GIG NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO
Who
I also prepared by watching their live DVD - thinking sadly that they would be unlikely to be that good again - and on the Saturday morning I caught the train to Manchester, having a depressing stopover at dire Stafford train station and blowing all my free phone internet allowance on the journey. Manchester city centre was inhumanly busy - it being so close to Christmas and all - but I persisted in fighting my way down the High Street to head towards Deansgate and Cask bar - the finest pub in the country! The volume of people blocking the way was murderous and I'm sure I lost a solid 15 minutes of drinking time as a result, but got to enjoy a Schneider Weiss and a Irlbacher, originally being hesitant to drink Schneider Weiss on tap as it had - gasp! - disappointed last time around. This time around though it was fabulous, and the Irlbacher was something a bit different, but was hard to love! I took a few photos, checked in via Facebook and fired out a few texts to let everyone know where I was, but I'd set my heart on seeing The Hobbit 2 in 2D, figuring out that I'd struggle to find another chance and that it was the most constructive way of spending the afternoon by myself and better than taking hundreds more sightseeing photos. I did enjoy it but perhaps drinking as much liquid as I physically could and then heading into a long movie was a bit of a silly idea. It's a good thing that I'd secured a place near the exits! Afterwards it was dark and I headed back into Cask but now it was horribly busy, and I had to stand up to drink a pint of my beloved Maisel's Weisse. One disadvantage of staying at a hotel in Fallowfield was that popping there to drop my bags off was too much of a pain, but thankfully the cinema gave me no hassle, plus this made me keener to head back and check in before I became too drunk to do so!
I wanted a really simple tea though and decided to just go for battered sausage and chips at the chip shop next to the pub, which in retrospect was a mistake. I then headed towards Oxford Road and the wind was just insane, and I was shocked that the Magic Bus charged me over £1 to get to Fallowfield. I remember when it used to be 50p, and I'm quite damned sure that inflation hasn't been that bad in just 10 years! Owens Park tower was still standing - no doubt still subject to endless rumours about it being demolished - but I was a little further down the road staying at a hotel just past McDonalds that I'd never noticed before. Check-in was quick and I showered and got changed, deciding to avoid being ripped off again by the buses by just walking back in. It was a pretty cold day but I was wearing a thinner coat - anticipating quite a moshpit - and I arrived to find a queue and some touts around, but it didn't take me too long to get inside. Just like Jake Bugg the show was open to all, although under 14s had to be accompanied by an adult. I've got to say that the Gogol Bordello fan base is not one that I feel I have much in common with, but I do love the music! I easily headed into a central position and noted that this was my first time inside this room since Half Man Half Biscuit in 2009, before allowing myself some time to think back on old times here as a student. So many nights out! The slingshot logo was already in place and everyone seemed to be in a good mood as support band Man Man emerged wearing skeleton outfits. Astonishingly they proved the second really good support band I'd seen in a row, with a playful and positive attitude to music in common with Shifty Chicken Shed.
The drummer was positioned at the front and the moment when the guys stood up and started shouting was amongst the highlights. Amazingly Elizabeth from Gogol Bordello appeared with them for a couple of songs to add some vocals to their tunes, although she was kept very low in the mix, and towards the end of the set two other of the Gogol guys - guitarist and drummer - also came onstage to help them out. You can't beat simple pleasures though and the highlight of the set was a random guy in an alien mask who appeared a few times, dancing before holding his head as if the music was causing him great physical pain! I think everyone was wondering whether Eugene was behind the mask, but the quick peep I got at him to the side of the stage suggests it wasn't him. The photo of this alien was the best I took of the night, as I'd come out armed only with my camera phone, correctly predicting that a Gogol Bordello moshpit could prove too much for a proper camera to take. Playful and upbeat was the best way to describe Man Man's music, and I particularly liked the endless drum rolls that made up the finale, as the drummer kept looked at us as if to say "shall I do it again?", before doing it again! The band packed away their own instruments and had done more than enough to sustain our interest until the main event. And this may be a good point to state that I did a particularly lame job of writing up notes after the show, so I fear that I've lost quite a bit of information. However, for any show with such a frantic moshpit it is perhaps inevitable that some of the finer details will be lost!
