Last time Newcastle prepared to welcome Hull City for a Premier League clash, the preparations were under an entire sky of storm clouds.
August ended with the resignation of Kevin Keegan after Dennis Wise's free reign over transfer dealings saw him replace James Milner with Uruguayan midfielder Nacho Gonzalez and Spanish striker Xisco.
The international break allowed feelings of resentment towards Newcastle owner Mike Ashley to stew and build up into a huge crescendo for the first game after the resignation. Protests against Ashley were made before, during and after the game.
Chief among them was a giant "COCKNEY MAFIA OUT" banner directed at the board, which some fans think led to player distraction in the run up to Hull City's second goal.
A dark mood for Toon fans was made worse when a bare bones squad handed Hull their first Premier League away win and midfielder Danny Guthrie ended chances of a comeback by being sent off for a pointless kick on Tiger Craig Fagan.
Hull eventually finished 2008-09 all of a single point above Newcastle, which sent the Toon and their unwanted owner down.
The trajectories of Hull and Newcastle since then have taken differing paths, with Newcastle running away with the 2009-10 Championship while Hull were slinking out of the top flight.
Last season saw Hull just slide under the sliding door Indiana Jones-style into the Premier League, while Newcastle were just about able to evade falling in the other direction.
But despite a surprisingly quiet summer at St James' Park, optimism is higher this time. While Ashley is still around - and still largely loathed - September 2013 feels like a happier place than September 2008.
Chief among this is the fact that the squad appears more solidly assembled this time around.
Alan Pardew came in for heavy criticism for some of his squad and tactical decisions in the 2012-13 campaign. Perhaps guided by injuries and availability, he seems to have stumbled across a new formation to use for this new season.
It is just as well as things didn't have such an optimistic touch at half-time in the clubs 3rd game of the season against Fulham. Although the team had actually began troubling the goalkeeper in the game against the Cottagers, there was little to indicate the team could actually score.
This followed up two dreadful afternoons for the Black and Whites, with all of one shot on target in an opening day mauling by Manchester City followed up by a dour goalless draw with West Ham one week later.
Luckily, tactical modifications allowed the team to play with a hint of attacking freedom against the Cottagers. On another day, the Toon could have put five past Fulham and could well have done had the posts, crossbars, goalkeeper, posts and terrible finishing.
The modifications saw a change in system, with subs Yohan Cabaye, Loic Remy and Yoann Gouffran supporting Hatem Ben Arfa. Before then, Papiss Cisse and Shola Ameobi cut frustrated figures in a system that struggled to provide service.
It had been worse against West Ham in the Toon's first opening encounter, which saw the team manage zero shots on target - although Gouffran somehow managed to miss an open goal - but it took a change to shake the team out of similar problems against them.
The modification eventually yielded reward. But as well as reward it also hinted at a possible future change to the system, with players given markedly different roles to the ones they didn't seem comfortable in last year.
All of this was shown last weekend at Villa Park, where the team put in a more solid performance to neuter a Villa team that showed remarkably little of what handed them plaudits following their opening three.
The team's performance did well, with the centre backs doing well to stop Christian Benteke from being as effective as he has been, and the full backs coping alright with the twin wide threats of Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann.
The midfield also looked more solid, which is not a good argument for Cheick Tiote and Jonas Gutierrez's first choice places from last season. Vurnon Anita and Moussa Sissoko did very well to break up Villa's midfield - although they were helped by an off-colour Villa trio - and a foundation for Yohan Cabaye to support the forward three.
It wasn't a perfect performance at Villa. There is still work to be done on Papiss Cisse, who has not scored since April 7th - last minute goal against Fulham at SJP - and has not really looked like scoring in the meantime.
The final third ball was also a little suspect at times, with Newcastle's most productive moves coming from runs by Hatem Ben Arfa. It helped Villa full back Antonio Luna was remarkably unable to cope with the Newcastle number 10, but Ben Arfa was a very potent threat.
Final third balls from other players, however, were not as soildly productive. Cabaye in particular got a couple wrong, although his lack of match fitness in the wake of petty and needless strike action may not have helped.
Nevertheless, the game provided reasons to be cheerful. Chief among them is the fact Pardew has rediscovered tactics that the team do well with, and was also able to calculate when to make the right subs. The arrival of Gouffran will be highlighted as he replaced the tiring Remy to score the winning goal, but well calculated as well were the arrivals of Tiote and Sammy Ameobi.
The former's combative presence was able to help continue the stifling tactic on Newcastle's midfield, while Ameobi's arrival was able to help the team keep the ball in the Villa half when it was needed.
With the team finally seeming promise, today's game with the Tigers could be further springboard.
Steve Bruce's record at St. James' Park is not the best, with just one win as a visiting manager - with Birmingham City in 2003 - and his last appearance in their away dugout saw his Sunderland team handed a 5-1 trouncing in the Tyne-Wear Derby.
Nevertheless, his Tigers team will not be easy opponents. They were close to following Cardiff City to an upset against Manchester City and their promotion to the Premier League in 2012-13 was built on firm defensive foundations.
However, if the trend of improving performances after opening day humiliation in Manchester continues, then it bodes well for this afternoon's outing. It also reinforces the fact that things are steadily improving for the Magpies.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Luxury Footballer
The pressure on anyone in football when they make a huge money deal is clear to see at the best of times.
It's hard not to notice Gareth Bale has been the subject of one of the biggest. Last week - on transfer deadline day, no less - he finally made the jump from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid.
A whopping jump it was too, with the Welsh winger costing the Spaniards an £85.3M transfer fee and about £300,000 in wages for his six year contract.
His former club were certainly unwilling to budge for anything less. Head coach Andre Villas-Boas frequently said the club's star man was not for sale and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was certainly determined to hold on in the wake of speculation that seemed to be relentless.
The saga only really began any momentum when Bale missed Spurs' first three games with various injuries. They did secure victories in their first two but were surprisingly unconvincing in their North London Derby defeat by Arsenal.
Arsenal then provided another kick in the teeth for their north London neighbours, as it turns out Bale meant Real attacking midfielder Mesut Özil was able to move to the Emirates Stadium. This was surprising given that the Germain international has been one of the club's key players in recent seasons, but Özil made a huge £42.5M move anyway.
Interestingly, support has favoured the departed player. Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the high profile Madrid players to voice his opposition to the sale of Özil, while other European football figures including Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, German national team manager Joachim Low and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp all voicing their surprise at the deals.
The surprising ease in which Özil was shoved out of the Real Madrid exit door is something. Real players certainly do not think Özil should have gone. But its also arguable Real Madrid didn't need Bale anyway.
As well as Özil, the club had Ronaldo, Angel di Maria, Isco, Kaka and Luka Modric as options. While Kaka left on deadline day to re-turn to AC Milan after an unhappy spell at the club, it is arguable the other options would have been enough for the Spanish giants.
Its arguable Real would have been better looking out for a striker, with Frenchman Karim Benzema and youngster Álvaro Morata their only real choices.
Now they have Bale they need to work out what to do with him. It is highly unlikely Ronaldo will fancy shifting from his preferred wide left position to accommodate Bale, so he'll need to go somewhere else.
Ancelotti's assistant coach has said Bale is not a guaranteed starter. Its likely, however, that the big cash means there could be some push to get him to play, as there famously was when Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea for £30M.
The speculation seems to hint Angel di Maria is the one to make way but him and Isco have made good starts so dropping either would be a strange one to justify.
