Concert: PJ Harvey at the Royal Albert Hall, 30 October 2011

Last night we made our way to the Royal Albert Hall to see PJ Harvey in concert.  I have been a fan of Polly Jean Harvey since 24 June 1995.  I remember the exact date because my friend Sarah and I went to Glastonbury together that year.  I didn’t know PJ Harvey’s music at all but had compromised with Sarah as she really wanted to see her.  I thought that my misgivings were realised when Polly burst on to the stage in a neon pink cat suit but let’s just say that I was absolutely blown away by her performance.  To this day, I remember the moves she made and the props she used with each and every single song she played that day.  Quite incredible, considering I didn’t know any of her songs before that day!

I left Glastonbury that year and bought all of PJ Harvey’s CDs and I have bought every album since then.  When I heard that she was performing at the Royal Albert Hall, I made sure that I got a ticket!

This is the second concert I’ve seen at the Royal Albert Hall, the first being the Editors concert back in March 2011.  I have to say, with the incredible acoustics and sound in the Royal Albert Hall, I don’t think I will ever be able to go back to a normal concert venue after this. The Royal Albert Hall is the premium concert venue, the type of place that real music lovers go to appreciate good music.  All of the tickets were sold as seated (although there did appear to be a standing gallery on the very top level) and the atmosphere was one of reverence and circumstance.

PJ Harvey arrived on stage shortly after 8.35pm.  She started off the evening with “Let England Shake” and “The Words That Maketh Murder”, both off her latest album, the Mercury Prize-winning Let England Shake. 

Next up was “All and Everyone”, also from Let England Shake.  This song was incredible and I felt goose bumps over my entire body hearing it.  It reminded me of just how much of an impact that concert in 1995 had on me because I wasn’t a fan of Let England Shake until last night and now my mind has been absolutely changed.

The next couple of songs were also from Let England Shake (see the setlist below) with the exception of “The Devil” and “Dear Darkness” from White Chalk.  I was absolutely thrilled when they began to play “The Last Living Rose” as the Grand Organ suddenly lit up and Mick Harvey could be seen playing it.  It was incredible!

In the photo above, you can just make out Mick Harvey on the organ, with John Parish on keyboard and Jean-Marc Butty on the military drum.  Oh, and just in case you are wondering, that is the Mick Harvey of The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fame.  I will admit to a definite fan girl moment when I learned that it was him!

Jean-Marc Butty actually made quite an impression throughout the show and it goes to show how good the sound is in this venue.  I especially enjoyed his drumming in “Pocket Knife” from the 2004 album Uh Huh Her.  He was energetic, skilled and absolutely entertaining.

My favourite part of the show (up to the encore) was when Polly launched into “Down By The Water” and “C’mon Billy” from her phenomenal 1995 album To Bring You My Love.  Stephen was most impressed because finally, one hour into the show, he recognised one of the songs!  Poor long-suffering husband of mine.

When Polly finished performing “The Colour of the Earth”, she thanked the audience and made to leave the stage. 

It is testament to this fantastic performance that the whole audience shot up onto their feet to give PJ Harvey a standing ovation.  I wish the photos above were clearer but I was clapping too much to be able to take better shots!  Polly and the band looked truly humbled which is crazy because they should have a fair idea how awesome they are.

Now I know it is pretty much a given in any concert that the band will come back for at least one encore but the atmosphere was electric as the entire audience stayed on their feet and clapped for about five minutes before Polly finally returned with a guitar and performed “The Desperate Kingdom of Love”.  This is such a stunning song and I remarked to Stephen that I have never seen someone achieve that with a guitar before, it was just so powerful and stunning.

“White Chalk” was up next, another acoustic track and then the moment I had waited for all night arrived as Polly finally performed “The Sky Lit Up” and “Angelene” from Is This Desire?

She finished off with “Silence” from White Chalk which was a brilliant track to showcase her powerful and impressive vocal range. 

This concert was truly special and absolutely worth every penny.  Polly Jean Harvey – you are a legend and I am truly grateful for the privilege to see you not once, but twice in concert. 

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Concert Review: Does It Offend You, Yeah?–Heaven, April 4, 2011

On Monday evening, we headed down to Heaven in the Arches under Charing Cross Station.  There isn’t much that would get me to a dive of a club on a Monday evening but seeing Does It Offend You, Yeah? perform live would.  Once inside, we got a spot right near the front and prepared ourselves for an evening of mayhem as DIOYY are known for their chaotic live gigs.

