18 March 2011 (gig)
20 March 2011
Friday night is club night at the Ballroom so bands are off and on earlier than usual. That probably explains Alice Gold’s thin audience. It was appreciative and polite and there’s much to enjoy. There’s no doubting Ms Gold’s voice and her talent for a tune, but at present she’s seems to be trying out every genre under the sun which made for a rather disjointed set. A work in progress.
There was palpable anticipation for The Bookhouse Boys who have been around a while but just seem to be treading water at the moment. They have a formidable repertoire but tonight they seemed to concentrate on their harder garage and surf material. It’s a swift no nonsense set and the band appeared to be on and off almost in the blink of an eye.
It’s been five years since The Twilight Singers performed in London and released an album. The Last Night in Town from the fine new album Dynamite Steps, followed by the more senior Fat City kicked of the proceedings hooking the audience, for next hour and a half. As one would expect from Greg Dulli the performance was pretty raw and emotive. Live, his voice may not be the strongest but there’s no lack of passion in the performance. The brooding atmosphere was accentuated by subdued and clever lighting.
Musically all the bases were covered with the relatively unfamiliar new material slotting in with the older stuff with ease. Martin Eden was heavy duty, while Esta Noche during the encore was actually quite moving. Though there was a lighter moment (in this context it was anyway) when Dulli broke into a medley of Another Brick in the Wall Part 1, Captain Howdy and Miles iz Dead. As for the rest of the band, they were pretty much in the background for most of the concert, but they didn’t put a foot wrong. This was a triumphant return and hopefully they won’t leave it quite so long again.
The only thing that spoiled the show, and unfortunately is getting to be a feature of gigs these days, was the incessant talking from the audience. At times the chatter could be heard over the band, and almost ruined the gig for those there for the music.