Bale is seen as a possible commercial deal, with the Welsh winger already a cover star on the new FIFA 14 computer game and having had his face plastered all over New York's Times Square as part of NBC's Premier League broadcasting campaign.
With Real reportedly around 600million Euros in debt, this sort of commercial pulling power would come in very handy.
A lot of people seem to think the Bale deal was a statement of intent, with the club having been beaten to Brazil hotshot Neymar by Barcelona.
It is certainly a deal that stands out considering a summer that has seen many Spanish league stars leave for England, Italy and France.
Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla - three of the next biggest teams in Spain - have sold stars, while Malaga and Real Sociedad have seen their best players picked off by Real Madrid among others.
Spanish football's financial situation is precarious, with most of the league having to sell to by. In all, a record £450M+ in player sales was registered by Spanish clubs in summer 2013, with only Barcelona not seeing at least one big name leave the club.
Departures of Özil and Higuain have certainly not been welcomed, and Madridistas are a little underwhelmed their replacement is a winger who has only won one Carling Cup and has also only played one Champions League campaign.
Admittedly it was a great campaign for him, but it was still only one.
So, if Bale certainly wasn't feeling under pressure, this welcome to Spain is hardly a help. Something to look forward too when he returns from Wales duties and/or injury.
But now he's made it, will he be a success?
Jury's out but there's no reason why he can't make a go of it at least. If he applies himself well enough, maybe he could be the missing link Real wanted for that fabled 10th Champions League title that has eluded them since Zinedine Zidane's famous volley in Glasgow in 2002.
There's still a long way to go though. Six years to justify the extravagance begins now, and all that remains to say is good luck Gareth. He's gonna need it.
It's hard not to notice Gareth Bale has been the subject of one of the biggest. Last week - on transfer deadline day, no less - he finally made the jump from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid.
A whopping jump it was too, with the Welsh winger costing the Spaniards an £85.3M transfer fee and about £300,000 in wages for his six year contract.
His former club were certainly unwilling to budge for anything less. Head coach Andre Villas-Boas frequently said the club's star man was not for sale and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was certainly determined to hold on in the wake of speculation that seemed to be relentless.
The saga only really began any momentum when Bale missed Spurs' first three games with various injuries. They did secure victories in their first two but were surprisingly unconvincing in their North London Derby defeat by Arsenal.
Arsenal then provided another kick in the teeth for their north London neighbours, as it turns out Bale meant Real attacking midfielder Mesut Özil was able to move to the Emirates Stadium. This was surprising given that the Germain international has been one of the club's key players in recent seasons, but Özil made a huge £42.5M move anyway.
Interestingly, support has favoured the departed player. Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the high profile Madrid players to voice his opposition to the sale of Özil, while other European football figures including Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, German national team manager Joachim Low and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp all voicing their surprise at the deals.
The surprising ease in which Özil was shoved out of the Real Madrid exit door is something. Real players certainly do not think Özil should have gone. But its also arguable Real Madrid didn't need Bale anyway.
As well as Özil, the club had Ronaldo, Angel di Maria, Isco, Kaka and Luka Modric as options. While Kaka left on deadline day to re-turn to AC Milan after an unhappy spell at the club, it is arguable the other options would have been enough for the Spanish giants.
Its arguable Real would have been better looking out for a striker, with Frenchman Karim Benzema and youngster Álvaro Morata their only real choices.
Now they have Bale they need to work out what to do with him. It is highly unlikely Ronaldo will fancy shifting from his preferred wide left position to accommodate Bale, so he'll need to go somewhere else.
Ancelotti's assistant coach has said Bale is not a guaranteed starter. Its likely, however, that the big cash means there could be some push to get him to play, as there famously was when Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea for £30M.
The speculation seems to hint Angel di Maria is the one to make way but him and Isco have made good starts so dropping either would be a strange one to justify.
Bale is seen as a possible commercial deal, with the Welsh winger already a cover star on the new FIFA 14 computer game and having had his face plastered all over New York's Times Square as part of NBC's Premier League broadcasting campaign.
With Real reportedly around 600million Euros in debt, this sort of commercial pulling power would come in very handy.
A lot of people seem to think the Bale deal was a statement of intent, with the club having been beaten to Brazil hotshot Neymar by Barcelona.
It is certainly a deal that stands out considering a summer that has seen many Spanish league stars leave for England, Italy and France.
Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla - three of the next biggest teams in Spain - have sold stars, while Malaga and Real Sociedad have seen their best players picked off by Real Madrid among others.
Spanish football's financial situation is precarious, with most of the league having to sell to by. In all, a record £450M+ in player sales was registered by Spanish clubs in summer 2013, with only Barcelona not seeing at least one big name leave the club.
Departures of Özil and Higuain have certainly not been welcomed, and Madridistas are a little underwhelmed their replacement is a winger who has only won one Carling Cup and has also only played one Champions League campaign.
Admittedly it was a great campaign for him, but it was still only one.
So, if Bale certainly wasn't feeling under pressure, this welcome to Spain is hardly a help. Something to look forward too when he returns from Wales duties and/or injury.
But now he's made it, will he be a success?
Jury's out but there's no reason why he can't make a go of it at least. If he applies himself well enough, maybe he could be the missing link Real wanted for that fabled 10th Champions League title that has eluded them since Zinedine Zidane's famous volley in Glasgow in 2002.
There's still a long way to go though. Six years to justify the extravagance begins now, and all that remains to say is good luck Gareth. He's gonna need it.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Arctic Monkeys - AM: Album Review
Credit where it's due for Arctic Monkeys - they're certainly willing to go beyond simply just rehashing I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor 12 times album-in-album-out.
Some people seem to think AM should've stuck with the sound and lyrical style they presented on their first two albums. But they deserve some credit for the bold abandon they embraced the sleazy desert riffery and country-rock love songs that make up their last two records.
Even then, Humbug and Suck It And See still had some moods and scopes reminiscent of albums one and two. By contrast, the teasers for this one indicate the band is moving further into darker, different sonic territory.
The fifth Arctic Monkeys album may have its laziest title - Alex Turner says they ripped it from the Velvet Underground's VU compilation, rather than Beady Eye's recent BE album - but certainly has been previewed with some gems.
The adventures of their new California-based world have been teased by Turner as "a Dr. Dre beat given an Ike Turner bowl cut and sent galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster". Whatever that means.
Question is - are they adventures we want to be taken on?
1. Do I Wanna Know?
Chances are you'll have heard this beast already, not least given it opened AM's recent Glastonbury setlist. It's a slower beast but full of buzzing 12-string guitars, slinky bass and wonderfully crafted lyrical riffs on "how we both know the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day". It's a stomping opener.
2. R U Mine?
Given this one came out in February 2012 you'll almost certainly have heard this one too. There is little to say about this song that hasn't been said, other than that it appears to be a little crunchier than the original single and remains a fine tune. Certainly, it's a guaranteed knockout punch for the album and it ensures its got 2/2 killer hooks.
3. One for the Road
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme emerges for the first time on the album with a few "whoop whoops". After two big-rockers, this tune introduces more of the hip-hop inspired subtleties, as well as a return to Turner's burgeoning mental thesaurus and some of the shimmery guitar work more present in the latter half of Suck It And See. It is reminiscent of those latter SIAS tunes and is a pleasant listen which improve with further ones, but feels oddly weak in the wake of the huge opening hitters.
4. Arabella
This is probably one of the tunes Turner had in mind with his earlier description. It starts with a teasingly misleading hip-hop subtlety of a girl in "a Barbarella silver swimsuit" before it really finds the high gears with a swinging glam-rock riff that blinks its way in and out of the tune. The outro is particularly good, with the guitar's momentum increasing and sweeping the song over the line.
