THE winner of July's Reviewer of the Month is:
Mumford and Sons @ Matt & Phreds
Katy Ratican
IT was a night where the Manchester rain proved not to be a stereotype, but those brave enough to wrestle with the elements, not to mention their brollies, were rewarded with a night of fine music that the acts themselves didn’t want to end.
With outer garments disrobed, the audience settled down to
Davie Fiddle and the Lucky Egg. Their performance was more than noteworthy; so much so that certain members of the audience thought this band were the top of the bill.
More research next time, please. But it isn’t a surprise that some believed it to be true. The recorded Davie Fiddle and the Lucky Egg does not do them justice; live they sounded much stronger and as a collective commanded the stage with a greater presence than you see from much more well-established bands.
When Mumford and Sons arrived on stage, there were no fanfares, no embellished introductions, just a simple "hello, we are Mumford and Sons and we’d like to play you some songs".
The audience, seemingly made up of established fans who knew what to expect and complete novices escaping the rain, all rallied together to hush some noisy folk at the bar. It was then you knew Mumford and Sons were not going to be some background noise.
Lead singer Marcus Mumford’s voice is unique; you are surprised by the strength of it and hardly ever did it falter on the emotion-fuelled lyrics in the set list.
Second track of the night, a surprise placing at the time, was ‘White Blank Page’, a track taken from the band’s EP ‘Lend Me Your Eyes’, is hauntingly beautiful on record and surpassed that live.
One of the tracks was introduced lead as "more slow and tender – a bit boring really". Needless to say, it wasn’t, and overall the pace of the gig was spot on; a cracking mix of heartbreaking affection and full-on hillybilly medleys.
Although this gig was an opportunity to showcase tracks from their recent EP, including Roll Away Your Stone and Liar, it was plain to see that after less than a year together, Mumford and Sons would be happy to play their tracks anytime, without reason.
Their enthusiasm for bluegrass and folk is infectious; never before has my urge to pick up a banjo been so strong.
And the best of the rest...
kd lang @ Bridgewater Hall
Chris Kirby
HAVING travelled over 200 miles to see kd lang at Oxford last week, enjoying a wonderful view from mid-theatre, we then travelled from Glastonbury in Somerset to Manchester, to indulge ourselves in front row seats just to the left of the microphone.
She looked stunning in a pure white suit which belied her wonderfully wicked sense of humour.
Even though we knew exactly what the layout of the show would be, we were thrilled to be able to enjoy from close quarters, her wonderful smile as she appreciated the applause of her audience.
The 'Watershed' tour features haunting songs of love and desire, mixed with humorous offerings about smoking and a a very quirky song entitled 'Jealous Dog', not to mention the infamous 'Miss Chatelaine', sung with much overacting and leaping around as usual. Her band were excellent, showing their skills at playing the many varied instruments as well as providing the backing singing.
Fleeting
kd's face at times showed a fleeting glimpse of tiredness, as well it might, given the relentless touring schedule that she has yet to complete, but this was just as quickly replaced by her usual concentration and energy, as she gave us over one and a half hours of non-stop stunning songs, old and new.
Her enraptured audience consisting of both sexes, young and old, straight and gay, all brought together in a single purpose - to see and hear one of the most beautiful female voices of all time. Her range of notes, from sustained lows to soaring highs held her audience spellbound, and her wonderful version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' deservedly won her a standing ovation.
Part of miss Lang's attraction is that besides being such a talented singer/songwriter she is also very humble and modest, which probably explains why she did not greet the small group of dedicated fans who gathered at the stage door, hoping to perhaps exchange a word with her, or even take a photograph or be honoured with her autograph.
Understandable that this is, it was nevertheless the only downside we could find in the otherwise perfect experience.
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Lady Boys Of Bangkok @ Sabai Pavillon
Lisa Schofield
I WENT to see the Lady Boys last Sunday at their new venue by Canal Street... it has taken me nearly a week to recover!
For the eigth year running myself and my band of merry men have booked early to reserve our “usual” table and have especially looked forward to this 10th anniversary tour… maybe we looked forward to it too much as unfortunately we all were deeply disappointed.
Each year the razzmatazz has been second to none, a well mixed blend of humour, entertainment and wow but this year they truly rained on our parade.
The costumes were shabby, the music was poor in both quality and choice and the Lady Boys looked totally disinterested.
It was more like panto than cabaret!
I know they like to do it "My Way" but this year I think they lost their way.
