Gig Report: José González

Date: Thursday 25 October, 9.00pm
Venue: Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)
Face Value: £16.00
Support Act: sorry, I missed it
Gig buddy: Phil

Remember when Top Of The Pops was taken off the air? Remember how we all wondered how we would acquaint ourselves with new music coming out? Well, the answer to this question appears in the ad breaks obviously as I survey the sold out RNCM venue for last night's José González gig. José, a Swedish-born artist with strong Argentine heritage who became a household name thanks largely to a Sony Bravia TV ad featuring his version of 'Heartbeats', is on tour and I was one of the lucky 600 or so to get tickets at the RNCM to see him. The power of television. (Just me or is all Swedish talent being plundered for a 30 second soundtrack of commericalism? SAAB being a notable inclusion on this list using both Oh Laura and Nina Kinert to help push their sales.)

Anyway, I'm going to say at the outset that I enjoyed this gig. It was fabulous - and here's why.

The venue - it's 100% perfect for the humble artist before us, every finger pluck is an accoustic joy to the ears when heard in a theatre built to show off a technical performance. The pitch-black Bruntwood Theatre demands all attention on the artist who is reluctantly bathing in a single spotlight for much of the show. The stage set is simplistic, mirroring the music - it's effectively a giant black sheet with 3 white spindly pine trees on it. A little bit Blair Witch-ish but I doubt this is an intentional homage. Still it adds a spooky feel to the already intense music.

José begins by playing mainly new tracks from his second album 'In Our Nature' for the first half of the show, but returns to the first album 'Veneer' and even throws in his version of Kylie Minogue's 'Put Your Hand On Your Heart', which is available as a single. Normally a niggle of mine when an artist remains silent between tracks, but José tries and struggles with the language barrier, so all is forgiven and we watch instead as he carefully re-tunes his guitar.

For some of the performance José is joined on stage by two performers who add a percussive element - a guy called Eric (he's a dead ringer for Randy on My Name Is Earl) who deftly plays the bongos and a diminuitive barefooted girl who strikes a small wooden block in her lap (I get the feeling she played the triangle in her school band). Both add some very subtle backing vocals and don't overtake the show.

Overall: Though I shouldn't make comparisons, he's a modern day Nick Drake, perfect autumnal music - quirky time signatures, mellow guitar and a totally hypnotic sound.

Rating: 3 and a half chilled guitars.

Gig Report: KT Tunstall

Date: Friday 19 October, 9.00pm
Venue: Manchester Apollo Theatre
Face Value: £19.50
Support Act: King Creosote
Gig buddy: Phil

Rounding out the biggest week in Rocktober for us (3 gigs in 5 days - very silly!) we meet up with friends in town for some pre-gig drinks and stay longer than expected... cue dash for ATM/taxi/venue in time to get another drink and completely miss the support act (King Creosote). I'm not fussed as I've never heard of them, but Phil's face shows disappointment.

Nevermind - we enter the standing area of the Apollo which is 1) rammed and 2) very hot. No idea why they had heating on, this was only going to get hotter.

Sadly we hadn't had a chance to listen to the new album (Drastic Fantastic) on account of the ongoing postal strike (Royal Mail - get back to work already!!) so we were all ears open for the newer tracks coming our way. KT enters the stage, complete with sparkly dress, cowgirl boots and a broad smile. She's entertaining, funny and spontaneous, creating clever loops with her pedals and at all times aware of her audience's mood. She's also got the old stuff/new stuff mix just right and all tracks delivered with aplomb, even the ones she must surely be sick of playing like 'Black Horse and a Cherry Tree'. Also impressive is the number of guitars she brings out on stage - the mirrored one being my favourite. Definitely best gig of the week, even if the people up the back clearly weren't into it (curious thing that the atmosphere improved in factors of 10 the closer we got to the front).

We also learnt a couple of handy hints for anyone new to the gig scene... if there is a space closer to the front that appears to be sparsely populated it's because:

a) the closest guy smells really really bad, or

b) the closest couple are having a massive domestic argument and about to start swinging

Overall: Top gig - lots of fun, great stage and lighting, but get closer to the front so as to avoid people who are too afraid to show they are having a great time (and snigger at those who are).

Rating: 4 spangly guitars

(Thanks to the people on the KT Tunstall.com forum for the pictures - I didn't have a camera on me and my photography is usually rubbish anyway).

Gig Report: Ray Lamontagne

Date: Wednesday 17 October, 9.00pm

Venue: Manchester Apollo Theatre

Face Value: £18.50

Support Act: Sarabeth something

Gig buddy: Phil

Oh dear, I'm loathe to even report this gig, it was one of the poorest I've been to in a while..

We arrived at one of our favourite venues (Apollo) in enough time to grab a drink (I'm still on the soft variety) and settle in our seats for the support act who is a dreary sounding singer-songwriter type. I wondered whether I was too harsh in saying that she sounded like Beth Orton in a coma. That is until Phil narrows his eyes, shakes his head and says "ooooh, she's not THAT good".

