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Review |
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Tonight’s gig almost seems backwards; the
best band was first, the worse last. For me, the
Wildhearts were the anticlimax of an otherwise fantastic
evening.
First up is Tragedy. The band’s logo implies
that they are going to be some sort of death metal
act, but I’m proven very wrong. They are,
infact, a heavy metal tribute to the Bee Gees
from New York, and they are absolutely amazing.
I should have known when no less than eight microphones
were set up onstage ready for their arrival that
they were going to be something special. Visually,
they’re stunning: skin tight silver and
gold leggings, huge sparkly shoes, pink hair,
glitter all over their faces, tons of jewellery,
and leopard print. You could even describe them
as a camper version of Spinal Tap; their comedy
value and energy are breathtaking. And they’re
not just a sideshow either; they’re actually
amazing musicians and note perfect singers (their
voices even reach the dizzying heights of the
Bee Gees). They play all the classics you’d
expect, and finish with ‘Tragedy’,
introducing it as “a song about us”.
Truly the best opening act I’ve ever seen,
and I’m fairly confident the enthusiastic
crowd would agree with me - especially the fat
man sans shirt dancing in the middle of the floor
for the entire set.
The next supports, A, are returning from a three
year hiatus and there are plenty of people there
just for them. In particular, there are two guys
with visors (trademark A attire) who keep screaming
for them to play an obscure B side, which the
band can’t even remember how to play. They
opt for ‘Rush Song’ as their opener,
which receives a lukewarm reaction, but everyone
is singing when they move onto the classic ‘Monkey
Kong’. Even though they have a couple of
extra wrinkles than the last time they were here,
they haven’t lost any of their energy, and
it’s amazing to see them back where they
belong. My only criticism is that they don’t
play enough of their older material for my liking
(where were ‘Lake Tahoe’ and ‘Number
One’?!), but they finish with ‘Nothing’
and we all want more than their 45 minute set
allows. Hopefully there will be more time when
they return with their promised new album…
I’m not sure how to review The Wildhearts.
I’m new to them, and am expecting big things
from them. The buzz from the crowd is incredible,
and one lady nearly dies when a fellow photographer
tells her what is on the set list. But, what can
I say? When they finally arrive amongst all the
hype, I’m seriously underwhelmed. To the
untrained ear, their music sounds, frankly, like
one long, loud, monotonous, incessant, blurry
noise. Each song blends into the next, and none
of them inspires me to even tap a toe. The band
members, especially Ginger are fairly energetic,
but they pail in significance compared to Tragedy
and A. In a word: disappointing. I almost regret
seeing the set list earlier - because I know I
have to endure 18 songs of this (including a 7
song encore).
Having said all that, they obviously have a lot
going for them - the crowd’s enthusiasm
doesn’t waiver throughout the lengthy set,
and they’re still thirsty for more at the
end. Perhaps this band just isn’t my bag.
They have an almighty fanbase and enjoy considerable
success, so I guess I must be missing something.
Please, someone, tell me what it is!
Tragedy - 5/5
A - 4/5
The Wildhearts - 3/5
Review and photos By Helen |
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Wildhearts |
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| A |
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| Tragedy |
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Related Links |
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| Review
Score Code |
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- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
-
What Was That? |
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