The band came onstage with an intro - or that's what the setlist says anyway - before an energised take on We Rise Again. As I was positioned front and centre I found myself in the eye of the moshpit but wasn't so keen on wasting my energies on minor songs. Not A Crime certainly doesn't fall in that criteria though, and although it didn't sound as great as it should have done I was thrilled to take a leading role in the pit. Wonderlust King kept the pace up but it was just too much for me, as I was starting to get chest pains from the sheer madness of it all and allowed myself to be edged out towards the right. Also my attitude of responsible moshing - stand your ground and don't push - seemed alien to everybody else, and wearing glasses is always something of a worry. I'd also figured out my mistakes, firstly of not smuggling a bottle of water inside, and secondly that I could still feel the chip ship meal on my breath, although I'm quite sure I'd brushed my teeth. After so many shows you would have thought I'd have learned by now! The band certainly seemed to be on form though, although they didn't quite appear to all be there! I'm shocked to read that accordion player Yuri had actually left, whereas the guitarist Oren - whisper it, the boring one - had not only left but was suing the band. I'd heard nothing about this but by their nature I guess Gogol Bordello are a relatively loose collective, and as long as Eugene and Sergey are there and they play Baro Foro I can forgive them. I had just presumed that the pressures of touring meant that some of the band had had to take a breather - and they had pulled some dates due to bad weather - but apparently not!
Generally they sounded less ramshackle, especially Eugene's guitar, and as expected the setlist included quite a few newer songs. Songs such as The Other Side Of Rainbow gave us an essential opportunity to breathe but they had a tendency to pick up in pace and end up just as frantic as the hits anyway. I'd tried my best to get into the newer material - for me nothing has felt as good since Super Taranta! - and some of it was actually sinking in, but this setlist also seemed to be finding room for the old favourites too. Trans-Continental Hustle falls somewhere in-between, whereas Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher) is blighted by the annoying shouty guy, although to be fair to him he does seem to have toned it down a bit. Despite now being quite far to the right the moshpit appeared to encompass the entire venue, and Eugene didn't help much by actively encouraging a slam pit to develop right next to me! Break The Spell and Pala Tute are two of my new era favourites, but the real revelation was Malandrino, which starts slowly but builds like no other song! It was moments like this that made me warm towards the newer material at last. By now though I was really struggling and had my eye on the bar to the right, but fortunately a punter was kind enough to offer me some of his water, and a couple of sips was all it took to bring me back to life.
To be fair though a sip of water isn't too much to ask considering the volume that was spilled down my back, and even Eugene had a cup hitting him slap-bang in the guitar, something that he barely reacted to which would have had many a pampered rock star storming off stage to have a hissy fit! The golden oldie tonight was Sacred Darling, one I'd never expected, and I think I'm finally starting to fall in love with Start Wearing Purple, taking pleasure from the slow-motion moshing that it demands, and even more so from the sheer volume in the crowd participation as Sergey's scream towards the end was greeted enthusiastically to say the least! That was the moment I will take away from this night! The main set then finished in spectacular manner with Sally, a song I'd just assumed was gone forever and never to return. The sound mix throughout the evening though had been muted, and sadly Sergey's violin never reached the volumes that I'd heard from it at previous shows. The encore though started much less impressively as the crowd greeted Lost Innocent World with an undeserved enthusiasm, because space was short and too many better songs had been shunted aside to make room for it. Eugene was again wearing a top, and in fact he'd kept his shirt on for more songs in the main set than he usually manages. This was followed by a song that can best to described as a complete fucking waste of set space, namely Alcohol. Why the band persist in playing it at the business end of the set I will never understand. It just doesn't live up to its title at all.
