Entering the venue late enough to miss any support act (we were both unwell) we found ourselves promptly assembled amid fellow gig-goers at the bar (soft drinks only on account of aforementioned flu). Attempting to get a feel for Lily's typical fan is difficult - you'd expect to find this kind of broad spectrum of people at any urban bus stop, such was the variety of people here. Young children with parents, teenage goths and well, early thirties couples like us all waiting patiently to hear Ms Allen.
Taking the stage at 9pm in her trademark dress, belting out one of her hits 'LDN', Lily was initially drowned out by the talented 3-man brass section of her band. Soon remedied, her vocals, while not a feature so much as her lyrics, were strong and on occasion varied pleasantly in places from the album. A confident (and sometimes mouthy) artist, Lily gave a well-rehearsed performance punctuating it appropriately with obscenities, political commentary and mentions of how much she likes Manchester. Most of which done with a ciggie on the go. As predicted by Phil, a cover made it into the set (Heart of Glass) and some new songs that haven't yet been released... perhaps a second album being not so far away. If so, both unreleased songs promise a slightly more mature sound.
Lily's honesty on stage was refreshing - she made no bones about hiding the fact that her album was short and coyly apologised for filling the rest of the set - not that anyone minded. Her encore a strange one though - 2 covers (one from the Kaiser Chiefs who she immediatley rubbished and The Specials who she encouraged the younger fans to seek out) before she ended on a current single not doing so well commercially - 'Alfie'. Overall, great gig - shame that some yoofs felt the need to toss cups of beer into the crowd in front as if they were at a festival. Weird.
Sunday, 11 March 2007
Friday, 2 March 2007
Gig Report: An Acoustic Evening with Dave Matthews - Manchester Apollo, Thursday 1 March, 8pm
Manchester Apollo for those not in the know (as I wasn't) is a gorgeously opulent theatre venue boasting a sound quality to rival any. That said, it was the perfect venue for an accoustic set from Dave Matthews and his side-kick Tim Reynolds. Arriving in good time before the 8pm start (no support act - and frankly none needed for this 2.5 hour show) we found ourselves almost unable to procure a drink before the house lights went down.. though we're pretty determined on that front and soon found ourselves with a beverage and a seat. (Nice work by the way Phil on scoring mid stall mid row seats!)
Strumming enthusiastically and very well supported (though sometimes out-shone) by Tim, Dave entertained all with his gravelly angst-ridden tones and occasional semi-falsetto, belting out some obvious favourites along the way (Grace, Crash etc) and ignoring others such as American Baby. Interspersing songs (and numerous guitar changes) with random anecdotes delivered in his typical dry wit, Dave as usual connected with his fan base and kept us entertained.
In what seemed like a musical interlude where Dave departed the stage, the spotlight was duly handed to Tim Reynolds who thrilled the audiece with an awe-inspiring guitar instrumental. Making it sound like everything from a mandolin to a violin, the audience was left gasping at his talent.
The only down-side to the show was the incessant flash photography by the woman on my right - almost forcing me to grab her camera and ram it down her throat in an ultimate 'kodak moment' and the boy in front videoing half the gig on his phone - very distracting. Other than that there were various people vying to be "Biggest Fan Ever" including the woman behind me laughing maniacally at everything Dave said between songs. Her cackling died down after she accidentally snorted like a farm animal on heat, and I suspect her mates silenced her out of sheer embarassment.
Overall, fantastic gig - a truly talented musician and gifted lyricist, Dave gave a solid performance - even if his 7-song encore was a little self-indulgent (but that's just my opinion).
Strumming enthusiastically and very well supported (though sometimes out-shone) by Tim, Dave entertained all with his gravelly angst-ridden tones and occasional semi-falsetto, belting out some obvious favourites along the way (Grace, Crash etc) and ignoring others such as American Baby. Interspersing songs (and numerous guitar changes) with random anecdotes delivered in his typical dry wit, Dave as usual connected with his fan base and kept us entertained.
In what seemed like a musical interlude where Dave departed the stage, the spotlight was duly handed to Tim Reynolds who thrilled the audiece with an awe-inspiring guitar instrumental. Making it sound like everything from a mandolin to a violin, the audience was left gasping at his talent.
The only down-side to the show was the incessant flash photography by the woman on my right - almost forcing me to grab her camera and ram it down her throat in an ultimate 'kodak moment' and the boy in front videoing half the gig on his phone - very distracting. Other than that there were various people vying to be "Biggest Fan Ever" including the woman behind me laughing maniacally at everything Dave said between songs. Her cackling died down after she accidentally snorted like a farm animal on heat, and I suspect her mates silenced her out of sheer embarassment.
Overall, fantastic gig - a truly talented musician and gifted lyricist, Dave gave a solid performance - even if his 7-song encore was a little self-indulgent (but that's just my opinion).
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