Gig Review
May. 25th, 2006 12:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maleghastySo tonight (well last night now, if you want to get technical about it), I went to a gig as a birthday present to myself and to mark my maternal Grandfather's 91st birthday in my own way...
The High Dials (of Montreal Canada)
Well the High Dials from Montreal were an interesting and pleasant surprise! I'm fairly sure that I've heard them on KEXP once or twice, but to see them live was (as ever with live music) a real eye-opener... There odd blend of spiritual lyrics, plaintive pain and flowing, yet hard-edged riffs left me wanting more - so I bought the CD. I find myself wondering if they are big news at home in the Maple Leaf state, but how would one find out? I must ask Sarah; my oracle for all things Canadian, for example the woman who told me about The Trailerpark Boys and loaned me 'Hip albums (well ok I made that second one up, but she should loan me 'Hip albums!!). Also, extra points for use of a Sitar in an epic "closer" (shame it's not on the album I bought)...
****
Catherine Irwin (of Louisville Kentucky)
I can't think of a lot of things that are braver than a lone woman walking out on a stage with a guitar and a mic to do covers of old, old Country songs that were originally performed by men, in front of an audience that is now impatient to see the main event. For my money she was more than up to the challenge. An incredible voice and nimble
fingers as her plucking pulled on every heart-string in the joint with songs of pain and heartbreak. The joke was good too:
"Two peanuts were walking down the street, and one of them was assaulted."
At some point I will have to see if I can get one or two of her records - I couldn't face the crush into the lobby post-gig as the merch lady from Detroit Michigan (name forgotten, apologies) was swamped by newly whipped up fandom...
****
Neko Case (of Chicago Illinois) and her band (of many, many places)...
I hadn't seen Neko perform since 2000, when she toured the UK in the wake of being short-listed for the Mercury Music Prize for her first full-length release; "Furnace Room Lullaby". John Peel had been championing her to win, with particular reference to "Twist the Knife" which temporarily replaced "Teenage Kicks" as his favourite song of all time, and even though I had the album and been disappointed by her loss of the prize I went to see her at the Night and Day Cafe on Oldham Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter, one night after work. I was the only guy in the place in a tie, and by the time Kelly Hogan and her Pine Valley Cosmonauts relinquished the stage to Neko Case and her Boyfriends (as the band were then known), the place was packed to the rafters. When I arrived at the Shepherds Bush Empire this evening to see a lacklustre turnout I was concerned, but I shouldn't have been worried - in true London style the crowd had simply not bothered to show for the support acts... It is worth saying at this point that I have not bought a single other Neko Case record since I bought the aforementioned "Furnace Room Lullaby", but after this evening's safari through material previously unknown to me, that is gonna change. Neko's voice is still a wonder of the modern world, her pitch and clarity matched only by the power she seems to be able to summon from nowhere, or at least implausibly from within her tiny size eight frame. The banter between songs topped off what was already not only a completely satifying performance, but also a great value for money gig. For an old-time fan like me, the stand-out moments were her excellent renditions of "Set Out Running" and "Furnace Room Lullaby" (the title track, not the whole album, clearly). Having said that the stuff that was new to me was equally moving and mystical, particularly a song that I will know only as "a scary Ukranian story" until I get my shopping boots on and buy some albums (I have a lot of catching up to do, it would seem). Special mention should probably be made of how gorgeous Neko looked, bright red hair tumbling over her shoulders as she belted out number after number, and also to Rachel Flotard (the backup singer - if anyone can tell me the name of the band she is also in I would be dead chuffed, it was mentioned, but I didn't hear it because of an amorous fan) who proudly announced that she was not wearing any underwear...
*****
The High Dials (of Montreal Canada)
Well the High Dials from Montreal were an interesting and pleasant surprise! I'm fairly sure that I've heard them on KEXP once or twice, but to see them live was (as ever with live music) a real eye-opener... There odd blend of spiritual lyrics, plaintive pain and flowing, yet hard-edged riffs left me wanting more - so I bought the CD. I find myself wondering if they are big news at home in the Maple Leaf state, but how would one find out? I must ask Sarah; my oracle for all things Canadian, for example the woman who told me about The Trailerpark Boys and loaned me 'Hip albums (well ok I made that second one up, but she should loan me 'Hip albums!!). Also, extra points for use of a Sitar in an epic "closer" (shame it's not on the album I bought)...
****
Catherine Irwin (of Louisville Kentucky)
I can't think of a lot of things that are braver than a lone woman walking out on a stage with a guitar and a mic to do covers of old, old Country songs that were originally performed by men, in front of an audience that is now impatient to see the main event. For my money she was more than up to the challenge. An incredible voice and nimble
fingers as her plucking pulled on every heart-string in the joint with songs of pain and heartbreak. The joke was good too:
"Two peanuts were walking down the street, and one of them was assaulted."
At some point I will have to see if I can get one or two of her records - I couldn't face the crush into the lobby post-gig as the merch lady from Detroit Michigan (name forgotten, apologies) was swamped by newly whipped up fandom...
****
Neko Case (of Chicago Illinois) and her band (of many, many places)...
I hadn't seen Neko perform since 2000, when she toured the UK in the wake of being short-listed for the Mercury Music Prize for her first full-length release; "Furnace Room Lullaby". John Peel had been championing her to win, with particular reference to "Twist the Knife" which temporarily replaced "Teenage Kicks" as his favourite song of all time, and even though I had the album and been disappointed by her loss of the prize I went to see her at the Night and Day Cafe on Oldham Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter, one night after work. I was the only guy in the place in a tie, and by the time Kelly Hogan and her Pine Valley Cosmonauts relinquished the stage to Neko Case and her Boyfriends (as the band were then known), the place was packed to the rafters. When I arrived at the Shepherds Bush Empire this evening to see a lacklustre turnout I was concerned, but I shouldn't have been worried - in true London style the crowd had simply not bothered to show for the support acts... It is worth saying at this point that I have not bought a single other Neko Case record since I bought the aforementioned "Furnace Room Lullaby", but after this evening's safari through material previously unknown to me, that is gonna change. Neko's voice is still a wonder of the modern world, her pitch and clarity matched only by the power she seems to be able to summon from nowhere, or at least implausibly from within her tiny size eight frame. The banter between songs topped off what was already not only a completely satifying performance, but also a great value for money gig. For an old-time fan like me, the stand-out moments were her excellent renditions of "Set Out Running" and "Furnace Room Lullaby" (the title track, not the whole album, clearly). Having said that the stuff that was new to me was equally moving and mystical, particularly a song that I will know only as "a scary Ukranian story" until I get my shopping boots on and buy some albums (I have a lot of catching up to do, it would seem). Special mention should probably be made of how gorgeous Neko looked, bright red hair tumbling over her shoulders as she belted out number after number, and also to Rachel Flotard (the backup singer - if anyone can tell me the name of the band she is also in I would be dead chuffed, it was mentioned, but I didn't hear it because of an amorous fan) who proudly announced that she was not wearing any underwear...
*****
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 10:24 am (UTC)These might help...
Date: 2006-05-25 12:25 pm (UTC)http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/index.html?id=10010
And as one half of American Folk/Country Duo - Freakwater:
http://www.freakwater.net/
Enjoy! (I know I'm going to!) :-)