If your not fed up with pictures by now, here's more.

Heading off to see Return to Forever. Will send pics if I can get a camera charged.

quote:

Originally posted by theminx:
Sounds like the show we had here in March. Maybe in 5 or 10 years they'll do an all-oldies show, eh? the newer stuff isn't nearly as catchy/good/likeable, is it?

they haven't done anything good since 2003.

I'm going to Paris show anyway but only because I'm an old-time fan.
Which is sad.

quote:

Sentinel400:
I only care about Jesus built my hotrod anyway. And they seem determined to never play it live. So that's my money staying in my pocket, thanks.

they did it. but not too often.

Hooverphonic, La Maroquinerie, Paris

Astounding.


The pictures are not mine (I hope the author won't blame me for posting them here) :












(Lord Carington is here)


more here

quote:

Originally posted by Hasa:
If your not fed up with pictures by now, here's more.

Love it.
[IMG][/IMG]

Radiohead, in Paris, Bercy

That was quite good.

As foretold by theminx : they didn't play Paranoid Android.
The lighting was very impressive and original.

Allright, I'll say it : it rocked.

Tinariwen
Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara
The Arches
18th May

Ok. Totally behind on gig commentary. On 18th May I saw Tinariwen for the second time, first time was something like February last year. At that time I had heard a track on the radio here, a compilation track there. This time I had two albums, and as such their unique sound of African blues was much more familiar. And I say unique because I now have more to compare it to, support from Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara was ok, they had a sort of rock blues hybrid thing going on, which was ok, but not really engaging. Similar with Vieux Farka Toure who I saw a few months ago, who even shares a Malian background with Tinariwen. There are several guitarists and most of the members of Tinariwen sing, so the roles within the band change from song to song live. But it is the voice of Ibrahim Ag Alhabib one of the founding members, composers, singers, and guitarists who really marks the band as different. There is something about his delivery that is so soulful and so deep that the band's music really comes to life, much more than when any of the other singers takes lead. Though in saying that, the entire sound and combination of guitars, vocals and percussion is distinctive, mellow and down beat, weary and sunbeaten, political and impassioned. Formed from war Tinwariwen are Taureg, African nomads who find themselves increasingly restricted to the lands of Mali, of the Sahara desert. In the langauge of the Taureg "tinariwen" means empty spaces, and their music is full of this idea of the empty space. This time round their live set up includes a big screen, onto which some of the lyrics are projected, covering aspects of being a nomad and living in the desert, mixed with pictures of the band and the Taureg people.


Juldeh Camara


Justin Adams

Tinariwen:

Stars Of The Lid
The Declining Winter
22nd May 2008
Stereo

Having done some research into the support for Stars of the Lid, I decided I would turn up late with the hope of missing them. I failed, someone having seen fit to add a second support band, I caught the end of the first band, and all of The Declining Winter who I was hoping to miss. The Declining Winter are a band from Leeds made up of ex-members of various Leeds bands, most prominently the band Hood, who I didn't like either. If the band had been instrumental, their mix of guitar, bass, violin and keyboards might have had some appeal. Might. Unfortunately they had a singer, who really can't sing, for all his enthusiasm. As such the results were some what off putting.

This meant that Stars Of The Lid went on quite late, and probably played a shorter set as a result. Neither support seemed quite in the right place, and this sense became very much clear when the band took to the stage. Stars of the Lid is the band of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie, both of whom stand on either side of the stage with guitars and samplers and the like. Between the two there is a big screen which spiralling colours, space patterns and the like are projected. In front of the screen there was three women, two violinists and a celloist. Between the bass of the guitars and the more classical sound Stars of the Lid have a really deep, clean and intense sound live. The sort of sound which just blew the support bands away, and suddenly made it all seem worthwhile as the droning, entrancing music took the audience and encompassed them in its folds.

Declining Winter


Stars of the Lid

Lykke Li
El Perro del Mar
King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
8th June

I discovered these two Swedish girls a few days before they played in Glasgow, one of those happy accidents, where I ask myself - who is playing? Who should I be going to see? Last.fm has a gig guide, and with that tracks to listen to. Hence, I'm in King Tuts on a Sunday night to see two bands I have never heard before a few days before.