Tripwires were the first support band.  The club had taken quite a while to fill up and I correctly predicted that they would start the support bands late.  Tripwires sounded a bit like Suede and the Britpop bands of the mid-nineties with endless reverberating guitars and the deepest possible basslines. 

I really wanted to like them but their guitars drowned out their vocals. It sounded like the sound levels were all wrong and the instruments were competing for prominence but the free track on their website sounds the same.

Hounds were up next. This four-piece from Essex were really energetic and ripped up the stage.  They have a pretty heavy sound and like DIOYY, they make use of samples and mac-effects in amongst thrashing drums and guitars.  They reminded me a lot of The Prodigy at their loudest.

Hounds were really entertaining too. In the middle of their set, the vocalist explained that they’d been supporting DIOYY across their many gigs in the UK and they knew who it was the crowd wanted to see.  Just once, he said, he wanted to hear the crowd go wild just for them and so he whipped up the crowd into a frenzy as we cheered on their next track. 

Canned frenzy or not, it is clear that everyone was there to see the main act, Does It Offend You, Yeah?  The last time I saw them was at Exit Festival in 2010 and I was looking forward to hearing some of the brand new tracks from their new album Don't Say We Didn't Warn You.

The moment finally arrived and the band burst onto stage.  They launched straight into “Wrestler” which is one of my favourite tracks on their new album and followed up with “With A Heavy Heart (I Regret To Inform You)”.  Lead singer James Rushent asked which fans had been around since the beginning (which elicited a big whoop from me) and they played their first ever recording “Battle Royale” featuring the sublime guitar solo from Matty Derham. 

The next three tracks are amongst my favourite DIOYY tracks and the crowd went crazy.  First up was “We Are The Dead”, the first download released from their new album plus my old favourites “Attack Of The 60ft Lesbian Octopus” and “Weird Science”. 

The band were then joined on stage by rapper Trip to perform on their track “Wondering”.  It was a great opportunity to see him perform with the band and he gave a great performance.

I love the photo above.  If you click on it for an enlargement, you can see all of the bands members, including Trip, grinning away.  It is possible that this was taken when James Rushent was grilling the crowd on whether they had illegally downloaded the new album.  Not many people admitted to doing so which is strange when you consider how many users were commenting about it on Last.fm after it leaked. 

Next up was “Survival of the Thickest” the iTunes-exclusive bonus track from their new album.  It is a great track that reminds me of the classic Space Invaders game.  It was around this time that the band were informed that they needed to get off stage shortly.  James Rushent put the blame on the previous bands not being ready on time but we all knew they were due to appear on Radio 1 at 10pm anyway.  They seemed to rush through the next three tracks which were old favourites from their first album, “Let’s Make Out”, “Dawn of the Dead” and “We Are Rockstars”.

The band then disappeared off stage, reappearing for the obligatory encore after the crowd bayed for more.  They played a raucous version of “The Monkeys Are Coming” and then, just like that, they were gone.

I really enjoyed the show and I loved every single track that they played.  I know they couldn’t have played for too much longer as curfew was at 10.30pm but I was hoping to hear far more tracks from their new album.  I guess that settles it then: I’m going to have to see them in concert again, and soon!

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Concert Review: Editors - Royal Albert Hall, London, March 26, 2011

Each day in the United Kingdom, six teenagers find out that they have cancer.  Cancer often spreads rapidly in teenagers on account of their growth spurts and it is the leading cause of non-accidental death in the UK.  Teenage cancer patients are often put in wards with small children or the elderly where they are not amongst their peers and not necessarily treated by experts in teenage cancer. 

Teenage Cancer Trust provide ten specialist units in NHS hospitals across the United Kingdom.  With bright and colourful surroundings, the units are designed to be comfortable for both patients and their families.  They can interact with their peers, play computer games, watch TV while being treated by specialists in the field of teenage cancer.  The Teenager Cancer Trust aims to build enough units by 2012 so that every teenager in the UK will have access to the specialist care that they provide.

Each year since 2000, Teenage Cancer Trust has held a series of fundraisers at the Royal Albert Hall in London.  Roger Daltrey of The Who explains that music is everything to teenagers and the whole music business is built on the backs of teenagers.  But your life drastically changes when you are diagnosed with cancer.  Teenager Cancer Trust exists so that the lives of young people with cancer are not defined or limited by their cancer.

