Oasis
The Forum, Copenhagen, January 24
I'll admit I didn't have the highest expectations for this gig. An open floor with 9,000 people, a band that can barely get on stage with out fighting, and a back catalogue that I had no hope of learning before the gig. I was just keeping my fingers crossed that I would know enough songs to make the steep ticket price worth it. However, Val and I somehow got front row spaces (a little off to the left, but that ended up being fortuitous later) and the crowd was incredibly relaxed. Another nice break after Pete.
Opener The Floor Is Made of Lava was decent live, and remarkably prompt. Their sound left something to be desired, since the bass was loud enough that it actually made my scalp vibrate, which detracted from my ability to understand/enjoy the music especially well. However, what I could make out of their songs suggested that they had catchy hooks, and I checked them out later on last.fm. Decent.
Oasis came on, again, really promptly. Val told me the Danes are very offended by lateness; maybe I should just go to concerts in Denmark from now on. They opened with Rock and Roll Star, played a few tracks off their new album including lead single Shock of Lightning, then mixed in some classics like Morning Glory, Supersonic, and Live Forever, and of course Wonderwall, which Liam taunted the crowd with by announcing the song before as Wonderwall. The actual version was just okay; needed more weird pronunciation. Liam, oddly, left the stage for about half the set (whenever Noel sang), but otherwise a fairly normal gig. No fighting on stage, which was almost disappointing. Cigarettes and Alcohol was introduced as "for anyone here from England"-- a little Albionesque dissatisfaction with the world, I guess.
The encore was the high point of the gig, with Champagne Supernova and a great acoustic version of Don't Look Back in Anger. They closed with a cover of I Am the Walrus, which went off well but should have been shuffled with Supernova. It seemed like a strange choice to close with a song from another band. However, Walrus was a personal high point in the gig, since Val and I appeared on the giant on-stage screens for about a minute. Everyone asked if it was awkward/embarrassing, but actually it was just really fun.
The verdict? All in all a strong set. They played for almost an hour and a half and got in most of the classics, which were an obvious high point.
Pictures later when I get over my uploading apathy.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I Get Along
Many things have happened since our last encounter, little blog. St Moritz club and its extreme, retro hipsters, the weekend in Peterborough (aka hell), Thursday night bands in Camden (annoying girl in high waisted skirt, spoken word poet, and decent band with the one guy who wore makeup), a visit to Buckingham Palace, Westminster, and surrounding environs, the discovery of godlike Brick Lane Beigel Bake, followed by a visit to Jack the Ripper's rumored pub, the Ten Bells and preceded by a trip to Leigh St, home of the real Black Books. Sadly the owner was not as fun as Bernard. He was grumpy without the Irish alcoholic fun. Also stopped in at Platform 9 and 3/4 for the obligatory picture and had my first visit to Topshop (aka Mecca). Saw Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader, which were both excellent. Although I recommend seeing The Reader first, then Slumdog Millionaire to cheer you up afterward.
Then I went to Denmark and Sweden.
Really.
I went to see Val for a long weekend, starting in Copenhagen then progressing on to Malmo, Sweden on Saturday, since it's a half hour train ride across the Baltic. Malmo is the third largest city in Sweden, and home to its tallest building as well as some lovely old architecture and squares. Mamlo was followed by a visit to Andersen and Kierkegaard's graves, then an Oasis concert (which you'll be hearing about in a subsequent post). Sunday we went to see the Little Mermaid and attempted to see the changing of the guard at the Danish palace, but no one seemed to know where it was, and the Danes aren't big on useful signs for tourism. So we saw some old buildings that we didn't really know the names of, then I came home to London.
Monday saw me up bright and early to get tickets for a Franz gig (another blog entry about this one coming up). Afterward we went out for sushi and were interviewed by Radio One. We got our one second of fame, in a soundbite of us being high fived by the strange interviewer woman. Never a dull moment in London.
Today I had a nice walk down to see my building for architecture, New Scotland Yard, followed by a chocolate waffle overlooking the Thames. Honestly one of the nicest days I've had here yet; it was so relaxing to get some time to myself to do whatever I wanted.
Up for the weekend: La Durée, Tower of London, and Primark adventures with Lanette and Anitra.