5. I Want It All
As AM progresses you find a few ticks - a certain chord here, a drum beat there, a falsetto atop it - repeat themselves. They're out in force here, on a tune sounding somewhere between Slade and Scissor Sisters with a foot in each camp. It's a nice fuzzy riff but its a weird sound for AM that takes adjusting too, and one that's harder to like. The delightful B-side Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You would be better for the album.
6. No. 1 Party Anthem
Time for a sweeping direction change. After 5 tunes trying to marry heavy rock and hip-hop, this song is a wistful ballad. Led by piano, lower chords and subtle percussion, its talk of a dancefloor fling gone awry is rather relatable, with a sound to match the post-euphoric heartbreak it talks about. Its a nice and pleasant ditty and is actually pretty good.
7. Mad Sounds
Played at Glastonbury - for the audience only - was this fairly chill number. Its a sparse and subtle tune and quite a nice vibe too it. Its a pleasant tune alright, and certainly shows off Turner's skills as a vocalist - and probably Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley on the falsetto - but that one-two is certainly a momentum killer.
8. Fireside
After two chill songs the bass guitar riff is certainly something to perk up momentum. It's a slick smooth wiffle underpinning chimy acoustic guitar and keyboard that builds into a big chorus. There's something oddly epic about it, but its also a pretty good tune and certainly more of the dancy feel than the previous pairing.
9. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
It's custom for an Arctic Monkeys album to include at least one long song title that makes you scratch your head in confusion. Just like on their debut album, the longest song title is also the shortest of the whole record. The song is a fairly brisk strut built on a beat supplemented by fiddly guitars and falsetto backing that could be from a Destiny's Child album. Its AM the song. Its also a decent poppy tune about late night antics - again, like the debut in its own way. The video is quite something.
10. Snap Out Of It
A bit of a faster tempo than the vast majority of the record, if not quite the breakneck pace of the old songs. This one shares a few notes and moods with I Want It All, albeit with some added piano, but seems to click a lot easier than the first one did. Its not hard to imagine this one gelling quite well live.
11. Knee Socks
Advance buzz has this one lined up as "the main one with Josh Homme", which Turner described as a "return of a back scratch" after he did a tune with Queens of the Stone Age on Like Clockwork. The song is a more defined version of the album's hip-hop-rock strut until the 2:30 mark, when the falsetto takes on a mind of its own and additional vocal tracks from Homme buzz over, before reverting for the last dash. Its pretty good, albeit not the knockout touted.
12. I Wanna Be Yours
This one is different lyrically as its adapted from a John Cooper Clarke poem. The lyrics to the poem are strange one - attempting to create romance out of things like cars, electric meters, coffee pots and vacuum cleaners, with some success and some... less so. There's musical echoes of 505 from Favourite Worst Nightmare and its certainly a great arrangement that compliments the lyrics well.
There's been a fair old bit of hyperbole surrounding AM, with many fans proclaiming it as the best effort the band have created so far.
Its a pleasant listen and there's a number of songs that stand tall as truly great tunes. But its hard not to feel something's missing.
The weirdest feeling about AM is how slow it feels. Its certainly an intriguing idea to see the same band swapping their headlong punk squawks for a more subtle hip-hop-tinged rock album but it takes a fair bit to make the leap. On some tunes the leap is a success whereas on others, not so much.
Some tunes also lack the sticking power that even album songs on previous disks. Repeat listenings certainly help improve the quality of the songs - except for I Want It All - and a lot of them sound like they could be some good tunes live, but something doesn't click as easily as other albums do.
3.5/5
Some people seem to think AM should've stuck with the sound and lyrical style they presented on their first two albums. But they deserve some credit for the bold abandon they embraced the sleazy desert riffery and country-rock love songs that make up their last two records.
Even then, Humbug and Suck It And See still had some moods and scopes reminiscent of albums one and two. By contrast, the teasers for this one indicate the band is moving further into darker, different sonic territory.
The fifth Arctic Monkeys album may have its laziest title - Alex Turner says they ripped it from the Velvet Underground's VU compilation, rather than Beady Eye's recent BE album - but certainly has been previewed with some gems.
The adventures of their new California-based world have been teased by Turner as "a Dr. Dre beat given an Ike Turner bowl cut and sent galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster". Whatever that means.
Question is - are they adventures we want to be taken on?
1. Do I Wanna Know?
Chances are you'll have heard this beast already, not least given it opened AM's recent Glastonbury setlist. It's a slower beast but full of buzzing 12-string guitars, slinky bass and wonderfully crafted lyrical riffs on "how we both know the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day". It's a stomping opener.
2. R U Mine?
Given this one came out in February 2012 you'll almost certainly have heard this one too. There is little to say about this song that hasn't been said, other than that it appears to be a little crunchier than the original single and remains a fine tune. Certainly, it's a guaranteed knockout punch for the album and it ensures its got 2/2 killer hooks.
3. One for the Road
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme emerges for the first time on the album with a few "whoop whoops". After two big-rockers, this tune introduces more of the hip-hop inspired subtleties, as well as a return to Turner's burgeoning mental thesaurus and some of the shimmery guitar work more present in the latter half of Suck It And See. It is reminiscent of those latter SIAS tunes and is a pleasant listen which improve with further ones, but feels oddly weak in the wake of the huge opening hitters.
4. Arabella
This is probably one of the tunes Turner had in mind with his earlier description. It starts with a teasingly misleading hip-hop subtlety of a girl in "a Barbarella silver swimsuit" before it really finds the high gears with a swinging glam-rock riff that blinks its way in and out of the tune. The outro is particularly good, with the guitar's momentum increasing and sweeping the song over the line.
5. I Want It All
As AM progresses you find a few ticks - a certain chord here, a drum beat there, a falsetto atop it - repeat themselves. They're out in force here, on a tune sounding somewhere between Slade and Scissor Sisters with a foot in each camp. It's a nice fuzzy riff but its a weird sound for AM that takes adjusting too, and one that's harder to like. The delightful B-side Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You would be better for the album.
6. No. 1 Party Anthem
Time for a sweeping direction change. After 5 tunes trying to marry heavy rock and hip-hop, this song is a wistful ballad. Led by piano, lower chords and subtle percussion, its talk of a dancefloor fling gone awry is rather relatable, with a sound to match the post-euphoric heartbreak it talks about. Its a nice and pleasant ditty and is actually pretty good.
7. Mad Sounds
Played at Glastonbury - for the audience only - was this fairly chill number. Its a sparse and subtle tune and quite a nice vibe too it. Its a pleasant tune alright, and certainly shows off Turner's skills as a vocalist - and probably Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley on the falsetto - but that one-two is certainly a momentum killer.
8. Fireside
After two chill songs the bass guitar riff is certainly something to perk up momentum. It's a slick smooth wiffle underpinning chimy acoustic guitar and keyboard that builds into a big chorus. There's something oddly epic about it, but its also a pretty good tune and certainly more of the dancy feel than the previous pairing.
9. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
It's custom for an Arctic Monkeys album to include at least one long song title that makes you scratch your head in confusion. Just like on their debut album, the longest song title is also the shortest of the whole record. The song is a fairly brisk strut built on a beat supplemented by fiddly guitars and falsetto backing that could be from a Destiny's Child album. Its AM the song. Its also a decent poppy tune about late night antics - again, like the debut in its own way. The video is quite something.
