GIG NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT
Who
In fact by seeing both shows I'd be watching Blur twice in the space of just six days, whereas in 2009 I had to wait an unbearable eight days! It was quite strange to be repeating the same routine three years later, and it is intriguing to wonder where Blur will go from here. Fool's Day from 2010 was an outstanding song, and newbies The Puritan and Under The Westway prove that Blur have still got it and it's purely a case of whether they still want it or not. It seems increasingly unlikely that they'll make another album - and there was talk of friction in the group as Damon pulled a recording session - so they may have been pushing it a bit to reform again for another run-through the old songs. Nevertheless I can certainly understand why the lure of an Outstanding Contribution award and the amazing opportunity to represent the best of British at an official Olympics concert made them want to do another victory lap, and it was wonderful to return to the Civic for the first time since Kasabian, also in 2009. I heard every single Blur song I had on my iPod but in the rush of having to plan multiple trips to London and also a holiday in Portugal I never got round to watching the videos. Another unique selling point of this reunion was the ultra-comprehensive 21 box set and I was quick to order this, even paying extra via the official site in the hope I'd get a numbered copy signed by the band. The box set arrived a week or so before the show - sadly unsigned - but I had no chance of hearing it in time, and when I finally found myself writing up this review six weeks after the show I'd still only heard the Leisure CD! The pressure was increased as my internet connection unhelpfully went down during the Sunday night I'd designated for planning Portugal but I'm happy to report that everything worked out in the end. Once I reached the night before - and in fact Blur were playing then, although I'd chosen the second night for ease of transportation - it dawned on me that I had absolutely no idea what their setlist would be and it would be nice to keep it that way, in sharp contrast to The Stone Roses where we were practically ticking off the songs as we went along. I was only informed that Caramel was back in the set, but this was good as knowing it was coming helped me enjoy it more.
On the day I rushed back home to get changed and had the quickest chip shop meal ever. I decided to wear my super-old Blur t-shirt which I picked up in Spain circa 1997 - knowing that nobody else would have it - and also went with my blue jeans. I saw no particular reason to change. I had no problems with the train back into town, and as Matt and Nick were arriving later than me I ventured into the Lady Wulfrun hoping for a pint of Brains. I was not impressed that they appear to have stopped selling it so went with a strong bitter instead, passing the time by txting and, for probably the first time this year, actually answering my phone. The plan was to meet in the Cuban Exchange so I headed there and we randomly found it closed. As far as I can tell it hasn't closed down, but rather than heading all the way back to Wetherspoons we went with the lazy option of the Yates's beer garden, suffering their appalling range of beer. The best they could offer was a Newcastle Brown - but they insulted me by offering it in a half pint glass - and the view from the beer garden was perhaps the most unscenic I'd ever seen in my life, in particular thanks to an outdoor broom cupboard! I tried to sell the idea of seeing Ray Davies - to no avail despite the fact tickets were just £35 - and we reflected on the Olympics so far, which made me sad that I hadn't had more time to actually watch it. The opening ceremony had been an incredible event - reminding me that this is the greatest country on Earth - but apart from watching the 100m and 200m final, along with Andy Murray breaking the habit of a lifetime by finally winning something, I'd seen very little actual sport. When I was in London at the end of July - a visit that I'll largely skip over as it involved no live music - I had tickets for Archery, Handball and Boxing, and it was a great pleasure to visit the Olympic park. In retrospect perhaps I should have booked two weeks off work and stayed down there for the duration, but that would have worked out rather expensive! The next challenge was getting into the venue, as my brother had been kind enough to get the tickets for me but I'd forgotten to lend him my credit card. I was not too impressed when the tickets showed up with draconian instructions about taking ID and credit card, as the only people who'd lose out would be dedicated Blur fans who get turned away at the door, and the bloody touts were still outside so it was all a waste of time anyway. Perhaps this deterrent may have made it a little easier for fans to buy tickets - maybe the show sold out in ten seconds rather than five - but otherwise was a waste of time and a source of unnecessary worry for me.