In the more distant future: Spain! Santiago de Compostela! Potentially The View and The Streets in concert (undecided on The Streets), seeing the lovely James McAvoy live in the West End.
Pictures of all these things will be here later, when I feel motivated to upload them.
Then I went to Denmark and Sweden.
Really.
I went to see Val for a long weekend, starting in Copenhagen then progressing on to Malmo, Sweden on Saturday, since it's a half hour train ride across the Baltic. Malmo is the third largest city in Sweden, and home to its tallest building as well as some lovely old architecture and squares. Mamlo was followed by a visit to Andersen and Kierkegaard's graves, then an Oasis concert (which you'll be hearing about in a subsequent post). Sunday we went to see the Little Mermaid and attempted to see the changing of the guard at the Danish palace, but no one seemed to know where it was, and the Danes aren't big on useful signs for tourism. So we saw some old buildings that we didn't really know the names of, then I came home to London.
Monday saw me up bright and early to get tickets for a Franz gig (another blog entry about this one coming up). Afterward we went out for sushi and were interviewed by Radio One. We got our one second of fame, in a soundbite of us being high fived by the strange interviewer woman. Never a dull moment in London.
Today I had a nice walk down to see my building for architecture, New Scotland Yard, followed by a chocolate waffle overlooking the Thames. Honestly one of the nicest days I've had here yet; it was so relaxing to get some time to myself to do whatever I wanted.
Up for the weekend: La Durée, Tower of London, and Primark adventures with Lanette and Anitra.
In the more distant future: Spain! Santiago de Compostela! Potentially The View and The Streets in concert (undecided on The Streets), seeing the lovely James McAvoy live in the West End.
Pictures of all these things will be here later, when I feel motivated to upload them.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Unfinished Business
White Lies
HMV Oxford, January 20
White Lies in-store tonight in Oxford Circus. Such a lovely experience after the interminable and unprofessional Pete gig; the band came on at precisely 6, there were no frightening/shrieking/lengthy openers, no insane half hour break, no deranged woman with a glass of wine, and no ceiling that dripped on me. The band played an incredibly short set, about six songs, since it was just an instore, then did a signing (I got a signed vinyl of their new single).
We were much closer than these pictures suggest.
Set list:
To Lose My Life
Fifty on our Foreheads
Death
The Price of Love
Unfinished Business
E.S.T.
For such a young band (all 19 or 20), they put on a great show. Really tight playing, although it's slightly confusing that they have a fourth member who only plays live. Also one of the universally best looking bands I've seen in a while, not that you can really tell from the pictures. We were actually pretty close, just at a weird angle. Set highlights were a speedy version of death Death (the closer), To Lose My Life, and a synthy take on Unfinished Business, but all the songs sounded great. They're actually slightly more energetic live, which improves some of the tracks that come across a little slow on the album.
The hype around the band is understandable, they're incredibly polished live, down to their all-black clothes. Nick Cave and Mark Ronson have checked out their gigs recently, and magazines are hyping them up with comparisons to Echo and the Bunnymen, Interpol, Editors and (of course, given Harry McVeigh's flat, cynical voice) Joy Division. Their lyrics lean more toward Echo than the claustrophobically personal/unintelligible sort of stuff Interpol puts out, with McVeigh intoning epic lines like "Let's grow old together/and die at the same time." I'd call them a slightly happier Interpol, with shades of The Killers, especially in the practically Brandon Flowers-tribute stage presence of the lead singer.
Basically, the hype is deserved and To Lose My Life is a great album, so go download it if you like gloomy, epic synth rock.
Not mine obviously, just a decent one of the singer that isn't weirdly grainy.
Music today: To Lose My Life- White Lies
HMV Oxford, January 20
White Lies in-store tonight in Oxford Circus. Such a lovely experience after the interminable and unprofessional Pete gig; the band came on at precisely 6, there were no frightening/shrieking/lengthy openers, no insane half hour break, no deranged woman with a glass of wine, and no ceiling that dripped on me. The band played an incredibly short set, about six songs, since it was just an instore, then did a signing (I got a signed vinyl of their new single).
We were much closer than these pictures suggest.
Set list:
To Lose My Life
Fifty on our Foreheads
Death
The Price of Love
Unfinished Business
E.S.T.
