Travis @ o2 Academy, 12th May 2016
In Birmingham tonight, to showcase their new album “Everything at Once” are mainstream indie journeymen Travis from Glasgow.
Travis are a band who are at the point in their career where they can heavily showcase their latest album and still successfully please the crowd because of the depth of their back catalogue with it’s extensive number of singles. The fans of the band that eagerly anticipate and digest their releases every few years will be so pleased with the balance of this set. At the same time the substantial amount of broadsheet reading office workers who are here predominantly to hear just a handful of songs by an established band will be equally pleased. Who needs the imagination to discover fresh and interesting new bands when you can get your ‘indie’ fix from well established mainstream acts. I know this to be true of a great deal of the audience judging by the complete lack of interest in the support slot act, who I am sorry to say I only caught a couple of numbers by. Whilst a large number of the early doors crowd seemed to give good attention to the support a majority chose to talk loudly to the point of almost drowning out the quieter moments.
The stage layout for Travis is set with the drummer surrounded by head height tall canvas rectangular structures depicting high rise flats, windows looking out on the stage and audience or maybe to allow us to look in on the residents. In fact singer, Fran Healy tells us late on in the set that these are high rises full of hamsters there to watch the gig. The simplest stage sets can be the most effective and this does not detract from the band and the songs but does enough to enhance the visual aspects of the set. Travis are neither the most active on stage nor the most visually exciting so this stage set enhances them perfectly.
Early shows from the new album were well received, starting with the opening track from the new album. Fran swaps guitars almost every song. Bassist, Dougie Payne, spends much of his time surveying the crowd, appearing pleased to be there, quiffed hair and leather jacket giving him the look of an old school rock’n’roller. The rest of the band offer an aura of relaxed calmness.
By the fourth song the band were settling down into the set and were ready to play a slew of singles starting with “Selfish Jean” from almost 10 years ago. “Writing To Reach You” from their break through album “The Man Who” is next. Seventeen years ago! Really? Is it really that long ago?
The audience are made to wait until the seventh song before the first singalong of the night and this is treated almost like an encore such is the joyous effort put in by the arms aloft crowd. “Driftwood” seems almost the perfect song to finish on yet the early outing is perfectly timed to turn the set into a distinct second phase. The pace is lifted from the mere pedestrian to a steady canter, a mixture of new and old as Fran lifts his self too. He becomes not just someone looking happy to be playing his songs for a crowd but someone who is genuinely happy to be there at that time, in that that band, playing in this town. In fact he goes out of his way to explain his affinity towards Birmingham from the many happy visits he paid to friends and family in the area as a youth. More heartfelt that the usual declaration from so many bands that they love playing your town because the audience is the best in the country. Or it is the best at least until they get to whichever town they are playing tomorrow. Not so with Travis.
“Paralysed”is an ode to the fact that so many people now live their lives through the screen of their mobile phones and once again it feels a genuine commentary by a genuine songwriter. There are comments about the length of time that they have been friends as well as band mates and a song dedication to the few people in the audience who admit when asked to raise their hands, to being at their first ever gig. These little interactions all serve to suggest what a really nice bunch of guys Travis are. “Idlewild”, a duet from the new album, is played as a single singer song. I wonder at this middle of the road “indie” tune, where the band took the title from as surely this cannot be on association with the noiseniks of the same name, nationality of the two bands being the only commonality.
More singles from across the years follow including one track that sees Fran Healy shed his guitar and sing the whole song from deep amongst the crowd. I get the feeling that some there to witness this think that it is the most rock ’n’ roll act of show decadence ever! This is a precursor to what is the best track of the night for me, the cringeworthy titled “All I want To Do Is Rock” from their first album, the Steve Lilywhite produced “Good Feeling”. This is the only track of the night from that album. Cringeworthy title but superbly hypnotic sounding in a lightly aggressive Velvet Undergroundesque style that brings the band to their liveliest of the night.
Four encores bring to a close the long and single heavy set. A song from the latest album makes the last four but it’s the final and most obvious track that sends the crowd home happy. “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” emphasises the bands ability to write a hook that’s big enough to catch a whole crowd. A singalong crowd pleaser that could only ever be the last song of the set. The office workers go home happy and will no doubt look forward to telling their colleagues the next day what a rockin’ gig it was. The die hards will go home very happy. The cynics amongst us go home appreciating an impressive set of well crafted songs from a bunch of cheerful looking nice guys.
Travis Setlist
What Will Come
Coming Round
Radio Song
Selfish Jean
Writing to Reach You
Love Will Come Through
Driftwood
Moving
Animals
Re-Offender
Side
Paralysed
Idlewild
3 Miles High
Where You Stand
Sing
Closer
All I Want to do is Rock
Turn
Encores….
Everything at Once
Flowers
Magnificent Time
Why Does it Always Rain On Me
Review: Mark Veitch
Photographs: Chris Bowley