GIG NUMBER EIGHTY-THREE
Who
After visiting the bar for a bit and seeing the last few seconds of Cord (who it seems were actually quite good), the equipment was set up and for some reason a roadie was dressed up as a clown and I believe he spent much of the night filming us! Although this was a show on home turf, I was very surprised to see nobody I know, so either they were all hiding or were making a statement about their lack of taste! However, the place was very full with a large and enthusiastic crowd whom I managed to squeeze past towards a panoramic spot in the middle. As I was going through a hectic few days and had to rush off early to prepare for an early start tomorrow, I made no attempt to contact Reno who may have spotted me from the stage. The Open made a confident entrance and I managed to suppress my increasingly desperate urge to relieve myself of my beer and witnessed the whole show. Opener Forever was very long and infinitely more epic than anything on the debut album. Towards the end the whole band just seemed to be hitting random instruments to make as much noise as possible while a trumpeter made an appearance also. Although Steven let the moody leather jacket image go with a laid back T-shirt and the guitarist had had his hair cut, this was a symbol that the band had relaxed themselves and this seemed to help make this a much cheerier show than before.
Second tune My House was equally long but very effective, being an original and downright insane song with echoes of Slipknot and Spiritualized! She's Mystery went by before Close My Eyes was introduced as an old number. As impressive as the opening trio had been, it was nice to have them balanced by a short and concise tune. Masquerade was particularly chaotic and Seasons Of The Change felt like an absolute classic even though I'd probably only ever heard it three times. The main set ended with Lovers In The Rain which was performed as a duet with the front man from Cord and heralded a return of the trumpeter for a lengthy outro. It was an effective end to the main set and seeing another guy onstage who clearly adored the song really drilled home that this music meant a lot to some people and I could understand why. After vacating the stage and attracting sizeable noise, The Open returned for a very strong encore. Forgotten is such a simple and catchy song it seems difficult to believe nobody had recorded it before them and the band managed to really hammer all hell out of their instruments. Then-current single We Can Never Say Goodbye came across very well before the set ended with oldie Bring Me Down. It was very interesting that the band had clearly moved on beyond the relatively simplistic first album but the old numbers went down a storm as they were simple relief from the complex expansiveness of the new tunes.
The set had finished relatively early so I had to suffer a long wait for the train back but left in reasonably high spirits. It was quite difficult to decide whether this was better than the previous show so I think I must withhold judgement. There seems no doubt that the band have grown and improved but sadly this didn't translate into a larger room than before. There was also much more that I could complain about this time since so many tunes were not played. Singles of the calibre of Never Enough and Just Want To Live should not be relegated from the set after just two albums. Also, Can You Hear? and Out Of The Box are two numbers I really would have liked to hear, although previous single Elevation probably deserved to be dropped. The song Lost would also have been nice, but only because I now associate it with the astonishing TV show! However, all can be forgiven when you realise that The Open have simply managed to amass enough good songs after just two albums for it to be inevitable that difficult choices must be made. Excellent newbie Moment On Time was sadly missed and in fact I would have welcomed any of the other new songs that were not played! I'm very pleased to report that The Open have successfully tackled my main concern and found a meaningful path to strike for their second album. I am therefore sad to report that just two months after this show they have decided to call it a day. I did have tickets to see them for a sixth time in Birmingham but this show was cancelled. It's a shame that I will never get to see how good The Open could have been, but they have left behind two decent albums and have quit while ahead. Final single We Can Never Say Goodbye has indeed proved a fitting epitaph, and I wonder if the band had planned that all along.
Mark: 7.5/10
The Open
Support
Cord
Where
Wolverhampton Little Civic
When
22nd March 2006
Price
£7.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the front
Comments
It seems appropriate that I made my first trip to a gig at the Little Civic for an unbelievable five years for my fifth viewing of The Open, a band who I originally only had an interest in due to knowing the bassist who incidentally went with me to my previous two gigs at this venue! This being the final night of the tour of a very strong second album and the previous contenders being Terris and Lupine Howl ensured that this was the best thing I have seen at the place. The show had sold out (and had been rescheduled from 6th February due to an injury in the band) and not much had changed at The Little Civic, the place still covered with all the cool posters showcasing the volume of great bands who have played Wolverhampton over the last decade, making me wish I had been born just a few years earlier. Although I hadn't gave the album as many listens as it deserved, it was refreshing to hear that the record company had allowed the band to make a record of immense scope and impressive tuneage, and my listen to the music on the trip in confirmed that just about every song would be welcome in this set! I had got tickets months in advance but due to a cruel skank I had to go to this gig by myself and didn't bother venturing back out to Wolverhampton (after spending the day working there) until around 9pm - just about the latest I have ever been to a gig. It was my second night out on the trot so I was already exhausted and was pleased that I didn't miss any of the set and my late arrival ensured I didn't have to put up with hours of support bands and hanging around.
Setlist
Forever
My House
She's Mystery
Close My Eyes
Masquerade
Seasons Of The Change
Lovers In The Rain
We Can Never Say Goodbye
Forgotten
Bring Me Down
