Elbow @ Carling Academy 05/04/08

Shortly after entering the Academy, at the excruciatingly early (in gig terms) time of 7.10pm, I find myself bombarded with the howling blues-rock of San Francisco’s Two Gallants. Comprised of guitarist and vocalist Adam, and rather feral-looking drummer Tyson, they are undoubtedly one of the most brilliant support acts I have seen for months, causing an instant, and surprisingly noisy, impact upon the not-quite-fully-assembled crowd. In what seems like no time at all however, they are off and Elbow’s crew are on to prepare for the main event.
Elbow are often seen as the ‘thinker’s alternative’ to bands like Snow Patrol and Coldplay. However, where these bands are bland and boring, Elbow are not only intelligent but, in performance, both sweepingly epic and riotous. Their astounding musicianship does not substitute, but constantly understates their superiority as life-affirming anthems pound through the PA. Opening with the orchestral pomp of ‘Starlings’, the band members enter to the tinkling arpeggios of a pre-recorded track, accompanied by an all-female string section, and pick up trumpets for a first, sharp blast of things to come. The fact that singer Guy Garvey’s trumpet is not amplified and is therefore merely for show simply adds to the audience’s amusement and appreciation of the effort of causing a spectacle. The Latino-flecked ‘The Bones of You’ is dispatched next, causing much dancing and spilling of drinks. Soon after this we are treated to a track that many would argue is Elbow’s best, the bluesy stomp-a-long of ‘Leaders of The Free World’. The uproar at the forefront of the crowd says it all as Guy Garvey’s astounding stage presence incites mayhem. He may look like a plumber, but it is this ‘bloke-from-Manchester’ quality that makes him so endearing. He is undoubtedly perfect for the presentation of such gorgeous music, leaning over the crowd with a huge grin on his face, swaying his arms and serenading his followers with his gruff, yet cherubic, voice. ‘Mirrorball’s floating piano line and yearning lyrics make it a heartbreaking precursor to the Zeppelin-esque guitar drive of recent single ‘Grounds for Divorce’, which in turn sharply contrasts with the expertly crafted ‘The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver’. All is going swimmingly, and during one of his many addresses to the crowd, Guy ponders upon the band’s recent duet with Sheffield crooner Richard Hawley. ‘We thought it was a shame that Richard couldn’t be here with us tonight’, he explains, ‘so…….here he is!’ and, as if by magic, Richard Hawley ambles on to the stage to mass applause for a rousing version of ‘The Fix’. A few songs later and the band are closing the set with a stunning organ-led seven-minute ‘Newborn’ from debut ‘Asleep In The Back’ and provoking a mass sing-a-long to the gospel-tinged ‘One Day Like This’, its uplifting strings and repeated refrain of ‘Throw those curtains wide, one day like this a year will see me right!’ continuing for what seems like forever without losing its majesty. All it would take for Elbow to cement their place as a special band in the hearts of many was a killer encore, and they did not disappoint. ‘Station Approach’, their ever-popular love letter to Manchester, shakes the venue, and as the band once more bring out Richard Hawley for the ultimate crowd-pleaser ‘Grace Under Pressure’ (which is ‘a bit Catholic’, according to Mr Garvey), everybody in the venue is left stunned and exhilarated. Bring on the festivals.

Review by Kate Edwards

The Futureheads @ Northumbria University 03/03/08

One night I did not know what to do with myself and as my previous plans had all evaporated I decided to go to the Futureheads gig. Not being a big Futureheads fan I still enjoyed myself well and truly dancing to the catch tunes. As I am writing this a bit late or well very late I have to rake through my memory in order to reconstruct the gig. This Sunderland band knows exactly how to deal with the local public. The songs woke all the tired souls up and gave half of the public twinkly toes. They are a real good live band that probably has more potential than is normally thought they have. Shoes were taken off and thrown into the air, one almost hitting the singer.
Besides the Futureheads Newcastle’s Uncle Monty did a good performance, gaining some more listeners that were interested in the free cd, a marketing tactic that can be questioned but is definitely a way to get yourself known in the ears of a wide range of people when you are a smaller band. Small band what a term, the unknown or ‘small bands’ make great music a lot of times and do sound quite good when it comes down to it.
The first support band do not even need mentioning, they were not good at all, and well I forgot by the time they were done with their set what they were called…

Review by Solveig Werner

Kid Harpoon @ Head of Steam, 25/02/08

The current UK tour of Kid Harpoon kicked off on the 25th of February in Newcastle in the Head of Steam. The venue was packed, and well that can’t be a bad thing. Kid Harpoon has great stage presence that was combined with really good music. The band had a new guitarist, it was his first gig, so Kid decided to point this out at one moment during the show and well they decided to play a song which they never played live before so that he would not feel out of place. The music is marked by loads of things, but I think the voice of Kid Harpoon is probably what makes it especially good.
Lupen Crook and the murder birds were on right before Kid Harpoon. Lupen and his pirates like crew were all on drugs. Their songs sounded like a mix of eastern European folk rock. After the gig they tried to get money off everyone, so they decided to slit open the tired of Kid’s van, resulting in them being arrested.
The seven-piece band, New Vinyls, from Newcastle were the first support band. They definitely do what good music should sound like. Their set was marked by songs that are musically impeccable and are really good lyric wise. It was like an invitation to dance, maybe because their music is not only quite catchy but also very original.