Still though, looking at the time I'd thought this had been the end, and by now I'd realised that there simply wasn't space left for Baro Foro. Therefore it was something of a consolation prize when the band launched into Mishto! By now I was carrying my coat as it felt just too awkward around my waist and it was a challenge to keep hold of it, as although I wasn't impressed at all that the band had failed to finish properly this was still a pretty damned good song. Also nobody lives in the local area, so why should there be any need for a curfew anyway? Still I'd expected that to be it so was doubly surprised to hear Ultimate! This gave me a final burst of energy and the band took long bows at the end, all linking together to pretend to rush the audience too while they were at it. The guys hung around for a while saying their goodbyes while Redemption Song was playing, but for me this just wasn't enough. Where was Baro Foro? I didn't hear any complaining though, quite a few of the fans were now topless and sweaty, and I also saw a Mohican and a reasonable quota of tattoos. Also my coat was absolutely soaked through with sweat and beer, and I headed outside before popping into Gemini's fish bar - a blast from the past - to buy a Coke and a 7 Up to quench my thirst. It was spectacularly cold but I walked back, eventually daring to wear my coat again. On the walk back it was amazing to see how much had changed, with many of the Rusholme curry houses having randomly been transformed into Afghan takeaways! Kebab King in Fallowfield of course was still present and correct, but I wasn't in the mood for any of that tonight. Without writing any review notes I went straight to bed.
One thing I did do on the way back was to post a status update sharing my feelings that all I ask from Gogol Bordello is that they play Baro Foro, and as they'd failed to do so they are officially dumped. Anything they do other than that song is their business, but it's the least they can do considering how far I travel to see them. It's a shame as otherwise the setlist had been really quite strong, other omissions being When The Trickster Starts A-Poking (Bordello Kind Of Guy), American Wedding and Undestructable, two of which form part of the usual Baro Foro mash-up, the third - American Wedding - had been played last time. I can kind of understand that Gogol Bordello are approaching the point where they have to leave some songs out, but please, not Baro Foro! Never ever! Only time will tell if this puts them alongside Arctic Monkeys as a band I like but I refuse to see live again out of fear of self-indulgence. Of course, if Arctic Monkeys signed something in blood to say they'd perform Mardy Bum I'd give them another go! The next day I had a McDonalds breakfast wrap and a quick Vedet at the train station, writing up some notes on the trip. Due to a random gap in morning services I got on a fast train to Wolverhampton, being pleased to note I had no hassle for my imaginative - but 100% correct - combination of tickets. I'll probably give Gogol another chance, who knows, but as I'm writing this I'm wondering if this show could mark my official retirement from moshpit duty. I've had a good run I think!
Mark: 8.0/10
Gogol Bordello
Support
Man Man
Where
Manchester Academy
When
14th December 2013
Price
£18.50
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the front
Comments
For a band who seem to tour incessantly the wait since the end of 2010 to see Gogol Bordello again seems ridiculous. I'd been checking their website regularly but the guys just didn't hit the Midlands, leaving me to travel all the way to Leeds last time and wondering whether I was up for this Saturday night show in Manchester. I'd kept the date in mind for ages but due to work uncertainty I hadn't booked, before deciding that there was a pretty strong chance I'd be free and that I really wanted to have a live performance of Baro Foro to look forwards to. I did have reservations as the Leeds set had been a bit disappointing, although to be fair I had felt really ill on the day, and I can forgive just about any show that finishes with a proper version of Baro Foro! In fact pretty much all my hopes and dreams rested on their playing this song - which not only is better than all their other (admittedly great) tunes put together, but literally is many of their songs put together! I'd checked their recent setlists and saw it was still there - at least for some of the shows anyway - so decided to go for it. I booked a hotel and prepared by listening to their best songs plus the Trans-Continental Hustle and Pura Vida Conspiracy albums, figuring out that the setlist would be biased in favour of newer tunes. Originally I'd intended to rival Eugene by continuing my Movember moustache into mid-December but had to give that one up as it was just too unpleasant to maintain - oh well!
Setlist
Intro
We Rise Again
Not A Crime
Wonderlust King
The Other Side Of Rainbow
My Companjera
Dig Deep Enough
Last One Goes The Hope
Trans-Continental Hustle
Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher)
Break The Spell
When Universes Collide
Pala Tute
Malandrino
It Is The Way You Name Your Ship
Sacred Darling
Start Wearing Purple
Sally
Lost Innocent World
Alcohol
Mishto!
Ultimate