10. Snap Out Of It
A bit of a faster tempo than the vast majority of the record, if not quite the breakneck pace of the old songs. This one shares a few notes and moods with I Want It All, albeit with some added piano, but seems to click a lot easier than the first one did. Its not hard to imagine this one gelling quite well live.
11. Knee Socks
Advance buzz has this one lined up as "the main one with Josh Homme", which Turner described as a "return of a back scratch" after he did a tune with Queens of the Stone Age on Like Clockwork. The song is a more defined version of the album's hip-hop-rock strut until the 2:30 mark, when the falsetto takes on a mind of its own and additional vocal tracks from Homme buzz over, before reverting for the last dash. Its pretty good, albeit not the knockout touted.
12. I Wanna Be Yours
This one is different lyrically as its adapted from a John Cooper Clarke poem. The lyrics to the poem are strange one - attempting to create romance out of things like cars, electric meters, coffee pots and vacuum cleaners, with some success and some... less so. There's musical echoes of 505 from Favourite Worst Nightmare and its certainly a great arrangement that compliments the lyrics well.
There's been a fair old bit of hyperbole surrounding AM, with many fans proclaiming it as the best effort the band have created so far.
Its a pleasant listen and there's a number of songs that stand tall as truly great tunes. But its hard not to feel something's missing.
The weirdest feeling about AM is how slow it feels. Its certainly an intriguing idea to see the same band swapping their headlong punk squawks for a more subtle hip-hop-tinged rock album but it takes a fair bit to make the leap. On some tunes the leap is a success whereas on others, not so much.
Some tunes also lack the sticking power that even album songs on previous disks. Repeat listenings certainly help improve the quality of the songs - except for I Want It All - and a lot of them sound like they could be some good tunes live, but something doesn't click as easily as other albums do.
3.5/5
Friday, 30 August 2013
The Book Of Mormon: Musical Review
To most British people, their biggest exposure to Mormonism is either via The Killers singer Brandon Flowers, former US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, from a South Park episode from 2003 about them or they largely don't know it.
There are Mormons in Britain - 900 missionaries were stationed here in 2012 and there are a number of believers - but its seen as a more niche religion here then in its spiritual home in the Rocky Mountains states of America.
On a bigger scale, the Mormons are getting more exposure, albeit in a more borderline-offensive way.
The Book of Mormon is a huge all-American musical production, led by South Park masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Avenue Q creator Robert Lopez. So far its been a storming success in the USA, sweeping up awards and repeatedly selling out its Broadway home.
Its also had a healthy start to life in London. Like in New York the critics have been (largely) appreciative, as have fans, while tickets have sold like wildfire, and its certainly hard to ignore given how much of London Undeground's advertising space is taken by promo posters.
Through the doors of Leicester Square's Prince of Wales Theatre and the play is almost another world.
The Book of Mormon begins with an introduction to our primary missionaries and the jaunty "Hello!" - a glitzy, brisk musical introduction to approved door-to-door conversion, although over here we're more used to them being Jehovah's Witnesses.
We're introduced to the two leads - the charismatic yet cocky Elder Price and the slightly backward Elder Cunningham. The latter bursts into the opening tune with the impressively timed "Hello! Would you like to change religions? I have a free book written by Jesus!"
Cunningham admits toward the end of Act One he didn't even read the Book after earlier saying he frequently lies. He's a lovable character but a fairly useless missionary.
Both heroes are fish out of water in their surroundings for the mission though. Despite praying to be sent to his ideal land of Orlando, Florida, Price is sent with Cunningham all the way to Uganda.
The next few songs show the gravity of his problems. His stuff is robbed by warlords, a devastated village under the rule of General Butt Fucking-Naked, the locals are unwilling to convert - the jawdropping brilliance of "Hasa Diga Eebowai" made that perfectly clear - and the Mormon missionaries already there are unprepared to break their inflexible logic.
Uneasy and fraying as it can get, the chemistry between the two main elders is the driving force to the first part. Its standard glueing the opposites together stuff, albeit in the face of stronger adversity than others.
Not that their adversity can match those of the natives. This is merely a glitzy window into the genuine troubles some people in that area - AIDS, famine, poverty, genital mutilation-happy warlords and the like.
Its tricky to wring laughs out of a painful real world environment. Not for the want of trying - there is success when the Mormon visitors asks "Is there something missing from your life?" and one of the villagers simply looks at the house.
Clearly, our Utah heroes have their work cut out. The cynical villagers are still happy to curse their beloved holy fathers - as noted, this is possibly the only Tony Award winning show to have a song where God is literally given the middle finger treatment.
The first act is good enough but its the second act where things all slide into place, with the proper momentum, jibes and music.
The music itself is consistently impressive. Although it primarily sticks to a similar formula, it still impresses and helps carry along the dialogue. It also sounds better at the points it differentiates. The previously menointed "Hasa Diga..." is African tribal percussion and melodies, while Elder Price re-emerges for the 2nd act to "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream", which is a fantastic blend of heavy rock and musical formula.
While Price is being serenaded in his hell dream by Hitler, Genghis Khan, OJ Simpson's lawyer and giant cups of coffee, Elder Cunningham has already begun trying to indoctrinate his new African chums into Mormonism. Not that it's easy with references to Ewoks, the Starship Enterprise and trying to mould it to his audience. Not even his conscience - a mix of his dad, Darth Vader, Lt. Uhura and others - can dissuade him.
There's something weirdly lovable about Cunningham. He certainly has a lot of delightful one-lines, such as saying "the Bible's a trilogy, and the Book of Mormon is Return of the Jedi". His song with lead Ugandan character Nabulungi about baptising her is in particular quite something.
A few of his quirky additions to the Mormon story are delightful but flawed, not least when the villagers think they're actual parts of the religion and perform them to the Mission President.
One of the little things in the movie that is its best is actually in this sequence - its the mixture of horrified expressions on the Mormon missionaries as the bastardised version of their tale is told to them. A number of little things like that contributes to the laugh total but its this one that particularly impresses.
Another thing the reenactment of the Cunningham tales creates is one of the closest we get to an anti-religion stab and welcoming embrace of the point of religion simultaneously, when the last song is cued up by referring to the final song by saying of Cunningham's story; "It's just a bunch of made-up stuff, but it points to something bigger."
The production is not exclusive mocking of the faith. There is stuff to mock - most notably on "I Believe", which gets away with the hugely boderline lyric "I believe… that in 1978 God suddenly changed his mind about black people". This is in reference to the fact Mormonism used to refuse to admit them until they changed policy, most likely under public pressure despite them using that spin.
It is weird to say a musical that features the lyric "Fuck you God" can be considered even-handed on the religion yet if anything it celebrates them as much as it mocks them.
The Mormons certainly have been fairly good game with it, even with their cheeky advertising strapline "The book is always better" featured in the programme, although the ending 4th book would be a good addition to a new religion.
The cocktail of the whole thing is a lovely mixture of blasphemy, celebration, comedy, music and rhythm. Usually in the same song. Its certainly a delightful night out on Coventry Street.
4.5/5
There are Mormons in Britain - 900 missionaries were stationed here in 2012 and there are a number of believers - but its seen as a more niche religion here then in its spiritual home in the Rocky Mountains states of America.
On a bigger scale, the Mormons are getting more exposure, albeit in a more borderline-offensive way.
The Book of Mormon is a huge all-American musical production, led by South Park masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Avenue Q creator Robert Lopez. So far its been a storming success in the USA, sweeping up awards and repeatedly selling out its Broadway home.