The 2011 Teenager Cancer Trust gigs at the Royal Albert Hall ran from Monday 21 to Sunday 27 March and included acts such as Biffy Clyro, Roger Daltrey, Tinie Tempah and Beady Eye.  We went along on the evening of March 26 to catch Editors supported by I Am Arrows and Wolf Gang. 

I Am Arrows

I was initially pleased to see a band I recognised in the supporting line up as I had seen I Am Arrows performing at Wembley.  Unfortunately, they gave a lukewarm performance which was worsened by frontman Andy Burrows (formerly of Razorlight) grumbling at the crowd and condescending that no one there knew their music.  Obviously Andy Burrows doesn’t realise that many music fans go to live events to discover new bands and three of my greatest music obsessions of all time started with me discovering them at live concerts (PJ Harvey, The Parlotones and Kawasaki 3P). 

Wolf Gang

Whereas I Am Arrows had been dull and boring, Wolf Gang were energetic and upbeat.  They had a great attitude too and played their hearts out.  Unfortunately, they weren’t very good at it.  Fronted by Max McElligott, Wolf Gang are meant to sound like David Bowie or Talking Heads but just sound like a really bad, early-eighties tribute band with a dodgy sense of style.  Top points for trying though and at least they smiled and seemed happy to be there.

After two such disappointing opening acts, we were more than ready to get on with the evening’s programme.  First though, we watched a touching and informative video presentation on teenage cancer and the noble work that Teenage Cancer Trust does.  One of the young adults featured in the video came up on stage to tell us about his experiences.  He explained that thanks to Teenage Cancer Trust, he did not lose a year of his life when he was in hospital and he would not change his cancer experience as it made him a better person.  A very brave young man indeed.

Editors

Finally, the moment we had all waited for arrived and Editors were on stage.  They opened with “Camera” and “Bullets” from their first album The Back Room and in mere seconds I realised why the Royal Albert Hall is famed for its excellent acoustics.  The band sounded incredible and Tom Smith’s baritone voice carried perfectly in the hall.  “Bones” was next, followed by “An End Has A Start”, one of Editors’ best known songs, and the crowd really got going. 

We were then treated to “Two Hearted Spider” which is one of Editors’ new tracks.  It was absolutely incredible and on this basis alone I will rush out and buy their new album when it is released.  Thankfully there is quite a decent video of the performance up on YouTube and I’ve been able to savour the moment again.

I was quite unprepared for the showmanship and performance by Editors on the evening.  Tom Smith is electrifying and commanded the whole stage, which he would need to as he both sings, and plays keyboard and the piano too.  Chris Urbanowicz and the band are incredibly talented too.  We were only a couple of rows from the front and the setting felt intimate, almost as if we were on a personal journey with Tom Smith and the band, as if we could touch the emotions in each of their tracks. 

Next up was “You Don’t Know Love” from In This Light And On This Evening, my favourite of their three albums.  I recognised the song from the opening note and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Tom Smith played the piano and then the stage was set for the next track, “The Racing Rats”.

“No Sound But The Wind” and “Lights” followed and then “The Big Exit” and “Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool” from the latest album which I really enjoyed. The latter featured great visuals on the screens and was quite menacing.  We were again treated to a new track as “The Sting” was up next and is another solid track. 

“Munich” followed and then the rest of the band exited the stage to leave Tom to perform a short acoustic set.  He opened with a cover of Spacemen 3’s “Walking With Jesus” and then played “Weight of the World” from their second album An End Has A Start.

The band then came back for just two songs: “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors”, another one of their massive hits, and “Bricks and Mortar”.  They walked off the stage but somehow I knew that they would return as I simply hadn’t heard the track I had been waiting for.  The crowd at the Royal Albert Hall did not disappoint that evening and cries of ‘encore!’ erupted until the band returned to the stage (oh, who am I kidding, all bands come back for an encore these days).

Editors played a solid four-track encore, beginning with “In This Light And On This Evening” which is my favourite track on that album and the track I had been waiting for.  The rest of the crowd were evidently waiting for “Papillon” which was up next and the crowd went crazy.  The band then rewarded true fans by playing “You Are Fading”, which has previously only been available on a special edition 2-disc version of The Back Room, before closing with “Fingers in the Factories”.

