Filed under: gigs, music | Tags: and so i watch you from afar, borderline, lafaro
This was a gig I’d almost forgotten I’d gone to actually as I’ve seen these guys so many times. As I can’t find a setlist to jog my memory, it may well be a brief review but it’s still something!
As I have already said, this is one of many ASIWYFA gigs I’ve been to over the last 18 months or so but was at another venue that I had never visited in the Borderline. Having been a busy boy that day at uni, I arrived a little bit later but turned up just in time for the set from LaFaro.
I caught LaFaro live before when they supported ASIWYFA on a previous tour at the Bull & Gate. I enjoyed their set back then and they were a band I meant to keep an eye on. I did no such thing in the end and their set at the Borderline reminded me why I held them in high regard at the time. With their debut album finally imminent, they played a great set. Playing a high energy, punk rock sound, they get the whole crowd going with some strong songs and they looked even more confident and comfortable on stage now. Definitely a band to catch if you can!
After that, it was time for And So I Watch You From Afar to take to the stage. As always, their set was made up of pure energy, volume and brilliance. Despite the number of shows I’ve seen, they always seem to impress me.
This tour was alongside the release of the Letters EP so most of the tracks from this got a live outing, with ‘D Is For Django The Bastard’ sounding great with it’s huge drum fills. The standard live tracks were all there, such as ‘If It Ain’t Broke, Break It’ and the unstoppable ‘Set Guitars To Kill’ got the crowd whipped up into a frenzy during the encore while the longer, more melodic tracks including ‘TheseRIOTSareJUSTtheBEGINNING’ and the album closer ‘Eat The City, Eat It Whole’ also sounded as good as ever.
The one thing that sets these guys apart from most bands I have seen is their on stage presence and this gig was no exception. The normal moves of jumping around stage, duelling guitars and runs into the crowd were all there again. The one that sticks out the most though was when Tony went into the crowd and gave his guitar to a stunned member of the audience to play which was a very cool touch.
This may not have been the best show I’ve seen from these boys; that title still goes to the show with Maybeshewill at the Good Ship. However, it’s always great to see them live and they always offer something a little different each time.
I’m just glad I finally remembered to take my earplugs this time..
And So I Watch You From Afar – D Is For Django The Bastard (live)
Filed under: gigs | Tags: 2009, 65daysofstatic, and so i watch you from afar, animal collective, frank turner, gig of the year, graham coxon, maybeshewill, metric, The Antlers, tv on the radio, we were promised jetpacks
As we approach the end of the year it’s time, as any blog should, to look back on the year as a whole. With the main purpose of this blog being about live music, it seems apt to kick things off with my top 10 gigs from the year.
First things first, I’ve excluded the all day events I’ve been to this year, in Lexapalooza and Lexapalooza Lite, as they would have run away with the titles due to the overall awesomeness of both events. So in order to give the other shows a chance, they’ve been cut. And so, bring on the list!
10. We Were Promised Jetpacks @ The Lexington – 18/06
I’d been listening to this three pieces debut album, These Four Walls, for a few months before I got chance to see them at this great little venue. They had a couple of good support bands playing with them but their own set was short but sweet. ‘Keeping Warm’ was a great set opener with it’s uber long intro and kicked the night of well. Other songs off the album, such as ‘It’s Thunder And It’s Lightning’ and ‘Conductor’ sounded fantastic too but the highlight was most definitely ‘Quiet Little Voices’ which is one of my favourite songs this year (a list I won’t be compiling).
They seemed to have a great time on stage and I definitely had one off it.
9. Animal Collective @ Brixton Academy – 20/08
I went along to this gig a bit indifferent to this band but since then have got more into them thanks to this show. The sound levels and the sound quality may not have been as good as they could have been, the one buzzing monitor being a particular nuisance, but this didn’t stop it from being a damn good show. It was a shame I didn’t know more of their material as a number of the songs I didn’t know at the time sounded great live, especially ‘Fireworks’, and both ‘Guys Eyes’ and ‘Brother Sport’ of the new album sounded fantastic too.
It was a shame the crowd were a bit flat but this gig was an amazing experience as much as anything.
8. TV On The Radio @ Brixton Academy – 13/07
After thoroughly enoying last year’s album ‘Dear Science’, I had really been looking forward to this show. The set they played was heavily weighted in favour of this album and the big tracks off the album, such as ‘Halfway Home’ and ‘Dancing Choose’ coming across brilliantly but it was some of the more understated tracks on the album, particularly ‘Love Dog’ which really blew me away. The older material also sounded fantastic and the double act of the percussion heavy ‘Method’ and the sublime ‘Staring At The Sun’ rounded the night off for the encore.