Fine, support act over and Ray takes the stage without any fuss and begins to play. His voice everything we had hoped for and the sound (we're directly behind the mixing desk) is perfect. Sadly, that's about as positive as I can be about the evening. With no stage set to add interest to the show, the focus is on the artist who is barely distinguishable from the rest of the band (he's hardly even facing his audience) - in fact it feels more like we've wandered into a rehearsal. 5 songs in and he remembers to introduce the band, but barely any acknowledgement to the crowd that have paid nearly £20 a head to see him. Given the current climate where artists are making more money from touring than album sales (thanks largely to the piracy and cheap downloads available) it would be nice if there was a little gratitude.

Now, I'm a big fan of a little variation on the album and other than a heavy steel guitar inserted into most tracks (which was SUPER annoying) there was no discernable difference vocally - in fact we wished we stayed home and put his two CDs on shuffle.

The other issue with the gig was that it was fully seated - this did not help build any atmosphere whatsoever (in the complete absence of any on stage), so instead of grooving away, we were politely sitting in our seats like it was a royal variety performance. Mind you, with the excessive steel guitar, I worry that people might have started line dancing. I was almost glad when the set ended - and slightly annoyed that the delay for encore was a little protracted. This may have been a common feeling as many people had begun to leave after the first encore even though the house lights had not come up - yep, a second encore was on the way. (Why!!? Could he not tell that a funeral parlour has more atmosphere than his gig!?)

Overall: Miss this gig - total snoozefest! The most interesting part of the gig was that the drummer was wearing a bowler hat... enough said. Perhaps Miss Tunstall will show us the way on Friday night.. Stay tuned!

Rating: 2 guitars

Gig Report: Nizlopi

Date: Monday 15 October, 8.00pm
Venue: Night and Day Cafe (Northern Quarter)
Face Value: £10.00
Support Act: Jimmy Davis
Gig buddy: Phil, of course

A new venue for us - the Night and Day Cafe on Oldham Street provides mild excitement for me as it will also be the setting for a performance by Sia next month. It's in an area of town we don't frequent so often only because we can't be bothered walking this far and are still exploring the city's offerings closer to our doorstep. It's a rainy Monday night and on account of a rather large weekend, I gladly offer to drive to this one - I'm definitely not ready to get back on the sauce so soon. Night and Day turns out to be a small(ish) dark, bohemian bar full of main-stream alternative types (dreadlocks and clean shoes for example) but the natives are friendly enough so we join a table and settle in for the support act. Enter Jimmy Davis - a Mike Skinner (The Streets) sound-a-like. Or rap-a-like. That aside, his lyrics are passionate, delivered well and rhyme (hey - I never said I was a massive fan of this style of music). After a brief break, Nizlopi enter the room. That's right - not the stage, the room. They've decided to go beyond a simple 'Hi we're Nizlopi and we're pleased to be here' and have brought their guitar and double bass into the audience to generate even more enthusiasm. Sans microphone, Luke Concannon (vocals, guitar) and John Parker (double bass) kick off their performance with gusto, inviting everyone to get closer. The pair eventually make their way onto stage and give a very spirited performance, songs largely from their album (Half These Songs Are About You), a couple of new ones and a brilliant cover of 'Kiss'. Towards the end, a second adventure in the audience for a couple of tunes before returning to the stage, some audience participation and a final song. Encore of course is the only track to make the charts, 'JCB' but it's enough to leave everyone on a total high.
Overall: Nice sound - super strong vocals, loads of passion (mostly about climate change) and an act that really cares that the audience are enjoying the show. Oh and the venue is fantastic!

Rating: 3 environmentally friendly guitars. Why not 4? Sound and lighting slightly disappointing - not really the band's fault, and some guy (presumably with the band/record company) snapping away like his life depended on it - very very distracting. A couple of pictures, sure, but this was relentless. OK, fine. 3 and a half environmentally rocking guitars. :)

Gig Report: Damien Rice

Date: Thursday 11 October, 8.30pm
Venue: MEN arena

Face Value: £23.50 plus admin fees

Support Act: Vyvienne Long

Gig buddy: Phil, of course

I must preface this report by saying my expectations were lowered by a number of factors:

1) there was some rather negative feedback on other performances in his tour on Damien's own website forum which stated that he appeared to be going through the motions, ignored the audience and left people annoyed

2) it's in an arena - I prefer smaller venues

3) I noticed people selling tickets on eBay for less than face value and ticketmaster had not sold out - not a good sign

So, that out of the way, we grabbed some overpriced beverages and settle in for the support act, who is the cellist in Damien's band, Vyvienne Long. She's talented and her quirky lyrics from her debut EP 'Birdtalk' are amusing. Additionally she plays 'Random Man on the Motorway' to much enjoyment. It's clear to see why she's a natural choice for support.