For such a young band (all 19 or 20), they put on a great show. Really tight playing, although it's slightly confusing that they have a fourth member who only plays live. Also one of the universally best looking bands I've seen in a while, not that you can really tell from the pictures. We were actually pretty close, just at a weird angle. Set highlights were a speedy version of death Death (the closer), To Lose My Life, and a synthy take on Unfinished Business, but all the songs sounded great. They're actually slightly more energetic live, which improves some of the tracks that come across a little slow on the album.
The hype around the band is understandable, they're incredibly polished live, down to their all-black clothes. Nick Cave and Mark Ronson have checked out their gigs recently, and magazines are hyping them up with comparisons to Echo and the Bunnymen, Interpol, Editors and (of course, given Harry McVeigh's flat, cynical voice) Joy Division. Their lyrics lean more toward Echo than the claustrophobically personal/unintelligible sort of stuff Interpol puts out, with McVeigh intoning epic lines like "Let's grow old together/and die at the same time." I'd call them a slightly happier Interpol, with shades of The Killers, especially in the practically Brandon Flowers-tribute stage presence of the lead singer.
Basically, the hype is deserved and To Lose My Life is a great album, so go download it if you like gloomy, epic synth rock.
Not mine obviously, just a decent one of the singer that isn't weirdly grainy.
Music today: To Lose My Life- White Lies
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Up the Shambles
Pete Doherty and Babyshambles
Rhythm Factory, January 9
Got into the gig last night at like 845, knowing (thanks to Angry Organizer man, who shall appear more later) that things were clearly going to begin late. Not shocking, considering it's Pete. Headed downstairs into the strangely cavernous and tiny venue, and got to the front, which was fairly surprising considering we were nowhere close to the front of the line. The weirdest thing about the entire gig was the barrier in front of the stage, which was about at throat height and made of old wood. Well, the crowd was unusual too. A surprising number of older people, some dressed in suits, mixed with the prerequisite hipster kids. But anyway.
Things were looking up when the openers actually arrived at 9. There were a couple of decent bands, one completely appalling one with a shrieking woman, then another decent one. That's four so far. After about three, everyone started to assume that Pete would be the next act, since Angry Organizer kept coming on stage, looking angry and holding his clipboard, and telling people they were only allowed to play one more song. Sadly we were mistaken. Even the ridiculously enthusiastic DJ and announcer seemed to be losing interest.
It all went downhill when act five, forever known as "Act with the Arrogant Singer Who Got All Their Stuff Destroyed" took the stage. People were getting annoyed by this point, having been standing and watching incredibly mediocre bands for several hours when they had been promised Pete. Arrogant lead singer couldn't seem to understand the crowd's marked lack of enthusiasm, even when someone threw their drink onto the stage and broke the cymbals. This encouraged him to flail around like he was Jesus/Ian Curtis with the mic stand, nearly taking out me and everyone else in the front row.
This band, when they finally left, was followed by some band neither Andrew nor I can remember, because we were probably delusional by then since everyone kept pressing forward more in anticipation of Pete, then these two dreadful guys who honestly weren't even playing the same song at the same time, then the final band, in which the lead singer distinguished himself by cutting his finger somehow during the first song and bleeding all over his guitar for the rest of the evening.
During the gap between the last two bands, Pete finally arrived. (At about 1, aka 'morning' in Doherty Time). He was sporting some white, lensless sunglasses and what may have been a barrette in his hair, we never figured it out. After the EIGHTH opener finally finished, having been cut off by Angry Organizer, Pete took the stage at 1:30.
He brought along Mik and Drew, so it was essentially a Babyshambles gig rather than just Pete solo, which was pretty awesome. I was front and center for the first half, and caught Fuck Forever, Time for Heroes, Killamangiro, Crumb Begging Baghead, There She Goes A Little Heartache and a few more, then moved back at the interval because I was really tired of being smashed into the barrier. The second half of the set had Albion, Delivery, Merry Go Round, and some lesser known but awesome Shambles songs. Pete and the guys were really in top form. He looked healthy (relatively so, it's Pete) and the playing was tight. Their set was a little short considering how long we had to wait, but it was worth it in the end.