El Perro del Mar is a melancholic singer song writer. Short little songs, sometimes amusing, sometimes about love and other relationships. She comes across as straight forward and downbeat, sings while playing the guitar. Though she also played the flute and keyboards, and was joined by members of Lykke Li's band a couple of times to provide extra keyboards and bass guitar.







Lykke Li is quite a contrast in performance terms. While her songs may have thematic comparisons, she is almost a hyperactive blur as she bounces around the stage. She encourages the audience to dance, to clap, while she seduces them with her cute energy and energetic pop songs. Her drummer stands for most of the gig battering away at a drum, while she smashes cymbals, shakes tambourines, spins around, jumps in the air and shakes various other sound creating contraptions. The set is short, but memorable, especially with the encore of a Tribe Called Quest's Can I Kick It?

If you feel like showing up to the Ministry concert tonight in Paris (Elysee Montmartre). I have a half priced ticket ready for you.

Send me an email or meet me in hour in front of the venue.

If you don't know what i look like just check out the WGB meat in Paris thread.

It's the first time I am disappointed with a ministry concert.
They played four golden oldies, the rest was crap.

quote:

Originally posted by NeverBelieve:
It's the first time I am disappointed with a ministry concert.
They played four golden oldies, the rest was crap.

well, thats been said by everyone else who saw them on this tour in this thread.

The London Heritage Orchestra playing the Blade Runner score. It was supposedly mixed by Massive Attack, but personally I couldn't see them on either mixing desk, not that it mattered. It was pretty awe inspiring and stunning none the less. Good use of a large LED backdrop and a few projectors to provide atmosphere.

The show started with just a couple of the percussionists pouring water from large polyurethane tubs, then building with more percussion instruments, I think most of the audience weren't aware it had started until the rest of the orchestra came in. At first I was hypnotised by the sweeping movement of the strings, but for most of the performance I was watching the percussionists as they moved from one instrument to another, one side of the stage to the other.

It makes me wonder just how much preparation must have gone in to one night's performance.

quote:

Originally posted by ArkanGL:
Radiohead, in Paris, Bercy

That was quite good.

As foretold by theminx : they didn't play Paranoid Android.
The lighting was very impressive and original.

Allright, I'll say it : it rocked.

Damn! And I was discussing with a friend last night that they'll never make it here!

I want to go to Linkin Park, but no one is coming with me.

quote:

Originally posted by Kradlum:
Good use of a large LED backdrop and a few projectors to provide atmosphere.

The LED back drop was awesome. I worried it was a little matrixy at first, but loved it. Mesmorised by it alot of the time!

quote:

The show started with just a couple of the percussionists pouring water from large polyurethane tubs, then building with more percussion instruments, I think most of the audience weren't aware it had started until the rest of the orchestra came in.

I think I was the only one at one point.. Even you wouldn't believe me! It was very cool the way it all built up from nothing slowly.

Krad was appalled when I admitted I hadn't seen the film, but I loved it too.. was kinda nice to not be distracted by "the story"

Headliner:Diane Cluck
Support: Emmy The Great, Younghusband
Venue: Nice'N'Sleazy

Everything says doors open 7.30, arriving at 8 the doors are open, but there is nobody there. How odd. Though, in those moments getting served at the bar both Emmy and Diane potter passed. By the time seats are selected there are other people arriving, though the crowd that comes in over the remainder of the evening can never be said to pack the place. The place being Glasgow's Nice'N'Sleazy bar and venue. The gig being an acoustic performance by Diane Cluck and Emmy The Great, which I came across from Emmy's MySpace page.

The last time I saw Emmy she was playing King Tuts with her whole band, supported by band member doing solo set Younghusband. Younghusband is here again tonight, but this time it is him who has his whole band. Strangely, they start the night with the full band set, an indie rock set-up, which isn't particularly my thing, though the three piece are certainly decent enough at what they do.