To get around this I had with me my brother's credit card, ID, and even a copy of his confirmation email which had been forwarded to me explaining that the tickets had been purchased for me, even adding the fact that my brother had entered my name when buying the tickets although they still showed up in his name! And even if I was my brother, I still could have sold the other two tickets outside to the highest bidder couldn't I? The doors had opened at 7pm but we arrived closer to 8pm and they let me in without a fuss after looking at my brother's ID, either turning a blind eye or presuming that I'd aged a lot since that photo was taken, so I didn't have to utilise any further arguments to get inside. Matt had got the album sleeves with him in the idle hope of meeting the band afterwards, but considering we didn't even wait around this was something of a long shot. Once again the Civic had changed shape, as I'm sure that the seated area had greatly reduced in size, and we found ourselves a position slap-bang in the middle without any fuss. The backing music was quiet which was fantastic as it meant we could actually talk, slapping ourselves on the back for securing a position far enough forwards to mosh but without encountering any real pressure. A handful of people did push past us though, including the typical tall guy, but once the show started I didn't even notice him. I knew it wasn't to be a big name support and from my past experience I knew Blur's choice of warm-up to be utterly dire. This is in sharp contrast to 1997 when Super Furry Animals provided support, which was surely the greatest show ever? Tonight was not going to live up to that though as Blur had randomly decided to go with a couple of kids who perform under the name of The Bots. I would describe them as a cross between The Jackson 5 and Mogwai, as they had the youth, hair and complexion of the Jackson's, but also the same droning, largely instrumental style and total lack of tunes as Mogwai. There was a bit of singing by the older brother along with some cheap keyboard sounds, whereas the younger one who was on drums was so youthful that in my old age I practically found it offensive. However it was perhaps a little bit harsh when Nick ordered me not to clap, as it was quite cool when the singer moved around the stage, selecting whichever mic happened to be closest in order to continue the song.
In my opinion they were a typical support - completely underwhelming and forgettable - rather than actively awful as Mogwai had been. The crowd typically got into it - managing to ignore the quality of what had been put in front of them - passing us dirty looks for questioning their worth, but as a veteran of so many gigs I am far beyond trying to enjoy bands that have nothing to offer me. Their website surprisingly declares them to be Arcade Fire fans, which is a positive sign, so they should perhaps consider going back to being tasteful listeners rather than attempting to be worthwhile performers? I utilised the Haribo joke, saying that if the drummer could resist one then we'd give him another, although he probably couldn't resist as they're just too good, and we avoided any homework-related heckles on the grounds that they're just too obvious. Personally I'd had been happy to just block them out, but we amused ourselves by putting them down, and considering that the last live song I'd heard was I Am The Resurrection I was not too impressed to be taken so sharply back down to Earth. According to The Bots website the brothers are 18 and 14, and the drummer passed behind us before Blur took to the stage, which is also interesting as I'm sure the minimum age for the show was 16! Nothing else of note transpired though until 9pm when Blur promptly took to the spartan stage without any ceremony or introductory music and launched straight into Girls & Boys! It was admirable that they'd come straight out and play arguably their greatest song, although She's So High in 2009 had been more exciting, perhaps purely because of the wonder of seeing the four members of Blur sharing a stage for my first time ever. Damon was flicking water enthusiastically and looked very healthy, although to be fair they all looked to be in excellent shape. It was an energetic opener for all concerned and I already found myself gasping for breath, wishing I'd stopped off to pick up some water. I'd been wondering intently how the setlist would differ from 2009 so was delighted when the band mixed it up by choosing London Loves, which no doubt would make perfect sense in the capital city! The momentum was then cranked up with the ever-excellent Tracy Jacks before Jubilee, and it's at this moment where I believe Damon made his first foray into the crowd. It was pointed out to me afterwards that they'd kicked off with four songs from Parklife, but when it sounds this vital and is done so energetically I doubt anyone was unhappy. The pace was then slowed down for Beetlebum and I started taking photos with my phone, making me think that it would have been nice to have taken my proper camera with me. To the amazement of the couple next to me I correctly predicted this and quite a few other songs just from the tuning-up the band did before, notably Coffee And TV and also just before Out Of Time when they introduced Khyam Allami to the stage for some guitar I correctly anticipated it would be a Think Tank track.
