GIG REVIEW: Grace
- Posted on October 19, 2007 4:17 PM
- 1 comment
Grace (with The Hoosiers)
Kings College London
Wednesday 16th October 2007
Review by Katie Spain
It’s a long time since I’ve been in a student union bar but the 4th floor of the Kings College London brings back a pent up backlog of memories. Ah, the sleep-ins, cheap drinks, plastic cups and drunken snogs of years gone by. It’s enough to make a woman feel – well, old.
The line-up of The Hoosiers’ fans snakes its way towards Temple Tube station – the kids are out in force. It’s a young crowd (it comes with the venue) but there isn’t a sign of drunken disorderly behaviour. Let’s hear it for the youth! Then again, it’s only 7.30pm.
A spot secured on the top balcony confirms this as a great venue for vantage spots. A decent ground floor bar and further two on the top level mean we can see and get a beer (and curly fries) without too much effort. The view of the stage is uninterrupted and from here we can watch the crowd’s reaction from above. And what a reaction it is…
You’ve got to hand it to tonight’s punters – they embrace the support acts like a roomful of puppies that haven’t been fed for a week. Opening acoustic act Cass Lowe seems stunned. He cuts a tall lonesome figure on stage… like a typical boy next door (only this one can sing). As he strums his guitar and feeds us with simple acoustic ditties, the crowd laps it up and returns the favour with a hefty round of applause. “Wow, I was expecting to be ignored!”
His ‘Love Cats’ cover is a highlight and snippets of Sade’s ‘Ordinary Love’ are a nice touch. Dips in the sound levels and a bit too much mic popping lets him down but the song is a guaranteed crowd pleaser for future gigs. You can’t knock a man for technical malfunctions.
When London band Grace hit the stage, they too are non-expectant about the crowd’s reaction. They needn’t have worried – the eager audience slips straight into Grace mode and accept the five good looking lads with open arms and whoops of approval. By the time they rip into ‘Wonderful’ frontman John-Paul Jones has them in firmly his grip. Maybe it’s the tight whites, maybe it’s his high energy stage presence or maybe (and we’re onto something here) it’s just about the bloody good music.
John-Paul's voice rings out above the sweaty sea of bodies before him, he’s obviously engrossed by the music.
“I think this is the warmest London crowd we’ve ever had and it’s only the third song!”
As they launch into ‘I Tried It’ the crowd cheer in response. The girls in the front row shoot adoring looks at the keyboardist. Maybe they like the ‘young hot professor’ look he’s sporting tonight. ‘Stand Still’ and ‘Wonderful’ rub us up the right way and we can’t ignore the catchy whiff of a band destined for big things.
“We f_____ love you London – thank you so much!”
Their gratitude is genuine but the response they’re getting from the crowd is deserved. I interviewed the lads earlier this year and can confirm they are actually extremely nice guys. ‘Slowly’ and a special B-Side also go down a treat. Grace are so good tonight, I don’t answer my bladder’s consistent nagging. That my dears, is a big deal – it usually waits for no-one (especially after Guinness number two).
A cover of Candi Staton’s ‘You've Got The Love Lyrics’ is cover gold… “Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air. I know I can count on you”. Uni girls gyrate against uni boys and the love flows faster than the cheap beer.
We’re dancing now, clapping to the Rock infused beats and nodding in agreement when John-Paul sighs “This is one of those sets we never want to end”. His mum must be proud. She’s in the audience… holding her breath no doubt as he climbs on top of an amplifier and scissor kicks the last chord into the middle of next week.
This great set paves the way for The Hoosiers and although we have to leave early, we walk out smiling. It’s not often you leave a gig before the main act and don’t feel cheated. If you're heading off to see The Hoosiers, do yourself a favour and get there early. Support acts of the future take note – follow by this band’s example and there’s no need for a fall from grace. I may not be able to scissor kick but there’s nothing like ending on a pun…
Cass Lowe MySpace
Grace MySpace
Grace Official Site
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Comments (1)
Adam Walker
Great review, great band.
couldn't have agreed more.
Tip for the kitchen though...fish would go lovely with the curly fries!
Posted on October 19, 2007 6:13 PM
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