Its also had a healthy start to life in London. Like in New York the critics have been (largely) appreciative, as have fans, while tickets have sold like wildfire, and its certainly hard to ignore given how much of London Undeground's advertising space is taken by promo posters.
Through the doors of Leicester Square's Prince of Wales Theatre and the play is almost another world.
The Book of Mormon begins with an introduction to our primary missionaries and the jaunty "Hello!" - a glitzy, brisk musical introduction to approved door-to-door conversion, although over here we're more used to them being Jehovah's Witnesses.
We're introduced to the two leads - the charismatic yet cocky Elder Price and the slightly backward Elder Cunningham. The latter bursts into the opening tune with the impressively timed "Hello! Would you like to change religions? I have a free book written by Jesus!"
Cunningham admits toward the end of Act One he didn't even read the Book after earlier saying he frequently lies. He's a lovable character but a fairly useless missionary.
Both heroes are fish out of water in their surroundings for the mission though. Despite praying to be sent to his ideal land of Orlando, Florida, Price is sent with Cunningham all the way to Uganda.
The next few songs show the gravity of his problems. His stuff is robbed by warlords, a devastated village under the rule of General Butt Fucking-Naked, the locals are unwilling to convert - the jawdropping brilliance of "Hasa Diga Eebowai" made that perfectly clear - and the Mormon missionaries already there are unprepared to break their inflexible logic.
Uneasy and fraying as it can get, the chemistry between the two main elders is the driving force to the first part. Its standard glueing the opposites together stuff, albeit in the face of stronger adversity than others.
Not that their adversity can match those of the natives. This is merely a glitzy window into the genuine troubles some people in that area - AIDS, famine, poverty, genital mutilation-happy warlords and the like.
Its tricky to wring laughs out of a painful real world environment. Not for the want of trying - there is success when the Mormon visitors asks "Is there something missing from your life?" and one of the villagers simply looks at the house.
Clearly, our Utah heroes have their work cut out. The cynical villagers are still happy to curse their beloved holy fathers - as noted, this is possibly the only Tony Award winning show to have a song where God is literally given the middle finger treatment.
The first act is good enough but its the second act where things all slide into place, with the proper momentum, jibes and music.
The music itself is consistently impressive. Although it primarily sticks to a similar formula, it still impresses and helps carry along the dialogue. It also sounds better at the points it differentiates. The previously menointed "Hasa Diga..." is African tribal percussion and melodies, while Elder Price re-emerges for the 2nd act to "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream", which is a fantastic blend of heavy rock and musical formula.
While Price is being serenaded in his hell dream by Hitler, Genghis Khan, OJ Simpson's lawyer and giant cups of coffee, Elder Cunningham has already begun trying to indoctrinate his new African chums into Mormonism. Not that it's easy with references to Ewoks, the Starship Enterprise and trying to mould it to his audience. Not even his conscience - a mix of his dad, Darth Vader, Lt. Uhura and others - can dissuade him.
There's something weirdly lovable about Cunningham. He certainly has a lot of delightful one-lines, such as saying "the Bible's a trilogy, and the Book of Mormon is Return of the Jedi". His song with lead Ugandan character Nabulungi about baptising her is in particular quite something.
A few of his quirky additions to the Mormon story are delightful but flawed, not least when the villagers think they're actual parts of the religion and perform them to the Mission President.
One of the little things in the movie that is its best is actually in this sequence - its the mixture of horrified expressions on the Mormon missionaries as the bastardised version of their tale is told to them. A number of little things like that contributes to the laugh total but its this one that particularly impresses.
Another thing the reenactment of the Cunningham tales creates is one of the closest we get to an anti-religion stab and welcoming embrace of the point of religion simultaneously, when the last song is cued up by referring to the final song by saying of Cunningham's story; "It's just a bunch of made-up stuff, but it points to something bigger."
The production is not exclusive mocking of the faith. There is stuff to mock - most notably on "I Believe", which gets away with the hugely boderline lyric "I believe… that in 1978 God suddenly changed his mind about black people". This is in reference to the fact Mormonism used to refuse to admit them until they changed policy, most likely under public pressure despite them using that spin.
It is weird to say a musical that features the lyric "Fuck you God" can be considered even-handed on the religion yet if anything it celebrates them as much as it mocks them.
The Mormons certainly have been fairly good game with it, even with their cheeky advertising strapline "The book is always better" featured in the programme, although the ending 4th book would be a good addition to a new religion.
The cocktail of the whole thing is a lovely mixture of blasphemy, celebration, comedy, music and rhythm. Usually in the same song. Its certainly a delightful night out on Coventry Street.
4.5/5
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Green Day at Brixton Academy - Live Review
A year ago this week, Green Day's juggernaut seemed in full and unstoppable motion.
There was the promotional circuit ahead of a wildly ambitious trilogy, including a ridiculous interview on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show where they happily previewed more or less the entire record. They triumphed at a small gig at London's 2,000 capacity Shepherd's Bush Empire a few nights before a weekend-stealing not-so-secret set at Reading Festival.
A rehab admission and underwhelming sales figures for their albums - Tre charted at 31 - halted the momentum of the campaign, but the band nevertheless find themselves back in London ahead of a big slot at Reading Festival.
While the studio work hasn't excited as well as previous highs, Green Day remain a big draw live. They were the first act to sell 60,000 tickets at the Emirates Stadium at a show that got five-star reviews, as well as further headlining festivals across Europe.
The fact this gig sold out in eight minutes when it was announced as a warm-up show before this weekend's Reading and Leeds Festival slots is further proof the band are still a huge live draw.
They certainly get to work with eagerness. It helps a die-hard crowd took the recent trilogy to their hearts a lot easier than critics did, with new songs like opener 99 Revolutions and the surging Stop When The Red Lights Flash greeted as if they were decades-old anthems.
The best of the new songs played in these exchanges is the pulsing and urgent Let Yourself Go from Uno, which replaces the overlong Oh Love in the setlist.
Everything gets a fantastic reaction from the heaving throngs assembled under Billie Joe's nose but its the older tunes in the book that push the audience into overdrive. Know Your Enemy - the only song played from 21st Century Breakdown - is political power-punk, all surging chords, first-in-the-air melodies and an opportunity to bring one of the front row on stage, get him to sing and then get him stage-diving into the crowd.
This is before the dig into American Idiot. The 2004 success story makes its first presence with the pummeling Letterbomb, before the bombastic one-two of Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams creates one long epic sing along.
The AI-onwards portion of the evening is bookended nine songs in by Wake Me Up When September Ends, which begins with just Billie Joe on his own before he is joined by the rest of the band. After this comes the oldies portion, which is usually spread across the band's 26 years.
Instead, in what could well be a taste of things to come in the Berkshire and Yorkshire mud this weekend, the band dust off their seminal pop-punk LP Dookie and unleash it in full.
Its a glorious portion of tight punk riffery and chances for the heavy crowd to get on their moshing shoes. Punctuating this are the glorious singalongs that have been mainstays of Green Day sets down the ages - Welcome To Paradise, Basket Case, She and all.
It is also impressive how the band don't let up. The instrumentation is as tight and fresh as it was when it was committed to tape some 19 years ago. It is also unwavering while Billie Joe leads the crowd in a cycle of "Heyyyyyyohs". Not that they're strictly needed given how much the crowd reciprocates hysteria to the sound bursting from the stage.
The end of Dookie is all too soon - if anything it needs All By Myself to feel complete - but it leads into the usual tricks - the storming march of Panic Song soundtracks fun with water cannons and t-shirt guns into the crowd before Billie Joe continues his seemingly-unstoppable momentum by bouncing across the stage for St. Jimmy.