Review by Solveig Werner

The Wooden Spoons at the Academy 2 on February 22nd

Each time the Wooden Spoons have a gig they prove that they have musical talent and innovation. Their stage presence is impressive even when you are tired and it is already past midnight, the music wakes one up and gets you into the mood for dancing. The catchy lyrics of some of the songs caused a handful of spectators to sing along. Cabaret definitely has an influence on the tunes, but also seems to have one on the dress style of the 4 band members, or well the hats that they wear while being on stage. If you have a chance to catch the Wooden Spoons live you should definitely not miss out on it. Another thing to look forward to is the upcoming single.
The supporting act were the Out Of Towners, they were also very appreciated, but don’t seem to have to have a very unique sound or trade mark of their own.

Review by Solveig Werner

Grammatics @ the Head of Steam, 26/02/08

Not knowing who the Grammatics are, but having been advised to show up at their gig I did so and had an amazing time. Their music is impressive to narrow it down to one word. It is almost hard to describe, electro mixed in with rock and classical, or something like that. The music is of the sort that you should close your eyes to and let it fully overtake you. Maybe it’s the Cello, and the amazing voice of the front man. Worrying is the skinniness of some of the band members. The fact that the bass player likes Rilo Kiley raised my sympathy for this band even more.
Two drum kits? Well that’s what Vessels had on stage, and for one song only. But that song was amazing, seen that you can do a lot more with two drum kits than with one, it was a fast song.
Then there was Sefelt, a local band that started of their set by complaining about the Taxi fare they had to pay from Gateshead to reach the Head of Steam, getting some members to complain about having to pay £5 for their ticket. The music was good but not stunning.
The first band on was weird, well that depends on the definition of weird, but still Ryoga were quite weird. The music sounded alright but well I was distracted by the member of the audience that was dancing in front of everyone and by the fact that the keyboard player had a gigantic moustache. That wasn’t all he also had a giant piercing through his nose and had three really big arrows tattooed onto his shaved head. Who wouldn’t be distracted by that?

Review by Solveig Werner

Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong @ Carling Academy 03 / 02 / 08 NME Tour

The third band in and Joe Lean and the JJJs waddle on to the stage for all these NME lovers. Will the band live up to the hype? Sort of. In a massive venue like this it’s hard to tell with echoes a plenty and the vast crowd chattering throughout. Lead singer Joe Lean prances and poses his way through, muttering into his microphone. But it sounds promising, though I reckon you’ve got to know the songs to appreciate the indie-goodness.

Review by Marzena Dabrowska

Morrissey @ Sunderland Empire 01/02/08

The idea that Morrissey is outdated is as outdated as Margaret Thatcher's hair. After a truly terrible support band (entitled 'Girl In A Coma' - my brother and I spent half their set trying to guess the gender of the drummer, so bored were we with their shouting riot-grrrrr noise) and a bizarre introduction comprising of a projection of James Dean wardrobe tests and some old footage of the New York Dolls, the real show began. And from the moment he strolled on stage in a tuxedo and announced, in thundering tones 'Sunderland, can you bear some poetry?' before launching into that old Smiths classic 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before', it was obvious that the great man has not lost his ability to incite chaos.
With the living guitar legend that is Boz Boorer leading the tight-as-Borrell's-jeans band, beautiful songs were laced with friendly banter and a genuine humility that would astonish even the harshest of his critics. It was not long before the audience erupted into crazed chants which did more than dislodge dust in the 111-year-old theatre, prompting embarrased laughter from the icon himself. For a renowned miserabilist, Morrissey's banter was second to none. 'I woke up at 4pm in the morning.....in Newcastle' he exclaimed, to mock-boos, 'and was confronted with a world of snow. It was beautiful. And it had to be Newcastle.....' Interaction with the crowd extended to politics. 'So, who's rooting for Hillary Clinton?' More boos. 'Obama?' Cheers all round. 'Thought so'.
The 19-song set comprised of material old ('The Loop', which saw the 48-year-old propelling himself across the stage bashing a tambourine) to the brand new, such as the single 'That's How People Grow Up', and new tracks such as 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris' and 'Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed'. As catchy and promising as the new songs sounded, however, it was 'the old ones are the best' that rang particularly true, with a particular highlight revolving around a breathtaking, seven-minute recreation of The Smiths' 'How Soon Is Now?' Howling guitars, psycadelic basslines and strobe lights caused each audience member to join their hero in a closing of eyes, ecstasy etched on each face. A similar feat was achieved as soaring pianos and a huge gong complemented the building up of 'Life Is A Pigsty' from eerie shuffle into full-blown climax, which left the singer lying on his back with his feet on an amplifier and arms outstretched, seemingly unable to stand up for a full five minutes. Of the ‘poppier’ songs, 'Irish Blood, English Heart' was disposed of with aplomb, and 'The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores' implored every body in the building to punch the air at the deadpan delivery of lines such as 'educated criminals work within the law!' and the bitter assertion of 'thicker than pig-shit' pop stars being 'unable to show intelligence'. One feels that this is especially poignant when so many a music fan nowadays prefers the dross of the likes of Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Mika to a true poet like Morrissey. And as the great man brought the show to a close with a euphorically ironic 'Last Of The International Playboys', before reaching out to touch fervoured fans and throwing his sweat-drenched shirt into the pit of pilgrims before him, it was obvious that it is going to take something incredibly special to usurp the Mozfather. Long may he live on.

Review by Kate Edwards