All of a sudden, it was over and we began to file out of the Royal Albert Hall.  I waited a day before writing my review because my initial judgement was that it was the best concert I have ever been to and I wanted to be sure. My friend mentioned that Tom Smith lost his words during “The Racing Rats” and he noted a couple of other mistakes but neither of us really cared.  It was a fabulous concert for a great cause and after a day’s wait I can confirm that it is indeed one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

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Concert Review: Muse – Wembley Stadium, London, September 11, 2010

 

Back in September, I went to see Muse at Wembley Stadium.  I’m not sure why I never posted this review but I suspect it had a lot to do with how disappointed I had been in my photos from that evening.  Nevertheless, I did make some detailed notes about the gig and have decided to swallow my pride and go ahead with the posting it!

It is notoriously hard to get concert tickets in London as they sell out within minutes of going on sale.  It is well known that many of those tickets are bought in bulk by ticket touts intending to sell them online or outside gigs for hugely inflated prices.  In 1995, I paid £100 for £30 tickets for Glastonbury and in 2004, I paid £80 for £25 Pixies tickets.  I consider, therefore, that I have paid my dues and I will never, ever pay ticket tout prices for a gig again.

Which is a problem.  Music has always been a passion of mine and attending concerts has always been an important measure of that passion.  Earlier this year, there were but four bands that I considered to be among my favourites that I had not seen in concert; excluding the bands I did see at Exit Festival they were Radiohead, Muse, Collide and Editors.  At the end of 2008, I was really disappointed when I had gone online as booking opened to buy Muse tickets and they sold out within minutes.  I did not want to be disappointed again in 2009 and joined up to Muse’s fan club with the specific intention of getting tickets this time.  It worked.  I might have only managed to get nose bleed seats half a stadium away from the stage but at least I was finally able to watch Muse at Wembley on September 11, 2010.

 

I Am Arrows

I Am Arrows were the first support band of the evening.  They played quite a short set and it could not have been easy for them being first band in a line-up when the crowd was obviously there for the headline act.  They struggled at times to get the crowd really going at all and they seemed lost in the stadium setting but they redeemed themselves with their last two songs.  They played a cover of the Tears for Fears classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” which had everyone’s hands in the air and they finished off with their most well known song “Green Grass”. 

 

White Lies

White Lies were up next and immediately seemed more comfortable in the stadium than the previous band.  Their sound quality seemed improved over I Am Arrows too but this might have been down to their confidence. White Lies are one of those bands that I’d heard of but had never taken the time to listen to before last night but I was impressed enough to go out and get their music.  Although White Lies are known to dislike the comparison, it is impossible not to notice the similarity between Harry McVeigh’s lovely baritone voice and that of Tom Smith of Editors.  They played an energetic set and played some of their new material as well as the old favourites “To Lose My Life” and “Farewell to the Fairground” which finally seemed to get the crowd going for the evening.

 

Biffy Clyro

Biffy Clyro were the last supporting act of the evening.  I’ve been listening to Biffy Clyro quite a lot over the past year and reviewed their album Only Revolutions back in March.  I’ve linked to the review so that you can see what the band did look like because they looked nothing like that now.  I was expecting a rather polished rock band but what we saw on stage was just a mess.  To be fair, there was obviously something wrong with their sound because on about the fourth song, vocalist Simon Neil seemed to make a complaint of sorts and the sound immediately improved thereafter.  Which is a real pity because I could barely recognise “That Golden Rule”, “Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies” and “Bubbles”.  Thankfully, they seemed to get it right for their massive hits “Who’s Got a Match” and “”Mountains” and I enjoyed hearing “Born On A Horse”, “Shock Shock” and “Many of Horror” too.  They closed with “The Captain” which certainly seemed to please the crowd.  Keeping in mind that there probably was some kind of problem with their sound initially, I would still say that Biffy Clyro need to get their act together as this was not the calibre of performance I would expect from a band opening for Muse.

 

Muse

It is not easy to describe a Muse concert without making gratuitous use of superlatives.  Perhaps it would be best to start at the end as Muse played their closing chords: the electricity was in the air and all around me and I stood still, in awe of the fantastic concert that I had seen, more than a little stunned that it was over.  If I were limited to but one single word to describe the concert, it would have to be “perfect”. (Note well: when you live on the other side of London and you have two tubes and a train to catch before you even enter Kent, there is in fact no time to stand in awe of the band you have just seen at Wembley, no matter how great they are.  It is best to keep this in mind to avoid sprinting through stations and literally catching the last tubes and trains of the evening).