Its impeccable to watch how the quality never lets up - one wonders in particular how the now-40 year old Tre Cool is able to keep his relentless pace over the 2 hours+ played for our enjoyment this evening. He is fine form, keeping to his usual mix of tight grooves and outlandish soloing, most notably on Dookie opener Burnout.
A final one-two leads to the encore, with the marathon rush of American Idiot and Jesus of Suburbia sending the crowd into one final run-through of delirious delight.
And if the Tre album track Brutal Love feels an odd end like it had previously done at June's Emirates Stadium gig, Billie Joe is soon on stage running through old favourite Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) to wrap up a delightful evening.
It certainly proved that, for all the perceptions of an 'annus horribilis' in camp Green Day, their value as a live band has not been diminished. If it's this good on Friday then Reading Festival will be in for one hell of an opening night.
4/5
Support came from Frank Turner, who only confirmed his support slot at lunchtime on the day of the gig. His set was a simple set with just him on guitar and his band's regular keyboard player Matt Nasir on mandolin. Turner seems to be doing well despite recently requiring surgery on a slipped back disc that could've ruled him out of gigs for three months.
Instead he's back on a stage he has previously sold out, and he and his fellow player delivered a well-ran acoustic run through a variety of new material and old hits, plus a surprise cover of Live and Let Die. They end with a rousing rendition of I Still Believe, which sounds fresher here then it did a year ago at the Olympic opening ceremony.
There was the promotional circuit ahead of a wildly ambitious trilogy, including a ridiculous interview on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show where they happily previewed more or less the entire record. They triumphed at a small gig at London's 2,000 capacity Shepherd's Bush Empire a few nights before a weekend-stealing not-so-secret set at Reading Festival.
A rehab admission and underwhelming sales figures for their albums - Tre charted at 31 - halted the momentum of the campaign, but the band nevertheless find themselves back in London ahead of a big slot at Reading Festival.
While the studio work hasn't excited as well as previous highs, Green Day remain a big draw live. They were the first act to sell 60,000 tickets at the Emirates Stadium at a show that got five-star reviews, as well as further headlining festivals across Europe.
The fact this gig sold out in eight minutes when it was announced as a warm-up show before this weekend's Reading and Leeds Festival slots is further proof the band are still a huge live draw.
They certainly get to work with eagerness. It helps a die-hard crowd took the recent trilogy to their hearts a lot easier than critics did, with new songs like opener 99 Revolutions and the surging Stop When The Red Lights Flash greeted as if they were decades-old anthems.
The best of the new songs played in these exchanges is the pulsing and urgent Let Yourself Go from Uno, which replaces the overlong Oh Love in the setlist.
Everything gets a fantastic reaction from the heaving throngs assembled under Billie Joe's nose but its the older tunes in the book that push the audience into overdrive. Know Your Enemy - the only song played from 21st Century Breakdown - is political power-punk, all surging chords, first-in-the-air melodies and an opportunity to bring one of the front row on stage, get him to sing and then get him stage-diving into the crowd.
This is before the dig into American Idiot. The 2004 success story makes its first presence with the pummeling Letterbomb, before the bombastic one-two of Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams creates one long epic sing along.
The AI-onwards portion of the evening is bookended nine songs in by Wake Me Up When September Ends, which begins with just Billie Joe on his own before he is joined by the rest of the band. After this comes the oldies portion, which is usually spread across the band's 26 years.
Instead, in what could well be a taste of things to come in the Berkshire and Yorkshire mud this weekend, the band dust off their seminal pop-punk LP Dookie and unleash it in full.
Its a glorious portion of tight punk riffery and chances for the heavy crowd to get on their moshing shoes. Punctuating this are the glorious singalongs that have been mainstays of Green Day sets down the ages - Welcome To Paradise, Basket Case, She and all.
It is also impressive how the band don't let up. The instrumentation is as tight and fresh as it was when it was committed to tape some 19 years ago. It is also unwavering while Billie Joe leads the crowd in a cycle of "Heyyyyyyohs". Not that they're strictly needed given how much the crowd reciprocates hysteria to the sound bursting from the stage.
The end of Dookie is all too soon - if anything it needs All By Myself to feel complete - but it leads into the usual tricks - the storming march of Panic Song soundtracks fun with water cannons and t-shirt guns into the crowd before Billie Joe continues his seemingly-unstoppable momentum by bouncing across the stage for St. Jimmy.
Its impeccable to watch how the quality never lets up - one wonders in particular how the now-40 year old Tre Cool is able to keep his relentless pace over the 2 hours+ played for our enjoyment this evening. He is fine form, keeping to his usual mix of tight grooves and outlandish soloing, most notably on Dookie opener Burnout.
A final one-two leads to the encore, with the marathon rush of American Idiot and Jesus of Suburbia sending the crowd into one final run-through of delirious delight.
And if the Tre album track Brutal Love feels an odd end like it had previously done at June's Emirates Stadium gig, Billie Joe is soon on stage running through old favourite Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) to wrap up a delightful evening.
It certainly proved that, for all the perceptions of an 'annus horribilis' in camp Green Day, their value as a live band has not been diminished. If it's this good on Friday then Reading Festival will be in for one hell of an opening night.
4/5
Support came from Frank Turner, who only confirmed his support slot at lunchtime on the day of the gig. His set was a simple set with just him on guitar and his band's regular keyboard player Matt Nasir on mandolin. Turner seems to be doing well despite recently requiring surgery on a slipped back disc that could've ruled him out of gigs for three months.
Instead he's back on a stage he has previously sold out, and he and his fellow player delivered a well-ran acoustic run through a variety of new material and old hits, plus a surprise cover of Live and Let Die. They end with a rousing rendition of I Still Believe, which sounds fresher here then it did a year ago at the Olympic opening ceremony.
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Franz Ferdinand at Brixton Electric - Live Review
The return of Franz Ferdinand has been met with a variety of viewpoints but their return has been met with more of what they're known for.
The new album provides more stuff to couple to the stellar back catalogue, which still has its grand collection of disco-rock riffery and bold, heavy choruses.
While their absence has been ended by a number of people going "... they're still going?!?", its a welcome sight to see, particularly given it looked at one point like the end would have come.
That strong back catalogue of Franz's and the new stuff is all on show in the Electric nightclub. An electronic classical intro gives way to the stomping crunch of new album lead single Right Action, which for a single only a few months old is already sending crowds mad.
True insanity follows for the delightful No You Girls and Tell Her Tonight. These show Franz at their classic best - huge choruses, jagged riffs, clever verse lines and a riff to send crowds into a frenzy.
Its all well and good seeing the band at bigger shows but this one feels huge in its own right. Plus it has the intimacy that escapes bigger gigs, mainly in evidence when rhyhtm guitarist Nick McCarthy vaults over the short barrier and dives into the moshpit to crowdsurf while playing the storming riff to Do You Want To.
This cascades into the equally glorious Dark Of The Matinee, but there's more going on then a simple run through of all the oldies.
New tunes like Evil Eye and Fresh Strawberries hold their own in their esteemed company. The former grooves along on its bouncy bass-funk and police sirens, while the latter's Beatles-y riff shimmers gracefully in the venue and even inspires a few singalongs in the crowd.
The oldies are, as expected, the big singalongs. The homo-erotic rush of early hit Michael and the gorgeous balladry of Walk Away have graced bigger stages than this but their effect is in no way diluted by our smaller surroundings.
