GIG NUMBER NINETY-FIVE
Who
We'd arrived fifteen minutes after doors opened at 7pm and didn't have to wait at all. We were searched but glow sticks were, judging from the crowds inside, not being confiscated. We were unbearably excited and in the mood to drink. With there being four bands we didn't have long to wait for the first performance. There was a TV screen in the middle of the room showing interviews from festivals (quite pointless as there was no sound). It was a surprise that there was no compere or fuss, which I'd expected from an NME show. It seems that all efforts had been placed into assembling this amazing line-up instead, which is fair enough. There were lots of young people as expected, including plenty of glow sticks, but also a healthy stock of older people like us, so we didn't feel too silly. We got quite far forwards and were already jumping up and down with excitement! New Young Pony Club took to the stage, I believe opening with Get Dancey. I knew only four or so songs but they were all very catchy, and the band had an irresistible energy. Glow sticks were waved, we were asked to howl like wolves and I saw plenty of "I © NYPC" T-shirts. The band were a combination of stunning girls and (presumably) Swedish men, and the highlight was Ice Cream, which at the time I did not realise was being used on advertisements. We went to the bar during the last song but that's not a reflection on the performance - we simply wanted more to drink. Astonishing so far considering this was the first of four bands, and don't think I'd ever been so excited at just 8pm.
We got our way back into a good position with plenty of time for The Sunshine Underground. We were made to wait unnaturally long due to unexplained technical issues. When they emerged onstage though an all-encompassing moshpit kicked off and we were happy to join in. This was one of the loudest sets in my recent memory and was full of energy, although everyone ran out of puff after a bit. I have a strange feeling they didn't play Wake Up but they managed to get away with it. The technical delays meant they were cut short but this served to leave us gasping for more, after they finished with a Franz-style drum solo. A repeat viewing later in the year was booked the very next day in fact. The reaction was mental tonight, and they had set the bar insanely high for CSS and Klaxons. We went to the bar again for the final time and were already sweatier than we'd be at the end of 80% of shows. No matter how good CSS may be, the conservation of energy was vital, and this is perhaps why they'd been placed second on the bill, to give us all a breather. We enthused about The Sunshine Underground and (as is now a gig standard) sung Bucovina between ourselves. The DJ was playing rave songs which didn't sink in at all but created a great vibe, and the atmosphere was just getting better and better.
CSS came onstage in the best possible fashion to another anthem of Reading 2006 (No Limit by 2 Unlimited). They were wearing black cloaks over their heads for some reason and took a bit of time to start, rather than building on the momentum of the classic opening tune. They were entirely enjoyable but blatantly not as good as the others on the bill. In fact around the middle I started to feel a bit bored for the only time in the evening. The ending ensured that this was another good show, as they burst into the explosive Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above. I dropped my third pint of Newcastle Brown just so I could dance properly and Lovefoxxx jumped into the crowd. They may have been the weakest act but that's only because everyone else was so fantastic. We'd already had our moneys worth several times over so the pressure was off Klaxons. I doubted if they could assert themselves as headliners and stars of the show against The Sunshine Underground and wondered who would rein supreme by the end of the set. Klaxons had no onstage gimmicks whatsoever, not even a backdrop. We edged our way forwards and expecting the craziest moshpit in a long time I removed my glasses, and we were remarking that we were going to die. Not sure if there being a moshpit rather than proper dancing was the best for a rave tour but in this crush nobody could pull off any fancy moves. We chatted to a girl who had been to an inhuman 200 gigs (but only two festivals), which made my record of fast-approaching 100 shows seem poor by comparison.
Klaxons appeared and opened with The Bouncer, as I'd hoped. I presume this song was left off the album due to worries about being perceived as a novelty band, as it certainly wasn't down to lack of popularity! The mosh was crazy and I was swiftly pushed backwards. With no glasses I couldn't see anything anyway and lights and smoke also obscured the stage. The sound was the craziest thing though, with so much noise and screaming coming from all around that I could barely hear what the band were doing. This was insanity I've never witnessed before, and can almost be compared with an early Beatles show! Much beer was being spilled and I was relieved to be pushed back into quieter territory. Incidentally I'd lost Nick almost immediately. Atlantis To Interzone was the second track (just like Reading) and was similarly insane. I've definitely struck gold with Klaxons live shows - the band were taken aback by this crazy reception and I'm sure they will rank this show alongside Reading as amongst their best. Magick was carnage and Golden Skans was dedicated to everybody in the crowd not related to the band! Things calmed down for the middle just as they had before and picked up again for Not Over Yet and then an electric encore featuring Gravity's Rainbow and Four Horsemen Of 2012.
As I couldn't see a thing and don't know the names of many of their hits I'm afraid this review is low on details. By the end though I was totally exhausted after singing and jumping along throughout. At Reading I'd stared open-mouthed but this time I was a fan and a (very) active participant! I can't praise this night enough. I can't promise that these four bands will go on to have long and distinguished careers. In fact I doubt it. This show was about the here and now, and perhaps all four were at the peaks of their powers and may find their early excitement impossible to top. My ears were ringing in the long wait for the train home. Everyone was beating up the confectionary machines which were refusing to dispense chocolates (but happily stealing your money) and an inhuman number of people were going back to Stafford. Mission accomplished, but I still don't know who was the best band of the night.
Mark: 8.5/10
Klaxons
CSS
The Sunshine Underground
New Young Pony Club
Where
Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
When
12th February 2007
Price
£13.00
Who with
Nick
Position
In the moshpit
Comments
Rock vs. Rave? Normally it would be no contest, but the NME Rock tour featured one-hit wonders The Automatic, The fuck-awful Horrors, The over-hyped View and mildly interesting Mumm-Ra: It simply could not compete with this quality line-up. Obviously Nu Rave was just a media invention, which covers the style of some Klaxons fans but little else. The Sunshine Underground for starters aren't the slightest bit rave, and CSS and New Young Pony Club simply offer good pop songs sung by girls. The glamour and superior pop tunes are much more interesting than yet more scruffy boys playing guitars, and with this show being in Wolverhampton and the Rock Tour playing Birmingham there was no contest of which I'd be seeing. When I first got tickets I was largely motivated by the seminal Klaxons show at Reading, plus the possibility of seeing an NME tour at last. I'd expected tickets to sell out immediately but they didn't, which was a surprise. Another positive is that Nick agreed to go with me based on trust, which is another step in the right direction. The best discovery was to realise that all four bands were apparently fantastic: The Sunshine Underground seemed amazing, and the clutch of songs I'd heard by CSS and New Young Pony Club were top-notch. I'd also got the Klaxons album and was starting to appreciate how much they have got going for them. I had a normal day at work and there were people waiting outside the venue even at 5ish. I still went home first and decided to wear my Screamadelica T-shirt, which is the only remotely rave item I have. I also broke my record and had three free train rides in a row, which is nice! glow sticks seemed a bit juvenile and pointless and I'd heard some humourless venues had been confiscating them (!) so we didn't bother with props. I met with Nick, expecting another very young crowd and insisted on not jumping any queues this time.