As for Albion, it was one of the best songs of the night. Pete played it up a lot for the East End, probably because he and the Libs lived in Bethnal Green when they were starting out, and the crowd loved it. Really an amazing song live, and you can tell Pete gets into it so much. Fuck Forever and Time for Heroes were other obvious highlights, finally seeing a Libs song played live! And the crowd went ballistic for Delivery, which I was a little surprised by. It's a great track, but not their most obvious hit. The only things I hoped for were Loyalty Song and I Get Along (which I think Carl revives at gigs more often than Pete).
Highlights of the evening? Albion. Even though we'd been there for hours, the ceiling was dripping condensation all over the place, and Mik looked...rough, it was a spectacular moment. Pete drawing on the wall (Up the Shambles and a QPR slogan, which I don't think came out in pictures because he wrote in blue on blue), and last but not least, the moment when Angry Organizer appeared and saw screaming woman band. His eyes went massively wide in shock, and he turned from the edge of the stage and retreated to his lair in the back at near hypersonic speed. My feelings exactly, Angry Organizer.
Music today: Love on the Dole, The Libertines
Rhythm Factory, January 9
Got into the gig last night at like 845, knowing (thanks to Angry Organizer man, who shall appear more later) that things were clearly going to begin late. Not shocking, considering it's Pete. Headed downstairs into the strangely cavernous and tiny venue, and got to the front, which was fairly surprising considering we were nowhere close to the front of the line. The weirdest thing about the entire gig was the barrier in front of the stage, which was about at throat height and made of old wood. Well, the crowd was unusual too. A surprising number of older people, some dressed in suits, mixed with the prerequisite hipster kids. But anyway.
Things were looking up when the openers actually arrived at 9. There were a couple of decent bands, one completely appalling one with a shrieking woman, then another decent one. That's four so far. After about three, everyone started to assume that Pete would be the next act, since Angry Organizer kept coming on stage, looking angry and holding his clipboard, and telling people they were only allowed to play one more song. Sadly we were mistaken. Even the ridiculously enthusiastic DJ and announcer seemed to be losing interest.
It all went downhill when act five, forever known as "Act with the Arrogant Singer Who Got All Their Stuff Destroyed" took the stage. People were getting annoyed by this point, having been standing and watching incredibly mediocre bands for several hours when they had been promised Pete. Arrogant lead singer couldn't seem to understand the crowd's marked lack of enthusiasm, even when someone threw their drink onto the stage and broke the cymbals. This encouraged him to flail around like he was Jesus/Ian Curtis with the mic stand, nearly taking out me and everyone else in the front row.
This band, when they finally left, was followed by some band neither Andrew nor I can remember, because we were probably delusional by then since everyone kept pressing forward more in anticipation of Pete, then these two dreadful guys who honestly weren't even playing the same song at the same time, then the final band, in which the lead singer distinguished himself by cutting his finger somehow during the first song and bleeding all over his guitar for the rest of the evening.
During the gap between the last two bands, Pete finally arrived. (At about 1, aka 'morning' in Doherty Time). He was sporting some white, lensless sunglasses and what may have been a barrette in his hair, we never figured it out. After the EIGHTH opener finally finished, having been cut off by Angry Organizer, Pete took the stage at 1:30.
He brought along Mik and Drew, so it was essentially a Babyshambles gig rather than just Pete solo, which was pretty awesome. I was front and center for the first half, and caught Fuck Forever, Time for Heroes, Killamangiro, Crumb Begging Baghead, There She Goes A Little Heartache and a few more, then moved back at the interval because I was really tired of being smashed into the barrier. The second half of the set had Albion, Delivery, Merry Go Round, and some lesser known but awesome Shambles songs. Pete and the guys were really in top form. He looked healthy (relatively so, it's Pete) and the playing was tight. Their set was a little short considering how long we had to wait, but it was worth it in the end.
As for Albion, it was one of the best songs of the night. Pete played it up a lot for the East End, probably because he and the Libs lived in Bethnal Green when they were starting out, and the crowd loved it. Really an amazing song live, and you can tell Pete gets into it so much. Fuck Forever and Time for Heroes were other obvious highlights, finally seeing a Libs song played live! And the crowd went ballistic for Delivery, which I was a little surprised by. It's a great track, but not their most obvious hit. The only things I hoped for were Loyalty Song and I Get Along (which I think Carl revives at gigs more often than Pete).