Muse began their set by bursting onto stage and belting out "Uprising", "Supermassive Black Hole" and "MK Ultra". I was absolutely thrilled when they went on to play "Map of the Problematique" next as it is one of my favourite songs and they had not played it at the Wembley gig the evening before. "Bliss" and "Guiding Light" followed and then, to my utter delight, they played "Hysteria" preceded by the full version of "Interlude".

I won't list all of the songs that followed but my highlights were their cover of the Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley classic "Feeling Good"; the platform lifting away from the stage and carrying the band into the air during "Undisclosed Desires"; and their cover of the old Animals classic "House of the Rising Sun" which lead into my very favourite Muse song "Time Is Running Out".

 

During their first encore, the bank played “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture)” and a giant, inflatable UFO came from around the back of the stage and floated across the stadium.  That was incredible and mind-blowing enough but then a trapeze artist dropped out of the balloon and began to perform acrobatics in the air.  It was fabulous to see!  They played “Stockholm Syndrome” too in that encore and disappeared off the stage again. 

 

I have to say, I was pretty confident that they would return for a second encore and was thrilled when they returned with “Take a Bow”, “Plug In Baby” and “Knights of Cydonia”.  All too soon, it was over and all we were left with was a feeling of exhilaration and scores of white orbs that descended over the crowd.  Seeing Muse at Wembley was honestly one of the best experiences of my life!  The only complaint I have about the whole of Muse’s set was that they didn’t play “New Born” (which they played the night before) but I do think hearing “Map of the Problematique” was an acceptable trade.

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Groove Armada Live at Brixton Academy, 15 Oct 2010

The year 2010 has been a massive year for Groove Armada.  They released their sixth studio album Black Light to great acclaim and followed up with an explosive string of concerts and festival appearances across Europe, America and Australia.  Groove Armada have finally come into their own and what do they do?  They announce that they are retiring and that the current tour will be their last as a live band.  It is no surprise then that we made our way to the O2 Brixton Academy in London to see their penultimate performance with mixed feelings of sadness and excitement.

We took our seats upstairs in the circle balcony and it was all really nice as we listened to a DJ duo churn out a set of pleasant but down-tempo house tunes.  It all sounded rather ‘cocktail hour’ and I wondered for a moment if I was in the right place.  Any doubts I may have had were erased when support act Retro/Grade hit the stage.  They launched straight into a manic hour of banging techno tracks that soon had the audience whooping and cheering and definitely set the tone for the evening to come.  Retro/Grade describe their sound as falling into that space between disco and house music and they have done a great job of modernising the early Italo disco sound.

After reaching such a frenzied state with Retro/Grade, the wait for Groove Armada to come on to stage was almost excruciating but eventually Tom Findlay, Andy Cato and SaintSaviour bounded onto the stage and launched straight into “Look Me in the Eye Sister” and “I Won’t Kneel”.  The effect was incredible. SaintSaviour’s vocals are more impressive and powerful live than I could ever have imagined and it was thrilling to hear them start the evening with two of my favourite songs from the new album. 

 

SaintSaviour steals all of the attention on stage with her energetic dancing, crazy outfits and amazing voice but she was not the only star vocalist of the evening.  Up next was MC M.A.D. who entered the stage to massive applause from the audience.  MC M.A.D. is the distinctive ragga voice behind some of Groove Armada’s biggest hits and he has fantastic charisma and stage presence.

Seeing Groove Armada live with this line up at this point in their career was an absolute treat.  It was an incredible show and with the help of SaintSaviour and MC M.A.D., Groove Armada delivered some of their biggest hits including “My Friend”, “Paper Romance”, “Cards To Your Heart”, “Fogma” and “Madder”. 

All too soon the band left the stage, returning only for a short encore.  It was a bittersweet moment as I realised that this was it, the moment where the live stage career of Groove Armada finally came to a close.  (I must confess to being in denial though and I somewhat hope that they’ll be back in a year or two).  That feeling of melancholy did not last for long though as they gave the most incredible send off when they finally broke into the opening chords of “Superstylin’” to manic cheers from the audience.  A fountain of silver and white balloons fell from the air as MC M.A.D. belted out this most favourite of Groove Armada songs and the crowd went crazy.  As the band left the stage, all you could hear was the popping of the balloons and the effect was not unlike hearing a fireworks display.  It was a thrilling, life-affirming moment and an absolutely fitting send of to a brilliant band.

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