A healthy pattern of trading off newies with oldies also transpires, with the meandering Stand On The Horizon and the heady angst-riddled rush of Bullet alternating with The Fallen and This Fire. But naturally, the moment of absolute hysteria arrives soon enough when the march of Take Me Out rumbles out of the speakers.
What follows is 4 moments of glorious delirium, with a particular delight being as the song slows into its trademark riff and the whole room is bouncing and singing like their lives depend on it.
The band are clearly having fun, with singer Alex Kapranos bounding around the stage like a man half his age and McCarthy similarly agile around the stage, alternating between guitar and keyboard. They top the expert grooves that helps to contribute to the delightful music pumping into the room, to which the audience obliges with sweaty hysteria.
A one-two of new single Love Illumination and the disco-popper Ulysses brings the main set to a satisfying end. A further three tunes then appear for the encore.
Sadly Outsiders and the long-standing drum-jam that normally follows are not included but the encore is nevertheless a further strong trio, with Right Thoughts... highlight Treason! Animals. and the bouncing rush of first album opener Jacqueline particular highlights.
If new track Goodbye Lovers and Friends is a little anticlimactic to end - even with its suitably finishing lyric - its still another bouncer that brings a raucous gig to a satisfying conclusion.
Kudos, too, to the cheek of McCarthy to say "you can keep him" when Kapranos dives into the pit after the post-gig bow.
But all in all it was a delightful gig. The right atmosphere to see the band helped - up close and in the audience faces, sending many pop confections that truly satisfied the band's original brief of "making music girls can dance to".
Gigs like this will certainly help promote the stellar new album, while providing the right recollections of a band with one of modern rock's strongest back catalogues.
At the end of the day, that's the kind of thing to love.
4/5
Indie 3 piece Primitive Parts provided the support slot for the Glasweigan headliners. While their sound was not as polished and suffered a little, they delivered a composed and comfortable evening's work. Their unusual dynamic of having 2 guitarists and no bassist also gelled as the evening progressed. They also ended on a welcome surprise, by playing a song from the Yummy Fur - one of Alex Kapranos' pre-Franz bands.
The new album provides more stuff to couple to the stellar back catalogue, which still has its grand collection of disco-rock riffery and bold, heavy choruses.
While their absence has been ended by a number of people going "... they're still going?!?", its a welcome sight to see, particularly given it looked at one point like the end would have come.
That strong back catalogue of Franz's and the new stuff is all on show in the Electric nightclub. An electronic classical intro gives way to the stomping crunch of new album lead single Right Action, which for a single only a few months old is already sending crowds mad.
True insanity follows for the delightful No You Girls and Tell Her Tonight. These show Franz at their classic best - huge choruses, jagged riffs, clever verse lines and a riff to send crowds into a frenzy.
Its all well and good seeing the band at bigger shows but this one feels huge in its own right. Plus it has the intimacy that escapes bigger gigs, mainly in evidence when rhyhtm guitarist Nick McCarthy vaults over the short barrier and dives into the moshpit to crowdsurf while playing the storming riff to Do You Want To.
This cascades into the equally glorious Dark Of The Matinee, but there's more going on then a simple run through of all the oldies.
New tunes like Evil Eye and Fresh Strawberries hold their own in their esteemed company. The former grooves along on its bouncy bass-funk and police sirens, while the latter's Beatles-y riff shimmers gracefully in the venue and even inspires a few singalongs in the crowd.
The oldies are, as expected, the big singalongs. The homo-erotic rush of early hit Michael and the gorgeous balladry of Walk Away have graced bigger stages than this but their effect is in no way diluted by our smaller surroundings.
A healthy pattern of trading off newies with oldies also transpires, with the meandering Stand On The Horizon and the heady angst-riddled rush of Bullet alternating with The Fallen and This Fire. But naturally, the moment of absolute hysteria arrives soon enough when the march of Take Me Out rumbles out of the speakers.
What follows is 4 moments of glorious delirium, with a particular delight being as the song slows into its trademark riff and the whole room is bouncing and singing like their lives depend on it.
The band are clearly having fun, with singer Alex Kapranos bounding around the stage like a man half his age and McCarthy similarly agile around the stage, alternating between guitar and keyboard. They top the expert grooves that helps to contribute to the delightful music pumping into the room, to which the audience obliges with sweaty hysteria.
A one-two of new single Love Illumination and the disco-popper Ulysses brings the main set to a satisfying end. A further three tunes then appear for the encore.
Sadly Outsiders and the long-standing drum-jam that normally follows are not included but the encore is nevertheless a further strong trio, with Right Thoughts... highlight Treason! Animals. and the bouncing rush of first album opener Jacqueline particular highlights.
If new track Goodbye Lovers and Friends is a little anticlimactic to end - even with its suitably finishing lyric - its still another bouncer that brings a raucous gig to a satisfying conclusion.
Kudos, too, to the cheek of McCarthy to say "you can keep him" when Kapranos dives into the pit after the post-gig bow.
But all in all it was a delightful gig. The right atmosphere to see the band helped - up close and in the audience faces, sending many pop confections that truly satisfied the band's original brief of "making music girls can dance to".
Gigs like this will certainly help promote the stellar new album, while providing the right recollections of a band with one of modern rock's strongest back catalogues.
At the end of the day, that's the kind of thing to love.
4/5
Indie 3 piece Primitive Parts provided the support slot for the Glasweigan headliners. While their sound was not as polished and suffered a little, they delivered a composed and comfortable evening's work. Their unusual dynamic of having 2 guitarists and no bassist also gelled as the evening progressed. They also ended on a welcome surprise, by playing a song from the Yummy Fur - one of Alex Kapranos' pre-Franz bands.
Monday, 19 August 2013
Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action: Album Review
Back in 2006, eagle-eyed viewers for an episode of Doctor Who set at the 2012 Olympics could spot a cheeky "Franz Ferdinand Greatest Hits" flyer as the TARDIS landed.
At the time it seemed a sure thing - FF were becoming a big band, graduating to headline Reading Festival alongside Muse and Pearl Jam, and sitting high in the pantheon of bands.
Things haven't quite materialised that way - an elongated creative process for Tonight:Franz Ferdinand, the admission they had to change things they didn't like to make a new album and a fits-and-starts recording process means no best of album came out around the Olympics.
But at least unlike Shayne Ward - the other flier stuck down - they're still around. They have a new album introduced by two very fresh pop-rockers that sound like a big upgrade on the signature sound. Some four and a half years after Tonight:Franz Ferdinand came out, the Glasgow dance-rockers are back with an album touted as a return to the soundscapes and punching choruses of their 2004 debut album.
So what have they presented?
1. Right Action
Franz have opened two of their albums with songs starting subtle and building up into mass hysteria (Jacqueline, Ulysses). Here, it feels like we're mid-song barely seconds in, with a powerful chorus atop a bold rhythm powering past with 23 seconds on the clock. It sounds brilliant on repeat listening where everything comes together and seeps together quickly.
2. Evil Eye
The album's 3rd single starts with a cheery squawk of "What's the colour of the next car? It's red ya bastard!" backtracked by a very funky riff that sounds almost like Chic and at times recalls Take Me Out. Its got to it a very funky strut, topped off with a number of police siren noises and the unnerving feeling of being pursued. It all pulls together, with a great bouncy groove to it.
3. Love Illumination
While there is some online notoriety for its conspiracy theorist-baiting video, this song is particularly pleasant. It's a huge song built on huge choruses and dirty riffs, and it has an almost instant-spark. The random oboe, saxophone and keyboard solos also give it the good experimental touches to build on the straight-up sleazy rocker its based upon.
