GIG REVIEW - War Child
- Posted on November 2, 2007 5:00 PM
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- Review By Holly Groom
I arrived embarrassingly early for Keane’s War Child event but not because I am particularly charitable or a nice person. I had an inkling that Teddy Thompson might be pretty far down on a bill of stars this big and I did not want to miss the man who toured with Johnny Cash’s daughter. His perfect, old-time folk-rock did not really need the string quartet accompaniment (although they did look awfully nice) and would have sounded equally as wonderful stripped down to just Teddy and his guitar on my imaginary front porch in Arkansas. Still, it was a great opening performance and set the standard for what would be an impressive display of musical talent.
The fact that the show was being televised meant that the stage management was the slickest I have ever seen at London’s Brixton Academy. With sets from bands including The Magic Numbers, The Guillemots, Lilly Allen, The Pet Shop Boys and, of course, Keane themselves, things could have gotten a little bit waylaid and messy. Not so when Keane are in charge! During swift equipment changes, video messages of support from the likes of Sir Elton John and comedians Adam and Joe were projected onto large screens that continually displayed messages about War Child and their work in Southern Iraq
Diplomacy was certainly the theme of the evening with no band (not even the almighty Pet Shop Boys) hogging more than their fair share of stage time. This made for something akin to an alternative Royal Variety Performance with huge acts whisked on to wow the crowd before swiftly making way for the next band. Keane’s Tom Chaplin acting as compare plus artists happily joining each other on stage for memorable collaborations (a Keane/Brendan Benson version of Queen’s Under Pressure was really fantastic) helped to create an in-it-together, communal sort of atmosphere that stopped any lone act detracting from the event’s overall message.
Other highlights included a Magic Numbers ‘best of’, Lily Allen performing with Keane and a dancing percussion section storming the stage to accompany the Guillemots. Perhaps most noteworthy, however, was a speech from War Child’s CEO, Mark Waddington, detailing the importance of the charity’s ongoing work with some of the most marginalised children in Afghanistan and Southern Iraq. This brilliantly organised gig showed that bands could use their notoriety for humanitarian aid without becoming known as ‘fucking Bono’ or going crackers and naming their children after fruit. I’ve never been much of a Keane fan or a fan of celebrities going all preachy and ethical (which FYI Keane just about managed not to do) but I don’t mind saying that what they managed to pull off was really impressive and, yes, even The View were ok I suppose. So perhaps I am a bit of a nice person after all?
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