Very glad I managed to catch such a top band on the only date they played in the UK.
7. The Antlers @ Pure Groove Record Store – 04/09
One of Pure Groove’s in store sessions (that I really should go along to more often) this was on at the slightly bizarre time of 1.30 in the afternoon on a Friday but I am very glad I managed to make the trip across London for their set. With just a handful of people present, they played a large majority of their album ‘Hopsice’ with most songs having a slightly different twist live to on the record. The reworked version of ‘Sylvia’ was especially good but others such as the beautiful ‘Kettering’ and ‘Two’ came across just as well.
A wonderful intimate little gig and I even managed to have a chat with the band and get my copy of the album signed.
6. Metric @ The Electric Ballroom – 19/05
For such a big band, I was amazed that this gig was so cheap so booked tickets in a shot when they came out and I’m very glad I did. Fantasies was the only album of theirs I had prior to getting the ticket so was most familair with the material off that. Luckily, for me at least, the set was pretty much dominated by these songs which I much prefer to their older albums. Emily Haines is a fantastic singer and focal point for the band and she was simply brilliant on the night. The lighting and sound were spot on so tracks like ‘Gimme Sympathy’ and ‘Help I’m Alive’ came across as well as they could have. The acoustic rendition of ‘Live It Out’ was a perfect ending to the night.
A fantastic live band and a great show.
5. 65daysofstatic @ Dingwalls – 26/04
A band that I love and had never caught live before. Fantastic support on the night from Tubelord (and some not so fantastic support from Amusement Parks On Fire) as well. These guys’ records just don’t them justice as they are so so much better live than on any album of theirs. Their performance on this night was simply mind blowing and the whole venue went absolutely mental for them. I only wish we’d been down in amongst the madness rather than where we were. And a rather fitting end to the night with a complete power cut during a brand new song cutting their set short.
Absolutely cracking show and can’t wait to see them again.
4. Graham Coxon @ The Lexington – 13/05
A gig I heard about through a friend, I was lucky to grab one of only a few tickets for this fairly intimate gig at The Lexington. The gig was to showcase his new album ‘The Spinning Top’ which he played through in it’s enitrety. I’m not a huge fan of the album but it was absolutely fascinating to watch such an accomplished guitarist playing such technically amazing songs. The change between the pure acoustic songs and the distorted ones were welcome and it was interesting to see a gig that just consisted of one album in order.
A great gig and very fortunate to be so close to such an accomplished musician.
3. Frank Turner @ Shepherds Bush Empire -29/10
He had to make an appearance at some point didn’t he? I may have seen Frank play a handful of gigs this year but this was easily the pick of them. The whole night was great as he had some excellent support from Beans On Toast and Fake Problems and his own set was one of the best I’ve seen at any of his shows. As I’ve said numerous times in reviews of his gigs, it’s a whole different experience seeing him with the band than solo and it was the energy of the performance from this show with the band and the sheer scale of the gig and crowd that made this such a great show. The stalwarts of his live shows, such as ‘Photosynthesis’ and ‘Prufrock’ were as good as ever but the inclusion of older material like ‘Nashville Tennessee’ and the fantastic cover of ‘Smiling At Strangers’ were epic.
All this on top of the new material sounding just as good made for a special night.
2. And So I Watch You From Afar/Maybeshewill @ The Good Ship – 20/05
ASIWYFA are only second to Frank Turner in the artist I’ve seen most live and this was their finest moment this year. This was very much helped by the fact that on the same bill was another of my favourite post rock bands in Maybeshewill. The rest of the crowd may not have known them as well as I did, having seen them play the same venue previously, but that didn’t bother me and they were as good as the last time I saw them. But if I thought they were good, ASIWYFA were on another level completely. The setup of the Good Ship set it up for a mind blowing show as the 50 or so of us in the ‘pit’ were pretty much on the stage with the band.
The energy from both the band and the crowd made this one hell of a gig and left me feeling shell shocked afterwards.