In fact I spent quite a bit of time noisily expressing my wish that they'd play a super-long version of Battle but this wasn't to be the night for that, although they surprised everybody by performing b-side Young And Lovely, which was utterly beautiful and slowed down to perfection. Less surprising was the mandatory take on Trimm Trabb which remains a waste of space when you think of all the great songs that weren't played, but I was pleased to hear Caramel as it was also slow but in complete contrast to most of the other songs tonight. Nevertheless these three songs represented something of a lull in the show it must be said, and Blur made the right decision by following them with the ever-excellent Sunday Sunday. Of course this would have made more sense last night - Sunday - or in Hyde Park, which was also on a Sunday, but when a song's this good you can't really complain. Damon made reference to it being a boring Monday, but no Monday when you get to hear Country House live can ever be a disappointment! As soon as I heard the introduction I screamed with joy and we sung it back very loudly indeed, enjoying the ending which was graced by trumpet players and the backing singers who shared the stage but largely faded into the background. It was a delight to see Blur were still at peace with their demons and in a mood to happily embrace one of the finest pop songs of all time. I correctly predicted that they'd be playing Parklife once Damon warned that "he" wasn't here tonight and Mr Albarn did forget quite a few of the words, although to be fair it's quite a challenge to attempt to sing it by yourself so fast. The set then made its only deviation from the Sunday night as we were treated to an outstanding take on Colin Zeal. I did confuse it momentarily with Pressure On Julian I'm afraid to say but we undoubtedly got a better deal than last night's crowd who received Oily Water in its place. I enjoyed it so much I can't say I noticed if anyone else did, but there was no doubting that The Puritan was given a slightly muted reception as not everybody knew it. Perhaps the most special moment of the evening was during Popscene though when it appeared that Damon looked directly at us for action and, happy to oblige, we ensured we were moshing suitably furiously! We certainly didn't stop for Advert and by the time they reached Song 2 there were no feet left on the ground. I continued to mosh during the verses and got the actions right, turning round to shake Matt's hand during the "pleased to meet you" lyric. By this point the idea of absolutely going for it tonight then being a bit more chilled out and actually listening properly in Hyde Park made a lot of sense.
What we really needed now was a rest and Blur obliged. I'd predicted they'd play Tender but was pleasantly surprised to hear No Distance Left To Run instead. Damon introduced it as being a slower one - it could hardly have been any faster though - and it was beautiful. By my count there were eight Blur songs tonight I'd never heard live before and this one was particularly welcome. This was followed by Tender - as I predicted - although Alex didn't utilise the double bass and they didn't draw it out as expected. It's certainly a good song and it's intriguing how since 2009 it's become one of the show-stoppers that everybody looks forward to and sings furiously, but it will never beat Country House or Girls & Boys in my estimation. Damon was dressed similarly to his Fred Perry attire of 2009 and it was a delight to see Graham smiling a few times. Dave at the back meanwhile was solid but low-key, and it is highly amusing to think that he'd had to use his annual leave from his day job to tour with Blur! The set was minimalist with just a few lights and the focus was very much on proving that Blur are still a formidable live act with an astonishing back catalogue from which to choose. The main set finished with This Is A Low and as the band left the stage they made us wait quite a while, leaving us to sing Tender a bit although not quite as loudly as I'd predicted would happen. The encore started in delightful manner as Damon sat at a piano to sing Sing to us. I'm surprised to read that they'd played it in 2003 as well but this was the only representative from their debut album tonight and it worked well delivered as a slowie. Damon remained at the piano for Under The Westway, which is a stunning ballad, but it received a quieter reception than it deserved. This was overshadowed by the surprise that is Intermission, a song I never thought I'd get to hear live. The guys cleverly inserted a few stop-and-starts into it for maximum impact although it proved perhaps too silly to provoke true carnage. By this point I'd made a mental list of songs I'd still like to hear and End Of A Century was not on there, but it's a crowd favourite so I wasn't going to complain. This was followed with For Tomorrow, which was surprisingly droney and featured a full-length trumpet outro but I'd have been very disappointed not to have heard it. This longest of encores then came to a close as it should have done with The Universal, as a sea of arms rose into the air and Damon acknowledged the balcony and generally outstanding crowd reaction that makes them return to Wolverhampton time and time again. This took us wonderfully up until the 11pm curfew and there really was no way that anybody could follow this, so we were quite content to bid the band farewell.
