Chase HQ Allstars

Just realised I have another gig to blog before I forget. Last weekend was supposed to be gig-filled but due to extenuating circumstances, we only got to one. We always get lost in Warrington, to the point that all of it looks familiar as we've been past it at some point. Luckily I had the gps in my bag, so we made it to WA1 in the end. It smells of rubber gym mats, but don't let that put you off. The picnic tables aren't a good idea either as I really wanted some cheese sandwiches, a bag of crisps and a drink with a straw in it. Anyway, I digress. The purpose of our tour round Warrington was to see our friends' band, Chase HQ Allstars. We haven't seen them for a while and they have grown further - there is more brass, but I am ok with that, honest! Anyway, they are friends so I'm not inclined to tell them where to shove their trumpet mutes.
I think last time I explained that I'm not a fan of dub or ska so I won't go into that again. What I will say though is that I was really surprised at how much better they have got since the last time we saw them. Singer Dave seems a lot more confident on stage and his voice has more range. The songs are more varied and more complex too and any band who can randomly pull out the Countdown music have my respect. The last song they played (again, I am awful at setlists and song names) had shouting in it, which is always a good thing, and sounded really good. More shouting please, boys and girl!
The brass parts seem to fit in better now, probably a reflection that songs are starting to be written incorparating them, rather than adding brass parts later and I'm always impressed if someone can get straight off a train from London and start playing, like one of the bass players, Matty.
I might even have to change my mind about my ska-dub-phobia, but keep those Reel Big Fish albums out of my face or there will be trouble.
Oh yes - and I got a chip naan on the way home, which adds a point onto the total score: 7/10.

Jimmy Eat World

I'm a bit late with this blog as I've had a hectic few days since then. I have a day off today to catch up on stuff but am getting a stinking cold thanks to meetings in small rooms with germy people, so better do it now before I retreat with the Lemsips. Went to see Jimmy Eat World on 20th February at Manchester Academy. I've seen them a few times before (head's too fuzzy to work it out right now) and based on the fact that they are always great and the new album is a good 'un, I persuaded the other half to get us some tickets, which he duly did (good boy!). First off, the Academy is still not finished, the loos are still outside and cold and the sound still bounces off the walls. The sound was a little bit better than when we were there the other week to see Coheed & Cambria, but it's still a long way from good. There were some technical hitches too with some sound cutting out. I couldn't make up my mind whether Jim looked really annoyed or not but the sound was back on after not too long and, as my friend pointed out, at least she will know she has the right show when her CD shows up. One last aside - I had my new owl shows on, so that helped cheer me up and there were no vomiting incidents near them this week.
Anyway, it's all about the music isn't it? Opening song 'Big Casino' is my favourite on the new album, so that was going to be a good start. Jimmy Eat World get some criticism for not being the most edgy of bands and it's fair to say that a fair amount of their repertoire these days could quite happily be blasting out on commercial radio. However, they have tons of energy and sincerity, which is so often lacking in bands that have made it to the level of success that they have. They threw us a curveball and messed up my encore predictions when 'Sweetness' was the second song. It's possibly one of the best sings ever written in my opinion, so I am never going to complain when I hear it.
As I said, the sound wasn't great, which meant it wasn't the best Jimmy Eat World show I've seen, but the setlist was a fairly good mix of old and new, though as with a lot of bands, I prefer their older stuff to the newer songs. None of it sounded dull though and I got to point my elbows a lot at Salt Sweat Sugar and Pain. I've been a bit rubbish at remembering the setlist - I just keep remembering the ones they didn't play. I was glad to hear 'Hear you me' and have a sway about - reminds us they're not a one-trick pony and can do poppy and infectious and quiet and brooding all in one evening.
Jim introduced Dizzy as his favourite song on the new album (we'll have to agree to disagree there) and they ended the night with 'The Middle', which was hardly surprising, but got a lot of the crowd singing along.
They're a great band, but until the Academy gets sorted out, I don't think any band are going to sound truly amazing in there. Hopefully by the next time someone plays there that I want to see, it'll be OK!
8/10

