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Something that in my memory has been replaced, suddenly all comes back
I've not been to the Roundhouse in Camden before - having been various things (including, though not during my lifetime, a gin store) it reopened recently as a multi-purpose venue. And ooh, it's very nice inside. OK, so it's newly done-up, which helps. But the main space (called, er, The Main Space) is a pleasant sort of place, high-ceilinged and airy with interestsing twiddly ironwork to look at before the band comes on.
The support band, Fighting With Wire, were quite... present. Nice enough, and like a rather heavier version of Ash, but not something I'd get excited about. In fact, I didn't. I listened and clapped politely and quite enjoyed their set, but I won't be dashing off to buy an album. There's only so much guitar I can stomach before I get bored and want a chorus.
The inter-band gap was filled neatly by some fully-costumed Imperial Stormtroopers escorting Darth Vader on stage (complete with red lightsaber). They posed and wandered around, and as one the audience raised its mobile phones and took photos.
Then Ash came onstage. In case anyone isn't keeping up, Ash were doing a playthrough of their first full album, 1977. All the tracks, in the right order. They came onstage, and launched into track 1, Lose Control (which was slightly disappointing[*]).
The great thing about playthroughs is that you know exactly what you're getting, and can plan. Hmm. When they play Kung-Fu I am going to jump up and down like an idiot, so I've got 5 songsworth to drink this pint of Coke or it's going to go everywhere. And in fact if I can get it down to a half-pint level in time for the third song, that'd be good too.
The Roundhouse was advertising Ash as being onstage 9-10:30, which, for a 45 minute album is quite impressive. Even coming onstage slightly late and wittering a bit between tracks, they were done well before 10. So, they came back to play a selection of B-sides and covers from the 1977 era. Their "alien space jazz" section featuring Cantina Band from one of the Star Wars films was brilliant (and could only have been bettered if the Stormtroopers had come back on for a bit of synchronised dancing). By the time they'd romped through The Temptations' Get Ready and Abba's Does Your Mother Know? ChrisC and I were feeling wildly optimistic. Would they... would they ? They didn't :(
Even though they didn't[**], I think this might actually have been my favourite bit of the evening. Their second encore - hits since 1977 - really just reminded me why I didn't buy any of their subsequent albums. There's really only Burn Baby Burn which is up to scratch.
On the way home, we were talking about album playthroughs. The trouble is, that you need an album that is consistently good, not an album which has a few stand-out tracks. Much as I love 1977, I do fear that perhaps there are songs on it which, while I'd hesitate to call them filler, don't quite elevate the album to deserving-playthrough status.
[*] We hoped they were going to open with Jack Names The Planets, which on original pressings of the album is before track 1 - you put the CD in the player, then hit rewind. A CD player will usually display this as negative time in track 1. Wikipedia tells me this area of the CD is called the pregap.
[**]... play Punk Boy, their Helen Love cover.
The support band, Fighting With Wire, were quite... present. Nice enough, and like a rather heavier version of Ash, but not something I'd get excited about. In fact, I didn't. I listened and clapped politely and quite enjoyed their set, but I won't be dashing off to buy an album. There's only so much guitar I can stomach before I get bored and want a chorus.
The inter-band gap was filled neatly by some fully-costumed Imperial Stormtroopers escorting Darth Vader on stage (complete with red lightsaber). They posed and wandered around, and as one the audience raised its mobile phones and took photos.
Then Ash came onstage. In case anyone isn't keeping up, Ash were doing a playthrough of their first full album, 1977. All the tracks, in the right order. They came onstage, and launched into track 1, Lose Control (which was slightly disappointing[*]).
The great thing about playthroughs is that you know exactly what you're getting, and can plan. Hmm. When they play Kung-Fu I am going to jump up and down like an idiot, so I've got 5 songsworth to drink this pint of Coke or it's going to go everywhere. And in fact if I can get it down to a half-pint level in time for the third song, that'd be good too.
The Roundhouse was advertising Ash as being onstage 9-10:30, which, for a 45 minute album is quite impressive. Even coming onstage slightly late and wittering a bit between tracks, they were done well before 10. So, they came back to play a selection of B-sides and covers from the 1977 era. Their "alien space jazz" section featuring Cantina Band from one of the Star Wars films was brilliant (and could only have been bettered if the Stormtroopers had come back on for a bit of synchronised dancing). By the time they'd romped through The Temptations' Get Ready and Abba's Does Your Mother Know? ChrisC and I were feeling wildly optimistic. Would they... would they ? They didn't :(
Even though they didn't[**], I think this might actually have been my favourite bit of the evening. Their second encore - hits since 1977 - really just reminded me why I didn't buy any of their subsequent albums. There's really only Burn Baby Burn which is up to scratch.
On the way home, we were talking about album playthroughs. The trouble is, that you need an album that is consistently good, not an album which has a few stand-out tracks. Much as I love 1977, I do fear that perhaps there are songs on it which, while I'd hesitate to call them filler, don't quite elevate the album to deserving-playthrough status.
[*] We hoped they were going to open with Jack Names The Planets, which on original pressings of the album is before track 1 - you put the CD in the player, then hit rewind. A CD player will usually display this as negative time in track 1. Wikipedia tells me this area of the CD is called the pregap.
[**]... play Punk Boy, their Helen Love cover.
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I went along with some major ash fans. I recognised some songs, but not a lot. the sound was quite tinny and annoying at bits. But it was a good gig in all.
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I was told by someone who went to see My Bloody Valentine there that really, really loud music is merely really loud if you stand under the balcony bit.
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What did you come up with for ideal playthrough albums?
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ChrisC went to hear It's a Shame About Ray a few years ago, and I was disappointed I couldn't go. I think that would work pretty well. There's a couple of Cure albums I'd be happy to go and hear (Boys Don't Cry, or The Head on the Door). And maybe Surfer Rosa...
Obviously no recent albums have bedded down in my consciousness well enough to qualify yet ;)
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Mm, recent ones are difficult to think of in the same way, partly I guess because I don't listen to "albums" as solid unitary things as much as I used to. I could go for Kate Bush's Aerial though, and The Decline of British Sea Power. We Are the Pipettes?Or Burial's Untrue, how current and trendy would that be?
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I can see what you're saying about Boys Don't Cry, but it's just better than its more correct forerunner.
I do still listen to albums, despite living in an mp3 age, so I'm sure I should be able to think of some. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan's Ballad of the Broken Seas, maybe. Ooh, or maybe Arcade Fire's Funeral.
ChrisC and I agreed that there were several mid-period Nick Cave albums we'd like, too.
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I wish I'd seen the Pipettes... boo, I should go to more gigs generally.
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