Of course I was even more content in the knowledge that I'd be reliving this experience in just six days, and left the Civic in a state of supreme sweatiness. The dodgy t-shirts outside were a whopping £10 - as opposed to £5 for the Roses - and we hung around for a little while, observing that they didn't appear to slash the prices as expected. I made my way to catch the last train and struggled to get some coins out of my coat - which had fallen into the lining - so I could buy a badly needed flavoured water. There were some twats at the train station who apparently were heading up to Manchester and I made my way back home and to bed by midnight, with my ears whistling and feet hurting. The next day I managed to forget my bus pass as I was so bloody exhausted but it was certainly worth it. Admittedly the set hadn't been as definitive as 2009 but Blur are worth watching multiple times, and the handful of new songs and mightily impressive box set had made the whole exercise a positive one for all concerned. I somehow found the time to write up some reasonably comprehensive notes - which have come in mightily useful as I find myself writing this up six weeks later - and inevitably this show will be overshadowed by Hyde Park, largely because it is the Hyde Park show that gets released on CD/DVD and goes down in history. There were omissions of course, most notably Charmless Man, There's No Other Way, To The End, On Your Own, Fool's Day, Music Is My Radar and Battle. I've decided to award the show 9/10 to reflect the fact it wasn't quite as good/definitive as it had been last time, or indeed as glorious as The Stone Roses had proved. However I suspect The Roses were more exciting because I'd never seen them live before, as on paper it's clear that Blur are the finer band. One of the really positive things about Blur is to look through their album track listings and to think that they have a solid 30-40 songs that I'd dearly love to hear which I've never heard live before. This show did kind of blur into one whole though - partly because of the sheer amount of moshing we did and lack of visual talking points - much the same way as the last Suede show I saw did in the relentless barrage of great tunes. This was merely a warm-up though, and the next stop was to be Hyde Park!
Mark: 9.0/10
Blur
Support
The Bots
Where
Wolverhampton Civic Hall
When
6th August 2012
Price
£35.00
Who with
Nick, Matt
Position
In the moshpit
Comments
I would not have been shocked if the awesome Hyde Park show in 2009 was to be the last time I'd get to see Blur so was pleasantly surprised when they announced they'd be playing the Olympics Closing Ceremony concert. We snapped up tickets pretty much immediately - meaning I'd be paying three visits to London in just two and a half months - but in no way regretted this decision when Blur later announced two warm-up shows at the Civic. They clearly have a soft spot for Wolverhampton and it's a shame that more bands don't appreciate just how much better the crowds are compared to Birmingham, but it's always good to know that Wolves dates are pretty much guaranteed every time Blur get together! The reunion tour started proper in Margate of all places, before our two nights at the Civic and a couple of dates abroad in Denmark and Sweden. In fact I only found out about the foreign dates when I read them on the back of a t-shirt, and it was this official t-shirt that I snapped up online afterwards for an eye-watering £20, anticipating that they would never be reduced in price anyway. I also believe there was a low-key warm-up date in London, but of course their first show back was to pick up their long overdue Outstanding Contribution award at the Brits way back in February. This performance was unfairly panned because of Damon's long speech which led to Adele being cut off, but as one of the few people who seems to be aware that Adele is worse that Hitler I figure that all of Blur should be knighted for this! Also their performance sounded pretty excellent from where I was sitting and was only let down by ITV1 rudely fading out Parklife so sharply at the end, and it's shocking that nobody complained about this! Also there was a brilliant reference to this incident from the presenter of the NME Awards as he introduced Graham as an "Adele cut off-er-er" and perhaps the whole thing can be considered an indicator of who has taste and who doesn't in the sparse musical world of 2012. Some fuckwits even questioned whether Blur were worthy of receiving such an award, but their 2009 show had proved beyond all doubt that they are the most important group of the 1990's, making a mockery of any idea that Oasis were anywhere near able to compete with them.
Setlist
Girls & Boys
London Loves
Tracy Jacks
Jubilee
Beetlebum
Coffee And TV
Out Of Time
Young And Lovely
Trimm Trabb
Caramel
Sunday Sunday
Country House
Parklife
Colin Zeal
The Puritan
Popscene
Advert
Song 2
No Distance Left To Run
Tender
This Is A Low
Sing
Under The Westway
Intermission
End Of A Century
For Tomorrow
The Universal