February giddy gig-ness

I am hoping that the rest of the year is as good as the first week in February has been with regard to gigs. It was always going to be good seeing as it involved seeing Coheed and Cambria twice in a weekend and they're one of my favourite bands. Added in was the fact that Spy Versus Spy have sort-of-reformed and were playing in Leeds on Saturday. Dodgy weather forecasts, a very busy week at work and other things going on and stressing me out made me question whether it'd all come off but 2 days later and I am still a bit hyper.
First off was Friday night at the Academy for the Kerrang! Tour, or, put better, Coheed and Cambria show 1/2. If anyone reads this from the Academy - GET IT FINISHED! It's a mess and it's cold going to those toilets outside! The sound was pretty bad too - noisy because there's nothing to absorb the noise. And it snowed. And someone was sick very near to my shoe which made me think about the first time I ever went there and my mother had read something about the streets being paved with vomit near the Academy. Well, about 15 years later I have finally seen some proof of that. Whingeing aside, we got there during Fightstar who were just like Fightstar always are - good at what they do and to see live but not quite good enough to make me actually listen to their album.
Madina Lake on Friday were, frankly, awful. More screaming girls again which made me bristle but they just sounded bad. They redeemed themselves a little on Sunday. Sort of.
I was there for one reason only anyway - the mighty Coheed and Cambria. OK so they're not everyone's idea of fun but there's just something massive about their music that makes everything OK for the hour or so they were on for. The setlist focussed on a lot of the new album, which sounded great. No World For Tomorrow is a big, big song and gave us time to get used to the female backing singers. Tried to push images of Bill and Ted and 'The Babes' out of my head for that. A Favor House Atlantic got the crowd going and I was more than pleased to hear Devil in Jersey City after The Trooper. My current favourite song on the new album is Feathers and seeing as I've been living under a stone for a while, I hadn't realised it is the next single so was rather chuffed they played it. The only 2 songs you can finish off a Coheed show with are In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth and Welcome Home. Epic songs for an epic band and lots of swaying and 'woh'-ing. Fantastic. Made me very excited for Sunday.
Saturday and a lot of the snow had gone so off we went on the M62, including a little song as we passed the farm in the middle, and turned up in Leeds. Checked into the hotel and went to find the pub where SVS were playing. Didn't look too hopeful in the food line so found a bizarre little Italian restaurant, stuffed our faces, then back to the Fenton for a quarrel with the bar staff over the quiz machine eating £1.60 of my hard-earned cash and refusing me even a simple geography question. First band on in the tiny room upstairs (glad no one was sick up there!) were Cocean, who I think said they were from Barnsley, though I may have dreamt that. I was surprised as when I'd seen a female singer with a keyboard, I had started to worry. Their post-rock sounds went down well though and I will probably get round to looking them up one day.
Had a bit of a sit down after that - it had been a long day - and have forgotten the name of the next band we saw, though I think it may have been 'Upon Me' or 'Above Me'. They were growly and Yorkshire and unfeasibly young but again surprisingly good.
Spy Versus Spy! We tried to figure how long since we saw them but gave up because it was too hard and we felt old. They opened with a new song, which to be honest, I didn't really get. I'm also clueless when it comes to the names of the band or the songs - more Danny's thing than mine. Anyway, the really shouty man has left and been replaced by a man who appeared to be a clone of Mark Arm in about 1991. When they played songs that I know (but not the titles I'm afraid) they were really very very good, but it just wasn't quite like it used to be. They still play it like they mean it though and the drummer is incredible, especially in his unexpected and prolonged drum solo - not de rigeur in this type of music (which I will allow you to tag as emo as this is what the term means to me - none of this poppy crap. Rant over.) Anyway, t'other half had a beaming grin, we had a chat with the drummer and then went back to the hotel with chip naans. Result.
Sunday started how all good days should i.e. with a breakfast buffet. Note of caution to anyone staying in the Holiday Inn Express - the air-con is stupidly noisy. We attempted to go in the Henry Moore Institute but most of it is closed whilst the latest exhibition is installed. The Art Gallery didn't open for a couple of hours so we had a mooch round the shops and I got the last 2 Amory Wars comics. Claudio from Coheed & Cambria was due to do a signing at Forbidden Planet but I'd not been able to get tickets as there were only 100 and I don't live in Leeds. Undeterred we popped off to the shop on the off-chance there were some returned. There weren't but the guys in the shop were helpful and I got to hold a massive Domo Kun for a couple of minutes.
The Art Gallery was great so we spent ages in there, leaving time for some pub grub and another wander to Forbidden Planet on the off chance. Got there and they nearly had all the ticket holders through so lucky us managed to tag on the back of the queue and get in! Got a bit giddy and got all my comics out but Claudio seemed a nice guy and signed all my comics and let me take a picture. I don't think I got too starstruck - honest - and went off to the gig with a stupid grin (see photo!)
As for the gig - same setlists etc really as Friday. Managed to see Circa Survive this time but couldn't make up my mind whether I liked them or not. Fightstar were the same as Friday. Madina Lake couldn't have been worse than Friday and seemed to benefit from the much better acoustics in Leeds Refectory. There were still screaming girls and they did a cover of 'March of the Pigs' (NIN) but I was still less offended by them than I was on Friday. Maybe I was in a better mood. Plus we'd wangled space on the balcony and had a good view and no one near who looked nauseous.
Coheed again! Much better than on Friday as the sound was better. Claudio seems much more talkative than on previous tours and we had some proper metal stances and playing of guitar behind the head etc. The setlist was (I think) the same as Friday so I grinned in all the same places and we had lots more woh-ing. New drummer, Chris Pennie, fits in well with the dynamic and Claudio's voice seems strong as ever. I was going to try to describe the band for any of you who don't know them, but it's hard apart from they have a lot of prog-rock elements but catchy hooks. Best just look them up! The setlist seemed more weighted towards what I refer to as the epic songs but the crowd lapped it all up. An hour is nowhere near enough to see what they have to offer, but it'll have to do till next time. Hope they come back with a 'proper' tour soon - can't wait!