1. The Tallest Man On Earth @ Barden’s Boudoir – 09/09
And so the number one spot goes to the marvellous Tallest Man On Earth and his show at the bizarre little venue of Barden’s Boudoir back in September. The venue was an odd little place but in hindsight maybe the perfect sort of stage for Kristian to play on as it allowed the fans to surround the stage and this allowed him to sing to each and every person in the crowd. As I wrote in the original review, he had a slightly unnerving style of playing live as he would pick out people in the crowd and sing almost just to them and when it was you he ‘picked’ on, it seemed like an eternity that he was singing for you. Up until this gig, I’d enjoyed his album but this has nothing on how he was live and it was almost an honour to see him play such amazing songs and sing in his unique style.
The only word I can use to describe this show is mesmerising and I’ve already got my ticket booked for the next time he’s back in London.
The Gardener – live at Barden’s Boudoir
Agree/disagree with what I’ve got down? What was your favourite gig of the year? Leave a comment and let me know!
Coming soon(ish): my top 20 albums of 2009 with accompanying podcasts.
Filed under: gigs, music | Tags: and so i watch you from afar, bull & gate, djevara, nixa
Going back to this blog’s roots, this was the band and venue featured in my first ever post. Since then, I’d seen the band again, at the Good Ship with Maybeshewill, but was back to see them again at the Bull & Gate in Kentish Town.
Thanks to a full days revision, and a late dinner, I got to the venue just after the first support band finished but with drink in hand, made my way in to see the band filling the second slot, the curiously name Djevara; a band I’d never heard of (as is often the case). It seemed that they had history with ASIWYFA having toured with them in the post so I believe ASIWYFA had got them the slot for the show that night. Anyway, for just three guys, they made one hell of a racket and I mean that in a good way. They played a sort of hardcore/punk rock sound that flitted easily between being quite melodic to all out thrashing it seemed. All three members were damn good technically and I quite enjoyed the set, even if the crowd size was a little disappointing at that stage of the evening. A good live band, they’re well worth checking out.
Download ‘Black Boy‘ and ‘Moths To The Flame‘ for free.
After their set came Nixa, a band I was sure I’d heard of but couldn’t figure out where from (I subsequently found out it was because I had a free CD of theirs which could thrust into my hand after the Good Ship gig). Even a bout of good old H1N1 wasn’t going to stop these guys performing on the night and they also impressed. With a radio friendly rock sound, think Biffy Clyro or the Foos maybe, they had a good sound and I was impressed with the vocal arrangements with three vocalists all taking turns and even singing together at times which worked really well. They didn’t quite have the raw energy of Djevara but were really tight and I enjoyed their set as well.
Download ‘33‘, ‘Everyone’s An Expert‘ and ‘This Is A Test‘ for free.
And so we got to ASIWYFA who have yet to disappoint me live. They’d come in to the gig after a busy weekend which included recording for their new release (out later this year!) and then their performance at Truck festival on the Sunday (which I sadly couldn’t make). You wouldn’t have been able to tell though from their energy on stage which is always amazing. As is customary now, they started with the epic ‘Set Guitars To Kill’ with Tony diving in from the top of the amps at the side of the stage; a fair drop if you’ve been to the B&G!
They played a number of tracks off the album and EP which I’d heard previously, such as ‘If It Ain’t Broke, Break It’ and the alleged new track ‘S Is For Salamander’ which I’ve heard three times now, but they also played a couple of tracks I’d not heard live including a brand new track and ‘TheseRIOTSareJUSTtheBEGINNING’ which is one of my favourite songs off the album. The band’s stage presence, and as already mentioned energy, was second to none again with the band launching themselves round the stage, off amps and even taking running jumps from the crowd back onto the stage and it’s all of this that makes the band one of the best live acts I’ve seen.
They finished the set with ‘Eat The City, Eat It Whole’ which I don’t think I’ve heard before either and it makes a perfect set closer. Despite calls for more from the crowd, that was the night done but I did manage to get Tony to give us an impromptu, if rather short, drum solo. Overall, it was another great night from the boys and I could easily see them again and again without getting bored of them. The energy from the crowd wasn’t quite as good as the Good Ship gig (which was mental to be fair) but that made little difference to me right at the front!
10/10 again. Easily.