After some pottering about, involving borrowing a guitar, having realised about Cardiff she didn't have hers, Emmy goes on stage with Younghusband providing second guitar and backing vocals. Though, in front of stage, sat down would be more of an accurate description. Encouraging the audience to come down and gather round, and creating a particularly intimate mood. One of her tracks includes the lyrics "You are no Charles Bukowski, and I'm no Diane Cluck", she hesitates before the track, and as everyone laughs at that line, she stops and admits she is embarrassed. Cluck has leant Emmy her guitar, and sits at the side of the stage scribbling notes, at this point she looks up and smiles, and the music carries on. The last time I saw Emmy, I had just discovered her, listening to a couple of tracks the same day as the gig. This time I was pretty familiar with all the material that she played - from MySpace, Last.Fm, various sessions and the EP that was on sale last time round. Apparently she has just finished her debut album, this gig marking the completion of the final mix. Her sound is a kind of anti-folk, that poppy guitar tunes, and playful vocals/lyrics which has a distinct charm, I find at least.

Despite the reference to Diane Cluck in Emmy's song, I hadn't heard of her before seeing the listing for this gig. Like Emmy she plays guitar and sings, another intimate acoustic set, though she stands, and even uses a microphone, dragged off the stage and onto floor in front of stage. She has a curious style, kind of whimsical, kind of story telling. Some of her lyrics are also fun, and work well with performance style to create amusing little pieces. At the end of her set she indicates a pile of her CDs, she has five albums to date, and suggests that they are available for a donation - so I'm curious enough to take a couple of CDs and add some money to the pile. Of the two, the first was about 20 tracks, some of them pretty short, the rest not quite as short, which probably sums up the kind of stuff she does at times, quick little pieces, get to the punch line and move on.

Stiff Little Fingers, Mark Stewart and the Maffia & Adrian Sherwood at Meltdown at The Royal Festival Hall.

The Royal Festival Hall is really not the place for this type of gig as it is all seated. I went with a friend who is into Tackhead/Mark Stewart while I'm more of an SLF fan. We had good seats, in the middle near the front, but it just didn't feel right. Mark Stewart came on and after the first number complained about the lack of people dancing and that no-one was down the front. I went to to the bar, and when I came back I could see my friend was the lone person stood at the front, so I went and joined him. After a few minutes there were about 50 people down at the front, so we didn't feel so lonely.

By the time we got back from the bar for SLF there were a couple of hundred people stood at the front, which turned it into one of the narrowest mosh pits ever, about 2m deep, with 3 changes of floor level and seats at knee level behind just to add to the sprawl.

SLF were supposed to be playing their Inflammable Material album in its entirety (Meltdown is "curated" by Massive Attack, the artwork for their 1991 Blue Lines album was inspired by SLF's Inflammable Material) but they added a few more recent songs too. They played all the big tracks off the album though, like Alternative Ulster, Suspect Device, Johnny Was, Wasted Live and Barbed Wire Love. Unfortunately the sound was pretty mashed up (although that's traditional for SLF I think), but you could make out Jake Burns bits between songs. They played fast and loud, jumping around the stage pretty much like they used to, the Belfast Ramones.
I had been shouting out for them to play Doesn't Make It Alright all night, which they played as an encore, introducing it saying "This is a song by some friends of ours, if you're really good they might come and play it for you", which got people thinking The Specials might be making a guest appearance, but in the bitter end they didn't.
After the gig Mark Stewart and The Maffia played for free in the Clore Ballroom part of the Royal Festival hall, a much more dancy set than their first set, and Adrian Sherwood DJed with a couple of MCs. I got to speak to Daddy G briefly, who was fucked, and said hello to Mark Stewart, while my friend jumped on stage to chat to Adrian Sherwood, much to the consternation of the few security who were around that late.

(You might not have heard of Mark Stewart and the Maffia, but you will have heard The Maffia in one of their previous incarnations, as they are Skip McDonald, Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc. They were pretty much the Sugarhill house band in the 80's, Skip Mcdonald is blues musician Little Axe, and Doug Wimbish was bassist in Living Colour and has worked with just about everyone.)

how were stewart/mafia? i saw a notice that they were playing here. i am aware of their reputation. i got an old album based on that reputation and it was pretty horrible/dated. but i always remainc curious about teh fuss.

I hadn't seen them for a long time (not 100% sure I ever saw them in this configuration anyway). Their first set was OK, but their second set was really good, they sounded more like Eat Static than a dub band at points. I don't know how they get those sounds out of a guitar and bass (although Skip McDonald does have a couple of keyboards that he twiddles with occasionally).

SLF. I'm envious.