LIVE REVIEWS

BAND OF HORSES 23/02 The Troxy

Seattle's premier troupe of laid-back, plaid-wearing honchos of the hirsute are back in good old London Town for the third time in 9 months - after two storming shows in Shepherd's Bush last summer - as they wind down the touring schedule for their excellent fifth album, Why Are You OK? Since 2004, the band's fan-base has increased exponentially with each new release, and tonight in East London's premier art deco inspired venue, the room is fit to bursting with followers old and new, ready to enjoy the groups biggest indoor UK gig to date. There's beards aplenty, bottles of cider being guzzled a hundred fold and an atmosphere crackling with anticipation.

After a short but gloriously sweet acoustic support set from fellow country-rock and choogle enthusiast Israel Nash, main BoH magus Ben Bridwell leads his compadres out on the stage to a monstrous reception from the faithful. Smiling broadly, he gives the crowd a quick nod as the band strike up the opening chords to Dull Times/The Moon - the first track from the current album. A lengthy, drone-rock inspired ballad, the song builds and builds to an epic, wigged-out climax that brings to mind The Grateful Dead in their pomp. Indeed, Band Of Horses themselves wouldn't have looked out of place strolling around Haight/Ashbury in '67 such are their influences - both musical and sartorial. However, even though their are nods to bands such as Creedence, CSNY, and the early 70s country version of The Byrds, BoH deftly weave the aforementioned influences into a sound most definitely their own. Bridwell himself - on all manner of guitars - and fellow lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey harmonise together quite beautifully throughout this gig, adding extra layers of pop nous to the earthy Americana grooves. With keyboard genius Ryan Monroe on fire this particular evening, songs from all five albums are performed with real verve and gusto. Casual Party, NW Apt. and the magnificent Laredo are thrilling examples of janglesome country rock at its finest. In A Drawer could have been a massive radio hit during the grunge explosion of the early 90s, while No One's Gonna Love You is a perfect example of a modern day alt-rock power ballad. There's even room for a porch-front style acoustic segment and an incendiary version of Neil Young's Powderfinger before set-closer Is There A Ghost has everyone in the room singing along lustily. Returning for an encore of the-hit-single-that-should-have-been The Funeral followed by fan favourite The General Specific was just spoiling us really. Quite splendid stuff. 

The band are currently heading back across the pond for a run of US dates before returning to Europe for a series of festivals, culminating in their headline appearance at the glorious End Of The Road festival in Dorset.

SETLIST:

Dull Times/The Moon

Casual Party

Islands On The Coast

The Great Salt Lake

Solemn Oath

Laredo

Throw My Mess

Country Teen

The First Song

St. Augustine

Evening Kitchen

Part One

Cigarettes, Wedding Bands

Powderfinger

NW Apt.

No One's Gonna Love You

In A Drawer

Is There A Ghost

The Funeral

The General Specific

TEENAGE FANCLUB 28/02 Shepherd's Bush Empire

I first saw Teenage Fanclub (or TFC, The Fannies, or The Fancluberoonies - if you're not into the whole brevity thing) in 1991 at the late and lamented Astoria Theatre in Charing Cross Road. I fell for them - and fell hard - almost immediately. Four lairy, hairy Glaswegians deeply in love with The Beatles, Big Star and early period R.E.M. and who were peddling a grungy, jangle-filled melange of all three and having the time of their life whilst doing so. Their second proper album - the near-faultless Bandwagonesque - ended 1991 at the top of many a Best Of The Year list. No mean feat considering Nevermind, Loveless, Out Of Time, Blue Lines and Screamadelica also hit the shelves that year. Albums came thick and fast throughout the rest of the 90s: The slightly flawed Thirteen; The alt-pop classic Grand Prix; The wistful and elegiac Songs From Northern Britain; The ill-fated dalliance with a major label in Howdy. Since then, the band have reconvened far less frequently. Members are scattered across the globe living their own lives as family life has taken centre stage. Indeed, there has only been 3 albums in the last 15 years, with a 6 year gap before the release last September of Here which reached Number 8 in my Top 50 of 2016 list which you'll find elsewhere on this blog. The new album is a glorious reminder of how, when the core songwriting trio of Norman Blake, Gerry Love and Raymond McGinley get together, this most modest and understated band can tap into that musical sweet spot that most bands never manage. 

Tonight's gig in West London is their third London show touring the new record, and it's another sell-out. The audience - mostly balding and paunchy chaps of a certain age - are in raptures from the off and, as hazy memories of cheap lager and good-natured moshing at indie clubs in the early 90s are triggered, the classics come thick and fast. Radio, Verisimilitude, Don't Look Back, About You, Sparky's Dream. It's a veritable treasure trove of tremendous tunes. As usual - and as on record - all three main songwriters get their chance to shine whilst singing their own songs. Blake excels on It's All In My Mind and the rarely-aired Did I Say. Love's finest moments are the fantastic chug and strum of the new album's The First Sight and possibly the sunniest moment in their canon - and their biggest hit single - in Ain't That Enough. As I've got older though, it's Raymond McGinley's nostalgia-tinged songs that I keep coming back to, and his versions tonight of My Uptight Life and Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From - which is up there with Brian Wilson's God Only Knows in the greatest love songs ever written list - are just spine-tingling. The three founder members are aided and abetted superbly on stage by long-standing third drummer Francis MacDonald and the relative newcomer on keyboards in Dave McGowan. The pace never flags and the connection between band and audience is a joy to behold. Blake's query about how many episodes of the Tom Hardy drama Taboo he's missed due to their touring commitments just shows how down to earth they are. "Nae bother - I'll catch up on IPlayer". Lovely.

They end the night with the real meat of their catalogue. Hearing 2000 voices singing along to the opening lines of the mighty The Concept - "She wears denim wherever she goes, says she's gonna get some records by the Status Quo" - is one of the highlights of my gigular life, whilst the bona fide power-pop masterpiece that is Star Sign is nigh on magnificent. And then there's Everything Flows. It's always their last song and everyone here knows it, but it still never fails to excite and tonight's rendition is no exception. A glorious progression of crunchy and gnarly chords all underpinned by that ear for melody as it builds to it's epic and windswept solo-filled climax. "I'll never know which way to flow, set a course that I don't know". Is there a better indie-rock anthem? Answers on a postcard, please.

If the band wait another 6 years before returning to the coalface I will be well into my 6th decade but on this evidence, I will definitely be pulling out my old faded TFC T-shirt and joining them once again. Scotland's finest.

SETLIST:

I'm In Love

Radio

Hold On

It's All In My Mind

Thin Air

Verisimilitude

The Darkest Part Of The Night

Don't Look Back

My Uptight Life

The First Sight

Dumb Dumb Dumb

About You

I Need Direction 

Did I Say

Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From

Ain't That Enough

I Don't Want Control Of You

Sparky's Dream

The Concept

Going Places

I Was Beautiful When I Was Alive

Star Sign

Everything Flows