Review & photos - John McEvoy
I must be honest and say that whenever I approach the York Barbican there’s always a certain amount of trepidation, as quite often gigs there are all seated, which I think has the effect of creating a somewhat muted atmosphere.
I needn’t have worried….
It was ‘standing’ tonight for Paul Weller and there was an expectant buzz around the place as soon as I got there.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the support band, Barbara. This Brighton based outfit have already been around for a few years, and certainly know how to write catchy and stylish tunes. Made up of brothers Henry and John Tydeman I have to say that this is a band that (if there’s any justice) have a bright future ahead of them.
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There aren’t many artists out there who could rightfully claim to be one of the most influential singer/songwriters of a generation. (in fact, on reflection, make that two generations).
As he prepares for the release of his new album ‘66’ is out next month, the mighty Paul Weller is back on the road once again playing lots of new tunes and of course tracks from an enviable back catalogue of material from his solo, Style Council and The Jam eras.
Age hasn’t seen his abilities diminish in the least, in fact it’s arguable that he continues to go from strength to strength, and based on the performance I witnessed tonight, it would be very hard to disagree with that that view.
His solo career alone now far exceeds his time with The Jam and the Style Council, and ‘66’ will be his 17thalbum, which again promises to deliver innovative and quality music as we’ve come to expect from Weller.
From opening track ‘Rip The Pages Up’ this was a two hour plus romp through a set list of 29 tunes that kept the crowd enthralled from the off. The band were as tight as ever and of course with Steve Craddock (one of the finest guitarists around) included, Paul Weller is one of those acts that you really need to see live just to appreciate how good they really are.
Whilst Paul Weller is renowned as someone who’s always looking forward and looking to create new material, it’s good to see that he’s not afraid to dip into The Jam and Style council back catalogue, and I was really pleased to see him do ‘A Man Of Great Promise’ which has always been one my persona Style Council favourites.
I have no intention of reviewing this gig song by song,
All I would say is that gigs like this need to be viewed in their entirety, there’s lots of new material, which is always good to hear, but a walk through a collection of tracks written over a 40 year period, given how good they are would be criminal not to be included.
Check out the full set list below, and you’ll see what I mean.
Long may ‘The Changingman’ keep on keeping on…
Set list:
Rip The Pages Up
Cosmic Fringes
Soul Wandering
All The Pictures On the Wall
A Man Of Great Promise
That Pleasure
Stanley Road
Glad Times
Above The Clouds
More
Village
Fat Pop
Hung Up
Shout To The Top
Jumble Queen
Nothing
You Do Something To Me
That’s Entertainment
Start!
Peacock Suit
Headstart To Happiness
Wild Wood
Broken Stones
Mayfly
Rockets
The Changingman
Porcelain Gods
Malice/Moods
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Review & photos - Levi Tubman
It’s a fairly young crowd at the O2 tonight, it’s good to see a band bringing out newer music fans to live gigs, the Academy is always busy but tonight its heaving and the crowd are excited and a little restless, singing along to the perfect playlist for the crowd, they’re raring to go before the first band even hits the stage. The K’s themselves are still in their 20’s and use their youthful energy to play live whenever they can, touring every year since 2017, let’s see what they bring to the second night of their 2024 jaunt.
Opening up tonight are The Sheratons, an indie rock band with just a touch of bite and a lot of cheek, but more importantly to them, they’re from Yorkshire, and from this point on it seems the only word the crowd know tonight! They’re definitely a band on the up and do a great job of getting everyone pumped. Following them are The Claus, who are the main support for the whole tour, a definitive slower energy favouring a retro melodic groove with some really catchy tracks, great to see both support bands stepping up to the task and worthy of seeing on their own.
It’s a wall of cheers and screams as the string intro to Icarus starts up and the band run onto the stage grinning ear to ear, the drums picking up first followed by the guitars as Singer James gets his stance for the evening, one foot on the monitor, a great opening number, the grin never leaving as the band look to be having the time of their lives.
At the back the drums are frantic and pounding, being hit for all their worth as loud and wild as the crowd in front, and in the middle is a gorgeous pure voice, sounding older than it should but it’s the core of the sound while either side upbeat guitar riffs, running keys and rumbling basslines round off a very catchy sound. Not to be boxed in as a one trick pony the band are not shy to slow it all down and strip it back, treating the almost silent crowd to just acoustic guitar, piano and vocals, showing a more fragile side, where the vocals really shine through.
Most bands like to keep the flow going once they start, but a slight oddity of tonight was during songs where the bands swapped out instruments, instead of talking to the audience they went quiet and all the stage lights went off for 15/20 seconds, causing a little confusion and silence at first, maybe how they swap out is a guarded secret?