Highlights of the evening? Albion. Even though we'd been there for hours, the ceiling was dripping condensation all over the place, and Mik looked...rough, it was a spectacular moment. Pete drawing on the wall (Up the Shambles and a QPR slogan, which I don't think came out in pictures because he wrote in blue on blue), and last but not least, the moment when Angry Organizer appeared and saw screaming woman band. His eyes went massively wide in shock, and he turned from the edge of the stage and retreated to his lair in the back at near hypersonic speed. My feelings exactly, Angry Organizer.
Music today: Love on the Dole, The Libertines
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Ulysses
Went to Whitechapel Market today. The market itself was fairly unremarkable-- about a mile of stalls selling pashminas and fruit and bootleg Bollywood dvds. But I did see a set of promo posters for the new Franz Ferdinand single, Ulysses, lurking on a piece of construction-site plywood about 100 feet from a building called Albion Health Center. A surprising reminder of how present both indie music culture and the Albion ideal in England are in everyday life. It seems that both are much more prevalent than their counterparts in America-- can you imagine a building called "Manifest Destiny Health Center?" I guess we have something similar in our fixation on freedom and related ideals, but those are more abstract while Albion seems to be a much more concrete notion of the nation as a whole. The adoption of the Albion concept is also really interesting to see in everyday contexts because it leads to the assumption that it is present in the national psyche, which explains why it appears so often in the nation's musical output.
The Franz posters, and the sheer amount of underground music advertising here, is also quite different from America. There's something much less industrial about music in Britain; it seems more organic and artists outside the Top 40 market flourish in ways that acts in America never quite do. I don't know if this is a result of the alternative media, like NME and club scene here, being so much more present, just a cultural difference in musical preference, or something about the types of social issues that these bands tend to address that connects with the population. At any rate, it made me happy to see ads for a band I actually like, rather than endless, blaring MTV promotion for Rihanna's ten thousandth single in six months.
The Franz posters, and the sheer amount of underground music advertising here, is also quite different from America. There's something much less industrial about music in Britain; it seems more organic and artists outside the Top 40 market flourish in ways that acts in America never quite do. I don't know if this is a result of the alternative media, like NME and club scene here, being so much more present, just a cultural difference in musical preference, or something about the types of social issues that these bands tend to address that connects with the population. At any rate, it made me happy to see ads for a band I actually like, rather than endless, blaring MTV promotion for Rihanna's ten thousandth single in six months.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Down in Albion
Week One: Orientation stuff, which was not especially interesting or enjoyable, interspersed with the play The Woman in Black, which was well acted but not as scary as the reviews say. It was more along the lines of your basic ghost story, but with more of that gross smoke machine smoke. Orientation also included some fun times in Soho, which is lively at night but violently overpriced.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Iron...thing inside
This was massive in real life, no clue how they got it inside
Harrod's lit up for the after Christmas sale
Up next:
Andrew visits, Slumdog Millionaire, my first excursion to Topshop, the beginning of classes, and...
PETE DOHERTY GIG! THIS FRIDAY AT RHYTHM FACTORY!
Tickets went on sale again for the shows that got cancelled in December, so I'm going! Massively excited!
Music today: Mercury, Bloc Party
We finally moved into QM on Saturday (FINALLY. The St. Giles Hotel, it's epically slow elevators and I could not part ways soon enough). Went out with some friends last night, then today went to Harrods and the Victoria and Albert Museum, followed by dinner at Wagamama. Mmm Japanese noodles. Also saw a massive ad for The Mighty Book of Boosh, which may be my first purchase of the souvenir variety. My flat is nice, and my flatmates seem okay so far, although I haven't met them all. Maybe tomorrow. Classes also start then.
Courses (or so called, obtusely, modules, here):
Architecture in London 1837-present
Alfred Hitchcock
Satire, Scandal, and Society 1700-1740
The Colonial Novel and British India
Courses that I didn't pick which are being dropped like a live grenade:
British Politics in the Age of the Pitts
Pictures from today:
Up next:
Andrew visits, Slumdog Millionaire, my first excursion to Topshop, the beginning of classes, and...
PETE DOHERTY GIG! THIS FRIDAY AT RHYTHM FACTORY!
Tickets went on sale again for the shows that got cancelled in December, so I'm going! Massively excited!
Music today: Mercury, Bloc Party
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