Reviews and Recommendations: indie

I defy anybody to go to a Keane gig, and not be a fan by the end of it.

It had been nearly two years since the last time Keane came to my area on tour, but it was well worth the wait. It was unfortunate that the weather appeared to... [more]

Event Date: February 4, 2009
Event Venue: CIA

I defy anybody to go to a Keane gig, and not be a fan by the end of it.

It had been nearly two years since the last time Keane came to my area on tour, but it was well worth the wait. It was unfortunate that the weather appeared to conspire against their coming, with all of the snow leading up to that point, but happily it all went ahead as planned.

In my last review, I spoke about the bar being set by Keane for the most amazing gig ever, and although the two in some ways cannot be compared, I have to say that the band excelled themselves this time.

I knew exactly what to expect, having experience from previous gigs to draw on, but this did not diminish the experience. Far from it - I feel as though I could see Keane every week and never become tired of them (I would say every day, but I do have other interests in life - where would I fit in shopping, for example). It stands to reason; I listen to Keane almost every day, and my appreciation for them only grows. However, that is not to say that the night was without surprises, or, conversely, that my expectations were not met, and it's quite plain to see how high those were.

Before I talk about the gig itself, I must mention the support band, as I did last time. Frankmusik (no, I haven't spelt it wrong), a beat driven, heavy on the bass, electronica/club band from London, supported and actually didn't do a bad job, despite the Keane audience perhaps not being their usual one. The songs had some semblance of meaning, the vocals weren't bad, and the band did gel as a whole, which is always a good thing. Despite myself, I even enjoyed the guitar solo.

But, who cares? We were there to see Keane, and, need I say it? They were amazing.

One of the most notable differences from two years ago was the extension of the stage out via a walkway into the middle of the arena. This was new to me, actually, and I wondered what it was all about, until later in the night when I found out. In a highly effective, if not entirely unique, move, the band performed some songs acoustically on the middle platform. This provided a stunning compliment to the full glory of songs performed in their normal capacity. Plus, you just have to love the way Keane decided to throw in a snippet of 'The River' by Bruce Springsteen as segue between acoustic and electric sounds. Tom sung that small part so beautifully, I only wish they'd done the whole song.

There was definitely a different atmosphere during the acoustic songs than the rest. Instead of singing along as I usually would, I could only stand silently and attempt to absorb every note to its fullest capacity. It was just too beautiful to adulterate with the sound of my own voice. In contrast to this reverential awe, however, the band were fully able to whip the crowd up into a frenzy again, moving seamlessly from 'The River' to 'You Haven't Told Me Anything,' one of the many excellent tracks from the new album.

The set list was fantastic. Of course, there will always be those who argue that this song or that song should have been included, but all I know is that the evening wasn't lacking those songs. Indeed, there were songs that I would like to have heard, but, ultimately, I accept that the band know what they're doing. They know which songs fit what they're trying to achieve and they know how to put them together in order to convey that effect. The songs they chose went perfectly together. The overall mood of the evening was one of optimism, and the positivity was infectious, everybody left with a smile on their face.

For me, one of the best moments was singing along to 'Spiralling.' Although this isn't my favourite track off the album, it was the first released from it, and I'd waited a long time to 'Ooh!' along with the band. It was a fantastic moment, I won't forget it for a long time. 'Perfect Symmetry,' the title track of the album, was delivered brilliantly, as was our old favourite, 'Somewhere Only We Know,' which everybody sung along to. I bet they can play that one in their sleep. Of all the songs they played, I feel 'Crystal Ball' is the one which most benefits from the live setting. The song is great on the album, but live it gets lifted into another dimension. That sounds like a big cliché, so let me qualify by saying the song seems to have more high and low when it is played live; the chorus more impact with the force of an arena full of people hitting the top note, and the lyrics a greater sincerity than ever before. The final song was 'Bedshaped,' and thank goodness it was, because it remains to be, for me at least, the pinnacle of a Keane gig. This is further proof that the band know what they're doing, for I would have been severely disappointed if they had left it out. Once again, the yellow and white lights saw us through to the end of the gig in style.

All that remains to be said is roll on the next Keane gig. I'll be there. [less]

Primal Scream creates the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll party via an impeccable and innovative CV that has set pop precedents. This iconic act has delivered aural adventure across three different decades-and, there are no signs of the standards slipping on the 2008 ‘Beautiful Future’ album!
As a live entity the... [more]

Event Date: November 21, 2008
Event Venue: Cardiff University

Primal Scream creates the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll party via an impeccable and innovative CV that has set pop precedents. This iconic act has delivered aural adventure across three different decades-and, there are no signs of the standards slipping on the 2008 ‘Beautiful Future’ album!
As a live entity the band can go one faster, one louder and one better-and, a colossal Cardiff University gig displayed the diverse and dexterous nature of the Primal Scream tune tapestry. A gathered Friday throng ended their week on a high via a concert that meandered between a series of sublime sonic stations! The cool charisma of Bobbie Gillespie takes focal point as his accomplices are akin to a runaway juggernaut jumping every red light. The core of the fresh material is radio friendly, but the gung ho gear changes of a well-oiled combo ensures a cutting edge, stage stomp! The crowd danced and waved and smiled and sang as their heroes were ‘Movin’ on Up’ to the upper echelons of their ‘Riot City Blues’! A multitude of anthems are unleashed as the lads delve in to their immense and immaculate back catalogue-and, after around 90 minutes of high octane sounds the punters still demanded more! Primal Scream carries the torch for a good time vibe-and, long may their energetic industry prosper! [less]