If It Ain’t Broke, Break It (live)
TheseRIOTSareJUSTtheBEGINNING (live)
Filed under: podcasts | Tags: 65daysofstatic, and so i watch you from afar, antlers, bruce peninsula, dave house, frank turner, graham coxon, justin vernon, klaxons, maybeshewill, metric, music podcast, slow club, the pains of being pure at heart, the rural alberta advantage, tim fite
A belated 16th podcast featuring;
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Rush Apart
Frank Turner – Heartless Bastard Mother Fucker (live)
Graham Coxon – Sorrow’s Army (live)
Tim Fite – A Better Fence
Antlers – Bear
65daysofstatic – Retreat! Retreat! (live)
Maybeshewill – Co-Conspirators (live)
Justin Vernon – Ring Out
Klaxons – Golden Skans (Acoustic)
Metric – Help I’m Alive (Acoustic)
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Come Saturday (live)
Dave House – Born Steady
Bruce Peninsula – Crabapples
Slow Club – Our Most Brilliant Friends
And So I Watch You From Afar – The Voiceless (live)
Download from this link
Filed under: gigs, music | Tags: and so i watch you from afar, live, maybeshewill, the good ship
This was a gig I’d had down in my diary from the day I first heard about it as both of these bands I absolutely love and have both seen aready in London in the last 6 months and the Good Ship is a venue I really like as it’s such a small place and is quite unique in it’s setup with the stage in a pit at the far end of the bar.
I got there nice and early as I wanted to try and catch every band that were playing. First of the lot were the curiously named Flies Are Spies From Hell who I rather liked, being a post rock rock band with the USP of having a pianist in the band which added an extra layer to their sound which made their set quite memorable. They only had a short time on stage to impress but they certainly managed to make me take notice of them. Not that it was easy to ignore them at the volume they were playing at!
Go here and download a copy of the track People Not Here for free.
Afterwards came Wild Dogs In Winter who played a very understated, shoegaze set that didn’t really grab me. There was nothing wrong with their set but I found myself drifting off a fair bit while they were playing which is never a good sign. They had a few good songs in their brief set but a few that really didn’t inspire me as well.
Follow this link to download a free copy of the song Good Ol’ Burnt Eyes.
After the stage had been setup again, it was the wonderful Maybeshewill’s turn to take to the stage and they played a set that I really enjoyed, opening with the opening track off their new album You Can’t Shake Hands With A Clenched fist which is a fantastic song that could easily provide the soundtrack to any apocalyptic scene in a film and it set the mark for the rest of the set.
I managed to get myself right down the front for their set which, if you’ve ever been to the Good Ship, means that I was practically on stage with the band as there’s really no such thing as a stage in the ‘pit’ where the band plays and pretty much all that seperates you are a few speakers on the floor in front of the band. The sound they gave out was simply astounding and old favourites like The Paris Hilton Sex Tape sounded brilliant. Their set also had a nice mix of new songs as well with Co-Conspirators, Accept And Embrace and This Time Last Year (technically not a ‘new’ song but still) all getting plays and all sounding brilliant.
To finish their set in, almost obligatory fashion, they played Not For Want Of Trying which is easily one of my favourite songs of theirs. Overall, they played a blinding set again and I loved it even if many of the crowd didn’t seem to know them; both guitarists get an a quality sound out of their kit, the drumming is fantastic and the bass playing really tight. The ony annoyances I have is that they never seem to get enough time to do a really good set and the laptop they use always seems to be a bit too quiet so some of the dialogue they use, such as Peter Finch’s “Mad As Hell” rant on Not For Want Of Trying, gets all too easily drowned out. I’m nitpicking but there you go.
Then after they had finished came the headline act, And So I Watch You From Afar and my god, these guys know how to put on a show! Opening with the rioutous Set Guitars To Kill, the crowd (and band) just went absolutely mental and it’s easy to see why when that tune is so epic. The energy from both band and crowd never let up through the rest of the set and it was simply brilliant thanks to that.
What little stage boundaries there were quickly dissipated with the band throwing themselves around it, juming into the crowd and, occasionally, vice versa; I was worried I was going to lose a tooth by the end of the set either from one of the guitarists smacking me in the face or from being thrown into a speaker by one of the crowd. The band launched their way through a set of tracks from their recently released, self titled album (some of which also appeared on their EP from last year) such as the massive Start A Band and If It Ain’t Broke Break It but also some of the slower, more melodic I Capture Castles and The Voicless, the latter two allowing the crowd and the band to recover between some of the moreheavy songs.
As I said, their set was truly spectacular both thanks to the band and the crowd and afterwards I just felt knackered from it all. There was absolutely nothing to fault from their set and it was perhaps even better than the last time I saw them at the Bull & Gate as the crowd were so much more involved (or at least they were in the pit where I was) and in the end I did manage to keep my full set of teeth even if my neck was a bit sore from all the headbanging.
All in all, a fantastic night of music with two of my favourite current bands playing great sets. Not bad for four quid really..
Maybeshewill – Co-Conspirators (live)