Enter Damien for the main act and 2 songs in, not a word of 'hello' from him. Fortunately he breaks his silence soon and is chatty for the rest of the show, musing on how depressing his music is, his Irish upbringing and even taking requests from the arena (which he thinks is much too large). One girl screamed for a track called 'I Remember' which was misheard by Damien as 'La Bamba' and though it was clarified, he obliged with an inpromptu performance of 'La Bamba' anyway. As you can see from the set list below, there was a good mix old and new, with the favourites being: 'Amie', 'Cannonball' and of course no performance would be complete without 'Blower's Daughter', played in the encore which curiously enough finished on 'Cheers Darlin' - delivered part theatre-style after we had been relayed the story behind the song. A perfect way to end a much better than expected performance.

Overall: Seems Damien has been a bit 'hit and miss' on the tour - by his own admission on stage as well he describes himself as sometimes depressed though oddly he believes that this makes a better performance. The Manchester show however was a hit - Damien's incredible voice making the evening out totally worth it. Anyone who was expecting the musical equivalent of a nice cup of tea was in for a shock - Damien and the band rocked out a lot more than I would have expected from hearing both albums. The only downside is the venue - far too large for this type of music. Attendance was 6000 (the arena holds up to 20000) so it felt a bit cavernous.

Setlist:

Delicate

Then Go

Older Chests

Volcano

Me, My Yoke and I

Dogs

Amie

Accidental Babies

La Bamba

I Remember

Coconut Skins

Woman Like A Man

Cannonball

Unplayed Piano

The Blower's Daughter

Sleep Don't Weep

Cheers Darlin'

Rating (out of 5): 4 guitars

Gig Report: Ani Difranco

Date: Saturday 6 October, 9pm

Venue: Quays Theatre, The Lowry (Salford Quays)
Face Value: £18.50 plus admin fees
Support Act: Hemmil on Trial
Gig buddy: Phil

Saturday night and we're off to a new venue for us, Quays Theatre at The Lowry in Salford Quays. It's a bit of a trek from the city centre, but is well worth the effort. The funky modern designed building looks more like a giant child's toy and begs you to explore it's glowing orange and purple interior. Soon we enter the smaller than expected Quays Theatre (I'm dead excited about this as I prefer a more intimate performance) and take our plush pink seats (the whole theatre is pink) for the show.

Warming up for Ms Difranco this evening is the irreverant and avant-garde artist 'Hemmil on Trial' - part stand up comedian and part rock and roll musician. 100% pure alternative politics. He's sure to make the more timid audience member blush with his full frontal subject matter, but we find him pretty funny and his energy is amazing - seemingly punishing his guitar to within an inch of its life. By the way, the crowd is a real mix of people - more men than I have ever seen at an Ani gig but the lighting was fairly low, so some of them might not have been.

With minimal delay, Ani enters the stage with a drummer and a double bass player - that's it. Frankly though, it's enough - Ani's always been the kind of performer that doesn't need much (if any) support. I first saw her 10 years ago in a university bar in Canberra (Australia) and its fantastic to see that she has lost none of the passion for live performance in all these years - she's an artist that tours more than any I know of, living almost entirely on the road. How she manages to put out an album every year is beyond me. Though the style is less agressive these days, she's lost none of the impact and none of the energy. Engaging frequently with the audience to answer questions and share personal anecdotes, she keeps us laughing between songs which she delivered flawlessly. The complex key of her songs (and this is only something I have learnt from having tried to play them) means every song requires a guitar change (she's brought 6 with her) and thanks to some guy stage-left re-tuning constantly, there is no delay in the set at any point. The set list is a good mix of old and new - though it's hard to play everyone's favourite when the artist is this prolific. Notable crowd pleasers are 'Shameless', 'Little Plastic Castle', 'Fire Door', 'Napoleon' and my own favourite - 'Swim'.

Ani Difranco may not be a name that is familiar main stream (nor does she express any desire to be), but this folksy-punkish singer is one that will remain long in your memory after you've seen her.

Rating (out of 5): 4 1/2 very finely tuned guitars

The Return of The 'Finger!!

Powderfinger, possibly one of Australia's best ever bands are returning to the UK for the first time after 3 years - seems like only yesterday Aileen and I saw them at Hammersmith! And the best news is that they are doing a date in Manchester at the Academy in December!! I know, this bloats the gig calendar even further, but I don't care because it is the 'finger!! I'll be keen to see just how many other Australians are up north - most of us tend to stay close to the bright lights of the capital, but some wander elsewhere, so you never know.

In other news, the NYE problem has been fixed with a booking at a harbour-side restaurant recommeded by my sister. Table for 2, outside by the water and a regular a-la-carte offering at regular upmarket prices. Thanks Hol - you're a lifesaver! I had emailed a bunch of places and some of them were over $800 per person (this is about £300) for dinner. Noone can be THAT hungry :) For that kind of money I expect to be allowed to take the furniture I'm sitting on home with me. Bring on New Years!!!