4. Stand on the Horizon
After 3 pummelling pop-rockers, this song starts more laid back and wistfully. This song changes character throughout, quickly dispensing with its quieter intro for 80s disco-rock before moving into a more electronic style, and then ending with forlorn cries of "the North Sea sings won't you come to me?". It's certainly an impressive melding of styles and scopes.
5. Fresh Strawberries
"A fresh burst of red strawberries, ripe, turning riper in the bowl, we will soon be rotten, we will all be forgotten" is the pleasingly optimistic intro to this one. This coda leads into a pleasantly spright pop tune that recalls the Beatles, built atop a spindly riff and a dark lyrical heart wondering "wouldn't it be easier to believe?". This is a nice song.
6. Bullet
This song begins with a the breakneck-speed indie reminiscent of first FF single Darts of Pleasure, before it moves into a storming marcher. Its another unsettling but forthright chorus - "I'll never get your bullet of my head now, baby" - but it lurches along nicely before reaching an end inside 2:45. It feels a bit eager to reach its destination though.
7. Treason! Animals.
If the last song was lyrically unsettling, this is almost one stop beyond. Led by burbling synths and bass, the paranoia is big early on with cries of "Something has really gone wrong here". Before long there's another fine chorus but its after the second chorus where things get interesting, as synths blossom and Kaparnos' paranoid prose moves into overdrive before the song closes up. Its a delightful highlight.
8. The Universe Expanded
This one's an interesting one, starting up with sci-fi synths and an unsettling guitar riff. Its an intriguing concept both musically and lyrically, where the author seems occupied with wanting to reverse time to escape the pain of an ending romance - "unbake a cake", "tears roll back" - before having a spikey chorus buried in the middle about how "when the universe has expanded, time will contract, you'll come back". Its a pleasant listen with the only complaint being it ends a wee bit abruptly.
9. Brief Encounters
This song is probably the nearest to Tonight on the album, both musically and lyrically. Its pillow talk of being "on the edge of Ambrosia", then being "rigid in the matrimonial superking bed" following sleazy affairs, all backed by creeping synths and random spurts of aggressive guitar. Its decent but there's better here.
10. Goodbye Lovers and Friends
Kapranos cheerily talked on BBC that this song is "imagining giving my own nostalgia-free eulogy". Its a sweet musical bed of tribal percussion and bubbly 80s-keys backing bitter lines like "don't fake your memories" and "don't give me virtues I never had". The song's cheekiest line "Don't play pop music - you know I hate pop music" starts the tune and also appears near the end, followed up by a resigned cry of "this is the end", bringing the album and a very satisfying tune to the end.
Its clear that Franz's return has seen them come back with some of their usual tricks. Jagged-edge riffs, bouncing rhythms and intelligently crafted choruses are the range here, and all are fuelled by a darker heart than the band's previous records - perhaps borne of the troubles in the band post-Tonight.
Certainly its a return to form and a delightful album at that.
4/5
At the time it seemed a sure thing - FF were becoming a big band, graduating to headline Reading Festival alongside Muse and Pearl Jam, and sitting high in the pantheon of bands.
Things haven't quite materialised that way - an elongated creative process for Tonight:Franz Ferdinand, the admission they had to change things they didn't like to make a new album and a fits-and-starts recording process means no best of album came out around the Olympics.
But at least unlike Shayne Ward - the other flier stuck down - they're still around. They have a new album introduced by two very fresh pop-rockers that sound like a big upgrade on the signature sound. Some four and a half years after Tonight:Franz Ferdinand came out, the Glasgow dance-rockers are back with an album touted as a return to the soundscapes and punching choruses of their 2004 debut album.
So what have they presented?
1. Right Action
Franz have opened two of their albums with songs starting subtle and building up into mass hysteria (Jacqueline, Ulysses). Here, it feels like we're mid-song barely seconds in, with a powerful chorus atop a bold rhythm powering past with 23 seconds on the clock. It sounds brilliant on repeat listening where everything comes together and seeps together quickly.
2. Evil Eye
The album's 3rd single starts with a cheery squawk of "What's the colour of the next car? It's red ya bastard!" backtracked by a very funky riff that sounds almost like Chic and at times recalls Take Me Out. Its got to it a very funky strut, topped off with a number of police siren noises and the unnerving feeling of being pursued. It all pulls together, with a great bouncy groove to it.
3. Love Illumination
While there is some online notoriety for its conspiracy theorist-baiting video, this song is particularly pleasant. It's a huge song built on huge choruses and dirty riffs, and it has an almost instant-spark. The random oboe, saxophone and keyboard solos also give it the good experimental touches to build on the straight-up sleazy rocker its based upon.
4. Stand on the Horizon
After 3 pummelling pop-rockers, this song starts more laid back and wistfully. This song changes character throughout, quickly dispensing with its quieter intro for 80s disco-rock before moving into a more electronic style, and then ending with forlorn cries of "the North Sea sings won't you come to me?". It's certainly an impressive melding of styles and scopes.
5. Fresh Strawberries
"A fresh burst of red strawberries, ripe, turning riper in the bowl, we will soon be rotten, we will all be forgotten" is the pleasingly optimistic intro to this one. This coda leads into a pleasantly spright pop tune that recalls the Beatles, built atop a spindly riff and a dark lyrical heart wondering "wouldn't it be easier to believe?". This is a nice song.
6. Bullet
This song begins with a the breakneck-speed indie reminiscent of first FF single Darts of Pleasure, before it moves into a storming marcher. Its another unsettling but forthright chorus - "I'll never get your bullet of my head now, baby" - but it lurches along nicely before reaching an end inside 2:45. It feels a bit eager to reach its destination though.
7. Treason! Animals.
If the last song was lyrically unsettling, this is almost one stop beyond. Led by burbling synths and bass, the paranoia is big early on with cries of "Something has really gone wrong here". Before long there's another fine chorus but its after the second chorus where things get interesting, as synths blossom and Kaparnos' paranoid prose moves into overdrive before the song closes up. Its a delightful highlight.
8. The Universe Expanded
This one's an interesting one, starting up with sci-fi synths and an unsettling guitar riff. Its an intriguing concept both musically and lyrically, where the author seems occupied with wanting to reverse time to escape the pain of an ending romance - "unbake a cake", "tears roll back" - before having a spikey chorus buried in the middle about how "when the universe has expanded, time will contract, you'll come back". Its a pleasant listen with the only complaint being it ends a wee bit abruptly.
9. Brief Encounters
This song is probably the nearest to Tonight on the album, both musically and lyrically. Its pillow talk of being "on the edge of Ambrosia", then being "rigid in the matrimonial superking bed" following sleazy affairs, all backed by creeping synths and random spurts of aggressive guitar. Its decent but there's better here.
10. Goodbye Lovers and Friends
Kapranos cheerily talked on BBC that this song is "imagining giving my own nostalgia-free eulogy". Its a sweet musical bed of tribal percussion and bubbly 80s-keys backing bitter lines like "don't fake your memories" and "don't give me virtues I never had". The song's cheekiest line "Don't play pop music - you know I hate pop music" starts the tune and also appears near the end, followed up by a resigned cry of "this is the end", bringing the album and a very satisfying tune to the end.
Its clear that Franz's return has seen them come back with some of their usual tricks. Jagged-edge riffs, bouncing rhythms and intelligently crafted choruses are the range here, and all are fuelled by a darker heart than the band's previous records - perhaps borne of the troubles in the band post-Tonight.
Certainly its a return to form and a delightful album at that.
4/5
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