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Perhaps a torrential downpour is not exactly what you would wish for on your way to a gig in a garden! Thankfully the garden in question belongs to The Rainbow pub in Digbeth with its marquee-style courtyard and I am here to see what I would term a line-up of bands with a neo-punk persuasion – not so much emulating the good old punk of yore but certainly a genre of music having its roots firmly planted there. |
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Walking into tonight's gig I am certainly amazed by the amount of teenage girls wandering about, the average age of tonight's crowd seems to be around 15 years old and as I look around I see that many of them have parents with them standing around looking out of place... |
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“We're not doing this for the money – we're doing it because we love playing for you guys” - a good job too because it takes dedication to put in a blistering performance on one of the hottest days of the year. The Academy 2 is like a reverse TARDIS; it always seems smaller on the inside and gets hot and sweaty very quickly and tonight was no exception. |
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Dave Matthews Band are probably the biggest band on the planet that most of the UK population have never heard of! Having sold close to 35 million albums they are listed in the Top 100 highest selling music acts of all time. Their last five albums all debuted at No.1 in the US charts. So tonight's gig to a mere 3000 enthusiastic punters could be considered an intimate affair compared with the stadiums and amphitheatres the band usually perform in. |
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I am a big Steely Dan fan. I think Fagen and Becker are amongst the greatest songwriters of our generation, who are often overlooked and underrated. Their recorded work of the 1970’s is timeless, edgy, well-crafted and beautifully produced, the albums that followed that along with Fagen’s solo work is clever and polished. I suppose you are waiting for a but… well I guess there is: I am not convinced this genius translates especially well to the stage.. |
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Entry to tonight’s gig was difficult, due to the box office staff trying to force me to have both a ticket and photo-pass (which I had to sign for). After some considerable explanation the photo-pass was taken back and I made my way to my seat, which was centre-stage and offering a superb view. The stage had been brought forward making the NIA quite cosy, but even so there were empty seats. |
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Jeff Beck seems quite laid back and unassuming for a guitar god, but despite this and against the wealth of talent in his band, he cuts an imposing figure and you know that this is his show. Even the stage lay out seemed to emphasise this with bass drums and keyboards laid out in a rhythm section format very much to the right of the stage leaving a wide open space for the guitarist to exploit. |
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A warm summer night in Wolverhampton. A sell out gig for one of the most exciting bands in world at the moment and a night that I will remember for the rest of my days, for more reasons than one... |
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You may have been mistaken that The Saturdays are just another boring girl pop group, with typical washboard stomachs, perfect hair, fabulous wardrobes and average singing voices. Well you would be wrong... |
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Unfortunately I arrived at the Birmingham’s Bar Academy too late for the full set of tonight’s first act, Sunset Cinema Club. It wouldn’t be fair to give an opinion on one and a half songs so I’d just say check their Myspace if Hardcore / Post Punk / Funk is your thing... |
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Opening tonight's gig is South Africa's finest export, and probably the best dressed band around, The Parlotones. For those of you who have never heard of the them they are one of the biggest selling artists ever in their homeland, but thankfully they spend most of their time in England or on tour. As the band kick into the opening track it becomes evident that something's technically not quite right. 'Only Human' then 'Giant Mistake' are all radio friendly tracks. |
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A chance for The Twang to get closer to their hometown audience or a chance for a brand of cider to play marketing catch-up? I'm not much of a fan of the heavily-endorsed 'secret gigs' that have sprung up around the country over the past few years - the atmosphere is usually tempered by too many adverts and you're more likely to bump into a cameraman than a fellow gig-goer. Both were true here. |
