GIG NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT
Who
Things were looking up for me after finishing my period of unemployment after seemingly being hit harder than just about anyone by the recession. I went to a chip shop for the cheapest and quickest meal I could get but this made me feel slightly queasy and I guess I should start seeking better pre-gig nourishment! No complaints about the Cornetto McFlurry though! The road to the Civic was plagued with ticket touts but as the venue wasn't messing about with searches I got inside swiftly and settled for a spot in the middle. The lights were still up and the venue filled rapidly and the music was at first familiar 60s stuff such as The Searchers but this quickly slipped into anonymous generic shite! I easily resisted a drink as, thanks to my increasing passion for German beers, my standards are getting too high to be tempted by a mediocre and overpriced pint in a plastic glass. Supporting were Dark Horses and their first song was
either a cover version, sample or a rip-off of something which eludes me. Not vocally though, as the lead singer was a Cate La Bon look-alike thanks to her hair, but I'd definitely heard that riff before! The lighting was surprisingly good for a support but she went down better than she deserved before finishing in a blaze of lights which many headline acts I see wouldn't equal! It was totally inoffensive but there was very little to differentiate them from so many mediocre support acts. The only notable thing to happen as the venue filled up more was Jumpin' Jack Flash being played before Kasabian hit the stage. I found myself on the edge of the moshpit but for the most part resisted it. There was no backdrop and very little fuss as I believe Kasabian took to the stage with Underdog.
Many of their songs kind of blur into one and I couldn't find a setlist which makes applying a proper chronology to this review difficult. Perhaps my defining memory will sadly be the volume of half full cups of alcohol being thrown around. This hugely annoying, occasionally dangerous and pointless act seems to be growing in popularity and you wonder if it's the chosen way for wankers to ruin the smell of your clothes now they're not allowed to get smoke all over them? Plus it comes down to being lightweight enough to throw away perfectly drinkable beer just for the pleasure of potentially ruining someone's evening. This never used to irk me too much as being drenched can help you loosen up and enjoy the show but coming home late and sleeping with sticky hair just isn't very nice! I hope more bands stand up to these twats by shaming them in interviews or threatening to leave the stage! Anyway, back to the music, during the so-so Where Did All The Love Go? I had a thought that crowds in Birmingham are simply too boring much of the time to raise their arms aloft and clap as Wolves did here. Shoot The Runner was greeted very warmly, but made me think that for such a huge band the crowd were more sedate than you'd expect, being happy to clap and scream rather than push and crush! And I guess it was compulsory for Tom to say "Wolverhampton, you are Empire!" at the end of Empire, and I hoped he meant it when he said we were better than the previous night.
Tom started off in a leather jacket but loosened up once he took it off to reveal a simple red t-shirt whereas Sergio provided an excellent contrast with his much more complex sense of style. The other guys in the band were totally anonymous but Sergio overcame an initially quiet mic to sing a bit himself. This left Tom unsure what to do, whether to leave the stage or just sit down like Liam would. Always a problem for singers who don't play guitar! Throughout the show Tom was a likeable and charismatic frontman, even throwing in a spot of moonwalking! For me there was no doubt that tune of the night was Fire and it was the only time I moshed properly, but sadly everyone else moshed to the wrong bit! I was glad to be far enough away to avoid the embarrassing scene of pushing and shoving no doubt taking place further forwards and also to be somewhere where people were still happy to enjoy it, striking a rare balance! All except the freakishly tall guy in front of me, who barely clapped, nodded or sang along! At first I thought he was sheltering a girlfriend who wasn't fit to handle a moshpit so was dismayed to spot that he actually was that boring! The Doberman showed Kasabian's slow side which was reasonable but certainly the most aching reminder that they're not a patch on bands like Blur! I believe the main set ended with Club Foot and they stuck to just one encore. You Got The Love was the chosen cover version and wasn't worth its place in the set. The Longcut had also covered it when I'd seen them and I can't comprehend what it is about this so-so pop song which "real" bands like so much.
Thankfully they kept it short and sweet before bursting into an awesome rendition of L.S.F! It was a nice sing-along and it was acoustically very satisfying when Tom got just the balcony to sing it. The crowd made me scratch my head by suddenly embarking on a mad bout of moshing towards the end despite no increase whatsoever in tempo but it still was an exciting closer and everyone was singing it on the way out. Kasabian had kept it short but they'd played everything I wanted and there was no need for another encore. In fact I could even get the earlier train home after grabbing a Coke, and I wish more bands would respect the fact that people often have to get up early the next morning. Slightly early gig starts are more practical and don't detract from enjoyment at all. It didn't help me much in the end though as I didn't sleep well, probably thanks to all the beer in my hair! I was pleased to have seen Kasabian playing all the hits in the best venue around. Short of playing to me in the delirious state of excitement of a festival I don't think they could be better. Not only had they played everything, but they were up for it and I recognised every song. It does annoy me to think if I'd had been patient I could have seen Basement Jaxx and Franz Ferdinand play Wolves but I just couldn't motivate myself to see them a second time. Fingers crossed that The Killers rock Wolverhampton soon! Considering the shocking break-up of Oasis just a few days afterwards, Kasabian have a fantastic opportunity to elevate themselves to stadium status. I'd be happy for them if they do. Although I can see their weaknesses, I appreciate them and am happy to have finally seen them!
Mark: 8.0/10
Kasabian
Support
Dark Horses
Where
Wolverhampton Civic Hall
When
25th August 2009
Price
£22.50
Who with
No-one
Position
In the middle
Comments
I was delighted when Kasabian postponed their Wolves gig (which originally clashed with my big trip to America) until August. It was a rare stroke of luck and I was surprised to easily bag a ticket. I find it hard to fathom that nobody else was interested in coming to see a popular band playing a great venue but it's not like I try asking much nowadays anyway. I heard all their albums and found their music easy to learn and fairly decent, albeit not great enough to make me truly excited. I'd always imagined Kasabian would make the most sense live and would be good enough to overcome their inherent lack of variety. I downloaded West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum but wasn't too keen on it, noticing that despite the cool image that the Kasabian sound had barely changed. Nevertheless, Fire is definitely their finest ever song! It was a shocking example of thoughtless scheduling when it was announced that Ian Brown would be playing a low-key show at the Wulfrun next door the very same night! It didn't seem quite so silly when I later remembered that Kasabian were playing two nights but this was still the stupidest scheduling decision since Gruff Rhys and Euros Childs played the West Midlands on the same evening! A clever consolation could have been if Ian Brown had played a guest slot before Kasabian but he didn't bother, and thankfully I'd made the right decision as I learned afterwards that Ian played a short set lacking in Stone Roses and solo hits! To add to the chaos there also was an evening Wolves match down the street but I guess it's a taste of how frustrating life must be in London when you're overwhelmed by decent shows/events all on the same night.