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Jay-Z @ M.E.N. Arena
Alex Williams
IT'S 6.30 pm, and the mood outside the M.E.N. Arena is nothing less than electrifying, gathered are people who you would not stereotype as the 'normal' rap concert goers, 'punks', and 'indie boys' all stand eagerly anticipating the night ahead to the tinny sound of '99 problems' playing through a mobile phone, nodding heads to the beat.
Inside the arena, the standing section just filling up to the sound of 'low' by Flo Rida, when the lights go out, a few minutes pass before the tension is cut by Mark Ronson swaggering onto the stage with his guitar to a rapturous applause from the audience.
After one or two lesser known numbers he gave the fans something to scream about with the arrival of Rhymefest to perform the re-mastered and re-mixed version of Britney Spears' hit Toxic - hands were in the air, they were then stretched up to the ceiling when Wiley ran onstage to perform his 'grime' hit 'Wearin' my Rolex' the stage was well and truly set.
Blackout.
After a brief intermission The man himself entered the stage with all the presence you would expect from 'the greatest rapper alive'. After a shortened version of 'You Don't Know' it was down to business, 99 problems exploded and the arena did too. Song after song, 'Jigga What', 'Girls', Dirt Off Your Shoulder' all flawlessly yet effortlessly performed made everyone watching know this was something special.
The lights go out, 'Diamonds Are Forever' smoothly glides out into the crowd, people give looks of dis-belief and excitement… could it be?
The set, the crowd, Jay-Z and a certain Kanye West erupt simultaneously as 'Diamonds remix', 'Stronger' and 'Good Life' are all performed with the kind of energy only 'the Louis Vuitton don' can bring to a stage, and here it was, that special moment we had all been waiting for, As 'Good Life' ended the duo left the stage to the chants of encore, encore, encore'.
A few minutes passed and eventually the Roc-A-Fella pair were convinced, and returned with Mark Ronson in tow to perform the infamous Jay-Z and Linkin Park collaboration 'Numb/Encore' his signature ending to UK tour dates, and as the beat kicked in, the ground shook with movement and enthusiasm as they played out the greatest performance I have ever seen.
"He came, he saw, he conquered", he didn't sell out, but it was one hell of a concert.
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White Denim @ The Roadhouse
Peter Teehan
WHITE Denim - a Texan band who've just released their debut album Workout Holiday played The Roadhouse, Manchester on July 9. Onstage the trio line-up in rough formation with (unusually) the drums being upright and centre, bass and guitarist/vocalist on either side.
It soon became apparent why the drum stool was so prominent. If the songs on their terrific debut album are a tangled mesh of guitars, taut basslines and roughshod vocals, the live band bow to the drummer, who navigates the band through complex time signatures at a rapid pace.
Too rapid, in fact. Most of the songs in studio form already have a manic intensity - part of their charm - but rather than matching this onstage, they up the ante until each song is blasted out within an inch of its life. Some of the songs unfortunately get lost in the adrenaline. Maybe they've been on the road a little too long, the set feels a little worn, but you can't fault their performance despite this.
Lead singer James Petralli has a bluesy howl akin to the vocal cords of MC5's Rob Tyner, combined with a turbo charged guitar style that veers from Dick Dale to Devo. Songs such as 'Darksided Computer Mouth' and 'Shake Shake Shake' (if you like your rock & roll on the raw side, they'll make you smile) proved to be the highlight of the night.
Catch them on a night when they're in less of a hurry, and they could be tremendous.
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Evita @ Opera House
Helen Jones
AT over 30-years-old, you wonder whether Evita will start to show it's age, but thankfully as this Bill Kenwright production shows, it can be as fresh and fun to watch as it was 30 years ago.
Louise Dearman made an impressive Eva, moving from irrepressible teenager to the poised woman who controls the people of her country with her words with an ease and conviction which formed a foundation for the rest of the show.
A stunning voice bound up with a good actress and Ms Dearman is all you could wish for in an Eva.
Seamus Cullen was a charismatic Che, surprising me with his acting ability and the power of his voice especially in the number 'The Money Kept Rolling In'.
However on a few occasions he was required to sing falsetto and each made me wince as it really was not a good register for his voice. A shame as I felt that it spoilt some of the numbers.
Unfortunately I didn't feel the same charisma for Mark Heenahan as Peron. An excellent voice and a decent actor but somehow I never felt any emotion for him, a shame as I think it is a role that needs that magnetism to engage the audience.
The ensemble cast were excellent, as was an efficiently and well designed set but a special mention must go to Nikki Mae as the Mistress. Her soulful rendition of 'Another Suitcase, Another Hall' showed that she has the makings of a fine musical actress.
All in all though the show is well worth a trip to see it, and see that it really has aged well.
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