The Hold Steady are best seen in a small intimate venue, and the Fleece in Bristol was therefore a perfect setting. The band were taking time out from supporting Counting Crows in enormodomes across the country (a not-altogether-obvious choice of touring partner for either act!), and seemed happy to be... [more]

Event Date: May 23, 2009
Event Venue: Bristol Dot-to-Dot festival

The Hold Steady are best seen in a small intimate venue, and the Fleece in Bristol was therefore a perfect setting. The band were taking time out from supporting Counting Crows in enormodomes across the country (a not-altogether-obvious choice of touring partner for either act!), and seemed happy to be able to play a headline set to a smaller, more 'tuned-in' audience. Vocalist Craig Finn is a bundle of ranting, geeky energy and makes for an enormously engaging frontman whilst the band are best described as a punked up version of the E-Street band. An hour long set included songs from all four of their albums, but personal highlights were 'The Swish', 'Sequestered in Memphis' and 'Stay Positive'. The only (small) disappointment was the omission of 'breakthrough' number 'Stuck Between Stations'. This band might not appeal to all (Finn's vocals are sometimes more 'shout' that 'sing') but for me, they are one of the best live bands I've ever seen. Brilliant. [less]

The Hosts, clamber onto Thelka’s low, sweaty stage all clad in smart, black trousers below black skinny-ties under black waistcoats with large, black collars peeking over the top, all in shiny black, heeled pointy shoes...... I am very pleasantly surprised!! Hell, if you wanted, you could come out onstage in... [more]

Event Date: October 30, 2008
Event Venue: BRISTOL THEKLA

The Hosts, clamber onto Thelka’s low, sweaty stage all clad in smart, black trousers below black skinny-ties under black waistcoats with large, black collars peeking over the top, all in shiny black, heeled pointy shoes...... I am very pleasantly surprised!! Hell, if you wanted, you could come out onstage in pink dungarees and nipple clamps if you’ve got tunes this good. The Hosts burst through a set of high quality, layered blues-rock that really, REALLY impresses. They are so good in fact, my mate gets confused and thinks they are actually tonight’s headliners The Walkmen! I gentley put him right but comment how if The Walkmen play nearly as good a set as this, I will return to shore a happy man.

Thursdays at Thekla sees one of their most popular club nights in the hull and so our headliners tonight have to start their set at ten to nine to fit in! As The Walkmen take to the stage, I again can’t ignore their choice of dress – this band are definitely from the class of New York cool with black skinny-jeans, smart shoes and a leather jacket straight out of Julian Casablanca’s wardrobe. “How y’all doing?”, coos frontman Hamilton Leithauser to excitable cheers, as his band get proceedings underway with the sort of broody, bluesy, classic indie-rock this middle-aged crowd have been waiting months to see live.

Their setlist is heavy with material off their new album, You & Me, and though I am unfamiliar with the record, there was still more than enough to get my teeth stuck into and rap my heels along to. Relentlessly pacey, fit-to-burst tracks like The Rat were what I’d come along to hear, but the real surprise was the quality of the slower numbers like In The New Year and On The Water especially, which saw a haunting duet between Paul Maroon on guitar and Leithauser as the tune fluttered and swayed seemingly in and out of time to stunning effect.

An extra nice touch for the evening was the borrowing of “Bristol’s finest”, three trumpet wielding scamps who joined the band onstage for a handful of tracks to add some brass body to the music. These three undergraduate super-nerds may have stood-out onstage in their baggy t-shirts over awkward stances, a million miles away from the leather jacket swagger of The Walkmen, but they put a gloss on the evening and were exceedingly well received by the Thekla fraternity. [less]

I first saw The Hoosiers first for MTV Hits Brand Spanking New Music Tour 2 years ago in Bristol. They kicked off the event and pretty much stole the show. They offered something different and having not heard of them before the night started (other than seeing their name on... [more]

I first saw The Hoosiers first for MTV Hits Brand Spanking New Music Tour 2 years ago in Bristol. They kicked off the event and pretty much stole the show. They offered something different and having not heard of them before the night started (other than seeing their name on the ticket along with Calvin Harris, Mutya Buena and Natasha Bedingfield) I have since seen them more times than I can count!

From small venues such as The Bristol Carling Academy 2 to the Main Stage at the 2008 Isle Of Wight Festival, I have followed their rise to fame. Even managing to win tickets to see them perform on BBC Radio 2's Music Club at the famous Maida Vale Studios. They have worked extremely hard to get where they are coupled with touring extensively up and down the country night after night means they perfected their craft and put on a fantastic show. I would happily see them again as well as recommend them to anyone who hasn't seen them before! But I doubt there is anyone who hasn't seen them yet considering they have pretty much covered every square inch of the country! [less]