While I expect them to constantly change and grow as a band I feel they’ve truly found their footing and form, making the set look effortless with constant smiles all around like they don’t quite believe the thousands in the audience singing along with them, but they are, they’ve a strong following with a strong set, as is the case with their albums nothing tonight feels put in to fill a gap and the only way for them is up.
Setlist.
1.Icarus
2.Chancer
3.Heart on My Sleeve
4. Picture
5. CirclesGlass Towns
6.Hoping Maybe
7.Black and Blue
8. Throw It All Away
9. Lights Go Down
10. No Place Like Home
11. Aurora
12. Encore:
13. Valley One
14. Hometown
15. Sarajevo
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Review & photos - Anya Weston-Shaw
There is rarely an occasion where an artist comes along and utterly mesmerises me whilst also keeping me on my toes the whole performance. That’s LYNKS.
LYNKS, who has just released their debut album ‘Abomination’ took the Wardrobe by storm and made the audience, gasp, laugh, sing along, and most importantly feel so comfortable in the space.
Songs such as ‘CPR’ and ‘Everyone’s Hot (And I’m Not)’, gave the audience the opportunity to gaze upon LYNKS and wonder who is behind the mask. It was astonishing to take in the dance routines with backing dancers (LYNKS Shower Gel), as they are known, not missing a single beat.
Costume changes, covers of songs, (the best being Charli XCX’s Speed Drive), which was in honour of Barbie’s recent fame, has given LYNKS legendary status in my mind.
This artist is someone I have personally followed from Hyde Park Book Club to now playing The Wardrobe and the whole aura of the production has levelled up. The most iconic stage decorations are the small things and the giant inflatable red hands at each side of the stage added intrigue but also seemed commonplace in the world of LYNKS and their world. I would also say, elements of performance art are added with one song being lit entirely by torches. This was both chaotic and compelling.
Overall, it is nearly impossible to explain a LYNKS gig to those who haven’t attended one. If you are a fan of dance routines, witty lyrics, amazing interludes, and costumes that can only be imagined in your wildest dreams, then look no further. If you then mix all this with ‘queer dystopia and electro-punk excess’. LYNKS is your person.
‘Abomination’ is LYNKS’ debut album and is available now on all streaming platforms. Make sure to go and check out early releases too!
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Reviewed by Andi Bridges
On entering the arena, two things are clear:
1) This is a sold-out gig. I’ve never seen so many people in the Forum.
2) The crowd are really up for it, to the point they cheer the unveiling of the backdrop, 10 minutes before the band take the stage.
The stage has a spartan look about it, just a drum kit on a small riser, a bass cab on one side and a guitar cab on the other side. Two mic stands at the front of the stage. After a short intro tape, Intro404, from the last album, the band are on and straight into Sick, from the forthcoming album – Keep Me Fed. Paulina whacking the snare drum, Bass Player Alejandra stalking the stage al la Robert Trujillo and Blond-haired Daniela riffing like her life depended on it. The sound is crystal clear and what a voice Daniela has, sandpaper gravelly, ideally suited to the Hard Rock on offer.
The first four numbers are split between the last album, Error and tracks from the new one due at the end of June. Daniela is really working the crowd and we are clapping along, hands in the air by song number two, Z and are singing the refrain, Let Me Go, on song three. Song number five starts and both the bassist and guitar are at the back of the stage, when the vocals kick in. Are they using backing tapes I think to myself, until I realise that the drummer has a headphone mic. This revelation reveals that not only can the sisters produce light and shade with their instruments during songs, but they can also make use of the differing voices they have. They use this to maximum effect throughout the set.
The band are extremely tight as you would expect from three sisters who have been playing together for a long while and were covering Metallica 10 years ago when they were aged between 9 and 14 {checkout their version of Enter Sandman on YouTube}.
There is a charming moment just before Survive starts. All the band are on the drum riser when the guitarist remembers she needs to adjust her pedalboard for the song, so she dashes across the stage and then scuttles back to the riser, before the drummer starts the song. We get treated to new single Automatic Sun, with its catchy pop rock chorus. We get 4 more songs, 3 from Error and one more new one, Hell You Call A Dream. 14 songs in an hour and they’re gone. They come back for after 3 minutes and play Narcisista and Evolve and that’s the end of the British tour, 19 dates in 24 days, all sold out.
The rock world hasn’t been kind to three-piece female rock bands, The Amorettes, Tequila Mockingbird have all fallen by the wayside. However, I think these 3 sisters from Monterrey, Mexico have what it takes. This time last year they played the O2 Islington Academy. In less than a year they have doubled the size of venue they are headlining.
Muchos Gracias for a superb evening’s entertainment.
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