of a medley was wonderful. (Neither, sadly, have I ever heard them play Life Is A Long Song, so perhaps it was optimistic of the M.E.N. reviewer to expect it).
The singer and guitarist from Mostly Autumn (sorry, I don't know their names) opened with a couple of harmless acoustic numbers, but really clicked into gear when Anderson et al joined them onstage.
Tull then went straight into their own set, finishing the first half with Bouree and opening the second section with a wonderful, lengthy workout of Heavy Horses.
I can probably survive without hearing Aqualung or Locomotive Breath ever again, but Anderson's infectious enthusiasm invested them with new life.
Contrast the kinetic, hyperactive and hilarious Anderson with the monolithic Van Morrison at the Bridgewater recently (brilliant music notwithstanding). Martin Lancelot Barre also deserves a mention - surely the most underrated guitarist ever? A fabulous technician, capable of cranking out great riffs too.
A great show in a beautiful venue - The Lowry's staff are helpful to a fault and no quibbles from me about the audience - we're not getting any younger you know, and stage diving is probably beyond us now!
---
Jethro Tull @ The Lowry
Martin Hutchinson
STARTING with their biggest UK hit (“our ONLY f*****g one” quipped singer Ian Anderson) – ‘Living in the Past’, for a couple of hours a full house at The Lowry certainly lived in the past as Mr Anderson MBE and the latest incarnation of Jethro Tull - complete with long-standing guitarist Martin Barre - treated us to the best of a unique band.
Anderson’s singing is an acquired taste, but all attending had acquired it a long time ago. There was a little of everything: blues, jazz, folk rock and a bit of prog rock, and most of Tull’s iconic tracks were performed.
‘Thick as a Brick’, ‘Witch’s Promise’, ‘Aqualung’, ‘Heavy Horses, and a lot that haven’t been done for a long time - if at all. ‘One for John Gee’ and ‘Dharma For One’ amongst them. Ian’s environmentalist side came out on the track ’Farm on the Freeway’; and of course there was the rousing encore of ‘Locomotive Breath’.
A highlight of the show just had to be ‘Serenade to a Cuckoo’, where the flute playing (and singing at the same time), showed what a class act Jethro Tull is.
The hair may not be wild and windswept, and the cod piece might have been put away, but the mannerisms, such as playing whilst standing on one leg were intact.
All in all a superb and fitting celebration of one of rock music’s premier acts.
Think you can do better? If you fancy entering - click here .
Tweet
