REVIEW: Brett Anderson, London
- Posted on May 11, 2007 11:17 AM
- 3 comments
Brett Anderson - Shepherd's Bush Empire
Wednesday 9 May
Review by Peter Coulston
My opportunity to cover this gig came very late in the day, but I accepted despite knowing very little about Suede or Brett Anderson. I went, therefore, with no preconceived prejudice or misguided loyalty for another era. The venue itself, for those who have not been there, is a magnificent, ornate tribute to its former glory as a music hall. As with similar locations in London, the space at stage level is standing room only and the whole area is surrounded by bars. It was easy to move around and find a spot with a decent view of the proceedings. It is located at Shepherds Bush Green and the nearest tube is Shepherds Bush on the Central Line tube. There are lots of buses and parking is possible in the side streets, if you don’t mind the awful traffic around the Green.
The show opened with an excellent female singer who did not introduce herself. Nobody working the concessions knew who she was either and she had no merchandise for sale. That was a shame, as she performed some well crafted songs about fireworks, getting drunk, one night stands and, of course, love. She was followed by the solid Manchester 5 piece, I Am Kloot. I am really getting into these Northern bands; they have a gritty professionalism about them that is so unpretentious and tight as a drum. They were a little dark and gypsy sounding on occasions and had a guest trumpet on one number; the rest was just good rock. Keep an eye out for them; I believe they are back at this venue in September.
From the opening strains of Russian sounding music that would have brought a tear to Mr Putin’s eye, it was obvious that Brett Anderson is a great showman. He played the audience like a true professional and, though this gig was to promote his new album, he gave his fans plenty of the older songs. I knew which one’s they were, because the audience took over the vocals. The band was excellent, although I personally found the sound a bit out of balance and the lead guitar a little too screechy. I enjoyed the songs though, and his new single “Back To You” has an infectious hook which could make it a big one. I particularly enjoyed the acoustic set of old numbers that he did towards the end, and the fans absolutely lapped it up. He had the audience eating out of his hand by this time, and he finished the show with some good old rockers. I am not sure that I am now a devoted Suede/Brett Anderson fan, but I certainly enjoyed the music and the ambience that Mr Anderson gives out to his fans and would recommend that you give his new stuff a listen.
Comments (3)
flp
Pity you did not try to do a tiny little research before posting.. Brett Anderson states on his very own official web site that the "excellent female singer" is Kate Walsh (www.myspace.com/katewalsh). It is - suprisingly - in the News section.. Easy as that.
Posted on May 20, 2007 11:38 AM
aletheea
like much,very much new generation...listen right now
Posted on May 20, 2007 2:07 PM
aletheea
like much,very much new generation...listen right now
Posted on May 20, 2007 2:07 PM
Post a comment
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.seatwaveblogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/747
