The Last Shadow Puppets @ Wolverhampton Civic Hall – 11th October 2008
After the huge success of their number one album ‘The Age Of Understatement’, I approached tonight’s gig with great expectations. Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner and The Rascals’ Miles Kane joined forces back in March for their first gig in Brooklyn to bring us The Last Shadow Puppets. I entered the Civic Hall, thinking the gig would be packed with 13 year old ‘Fluorescent Adolescents’. However, I was plesantly surprised to find that it was actually swarming with members of ‘the older generation’. Maybe the Shadow Puppets aren’t ‘rave’ enough for our teenage population?
Quite frankly, I didn’t care. But it made me question further into what kind of audience is actually attracted to a band with such ‘hype’ as the criticized vanity project?
So many questions were going round in my head as the support band Ipso Facto took the stage. Would the two best friends thrash about as they usually would with their original bands, or would they suit the genre of their songs, and take a much lighter approach? The whole crowd waited in anticipation. And then the two scrawney looking musicians took the stage. They looked out into the crowd with pride and a slight hint of arrogance. Personally, first impressions count and the duet were wearing plain black, skintight jumpers and jeans. Surely their performance wasn’t going to be as dull as their attire?
No. The twosome picked up their guitars and burst into ‘Calm Like You’, the crowd started dancing to the late 60’s inspired orchestral pop. The pair swayed along with their own lyrics, enjoying the moment. I have to say, after reading rave reviews of their album, I thought maybe the duo had been slightly overrated. Obviously, I was wrong. The duet got the crowd dancing with their beers in hand. Singles ‘The Age Of The Understatement’ and ‘Standing Next To Me’ were the obvious favourites. With the crowd (ever so slightly) surging forward in recognition of the anthemic lullabies.
The set was intense with blissful sing-a-long tunes off the album and a few B sides such as the ‘Age Of The Understatement’s’ – ‘In The Heat Of The Morning’. And B-sides to ‘Standing Next To Me’, ‘Hang The Cyst’ and ‘Gas Dance’. Even these stormed through the crowd. The two had the world at their feet on their first night on tour and were lapping up the crowd’s enthusiasm with Alex shouting “Who wants to go crazy?” just before bursting into all time clap along ‘The Meeting Place’.
I didn’t know how the duo would emulate the orchestral movements of the album onstage. However, I was wrong to doubt they could match the high quality that they had set themselves. The Last Shadow Puppets are by no means just a studio band. Their new single ‘My Mistakes Were Made For You’ is out the 20th October. I suggest you buy it. Or do one better and get their album. If not, then go see them on their next tour. You won’t regret it.
Set List:
Calm Like You
The Age Of The Understatement
Black Plant
Separate And Ever Deadly
Gas Dance
Only The Truth
The Chamber
My Mistakes Were Made For You
Hang The Cyst
In the Heat Of The Morning
I Don’t Like You Anymore
The Meeting Place
Time Has Come Again
Standing Next To Me
Memories
In My Room
Review – Shannan Carlton
Photos – Chris Barber