Sinister: Manchester gigs review

[susannah]

Ok, OK, can't remember precisely which songs when and what have you, but
basically this is my own personal review of Saturday and Sunday nights
performances. Some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.


Saturday Night.
Missed most of Arab Strap, what with alcohol being confined to the small bar
space outside the main hall, but finished my drink and wandered on in.
 Crowded upstairs in the Town Hall, the ceilings look massive and the stage is
sprawling out like some twisted arm, I decide to stand just sort of in the
middle somewhere, between the two speakers, and waited until an assorted motley
crue lolloped on stage, smiled and picked up their instruments.
They 'launch' or rather, fall into the first which is sweet and pretty (look I
told you I can't remember which songs OK?), but so very quiet. What follows is
the sort of dissarray that B&S have seem to have made their trademark, false
starts, different members of the bands playing different songs, Stuart Murdoch
forgetting the words, and standing around nonchalantly tuning instruments.
One half of the audience laps it up, laughing each time theres a slip up, and
clapping if they actually GET IT RIGHT, as if by complete accident they manage
to pull off a song. If Stuart Murdoch had simply walked on and taken a piss,
there would have been applause.

The other half, like me, are  waiting, loving the songs themselves but standing
around muttering during the long disorganised breaks, so wanting and willing
them to pull off a couple of songs in succession so we can actually get going
and the exhilaration can carry over. Instead it just dissolves, flattened by the
sheer incompetency of what seems at times like your little brother's high school
band.
Someone behind me shouts out 'Get your fucking act together' when again, a song
collapses and Stuart shuffles and mumbles 'this is just embarrasing' . I sigh .
Look, if you're going to play, like, one gig a year, at least bother to rehearse
beforehand?


Sunday Night.
Again, cannot comment on the support, so I'll leave a gap for you to fill in
with your own thoughts, or some doodles of flowers or something...


Right, walk in and wait for the Rum Bunch to assemble once again, half resigned
to the shambles of the night before..
Instead, they start off with (?) and suddenly the sound is richer and deeper
than the previous, Stuarts voice sounds fantastic and the melodies surge in
waves . I cross my fingers and hope...
A couple of songs in, it all breaks down again, theres something wrong with
Isobels cello , I think 'Oh God here we go again..' but I needn't have worried
as when finally they start again after an impromtu 'and he painted matchstick
men and matchstick cats and dogs' by Stuart and Stevie, the songs roll on,
sounding bigger and better.
When 'Get me away' starts , the difference is astounding, last night it was weak
and thin, but tonight it gushes and flows. I'm in heaven at this point, the
dissapointments of yesterday all forgotten. One after another they roll past,
The State I am in,  Modern Rock Song, Judy, Century of Elvis, She's Losing it,
Le Pastie, etc. 
THIS is who I came to see, they're playing together, the sound levels perhaps
tweaked overnight, they are wonderful and the audience starts to dance. I love
it. 
Isobels solo number, she stands gazing skywards, her eyelashes fluttering wildly
and her glittery top catching the flashes of a thousand camera flashes. If
Stuart has got all of us eating out of the palm of his hand by now, then God
only knows what they're doing to Isobel.

Watching Stevie play guitar is my latest fascination, the way he pouts and
plucks with his mad flailing right arm, ' someone shouts 'Stevie go solo' and
Stuart M grins and retorts 'ssshhhhhhhh !'.


I come away thrilled and smiling.

********************************************************************************


We're four boys in our corduroys, we're terrific but incompetent !!

********************************************************************************



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
.     This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list.
.        To send to the list please mail "sinister at majordomo.net".
.  For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see
.            http://www.majordomo.net/sinister
. For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister at majordomo.net
.    We're all happy bunnies humming happy bunny tunes.  Aren't we?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------