Kenny Rogers, Birmingham NIA, 28/03/09

I’ll be honest; prior to this gig I had very little knowledge of Kenny Rogers and his music. All I knew was that he was a massively famous country music singer and song-writer. I’d heard a couple of his songs but think my lack of knowledge is mainly down to my age. A quick search of the ever-unreliable Wikipedia tells me he is not just a singer but a photographer, record producer, actor and entrepreneur. He has also had over 70 hit singles across different genres in his career. I know from personal experience that he has collaborated with the likes of Dolly Parton and Wyclef Jean, of all people. With this in mind, I head out to the NIA in anticipation of seeing something special.

The gig is not scheduled to start until 8pm and there is only one support act, which sees me and several others sitting in our seats bored stiff for half an hour with only some Crowded House on the PA to keep us amused. I’ve got to hand it to them; Brum Live have done very well. I’m smack bang in the middle, just seven rows from the front. As I look around I realise that, at 20, I’m by far the youngest person I can see, bar a couple of young lads clearly dragged along by their parents.

By the time the support act start their set the venue is hardly packed and I hope it will fill a little more in the next hour. Savannah Jack is an honest, talented country band from Nashville, Tennessee. The three-piece consists of two guitarists and a lead singer, with all three contributing to some absolutely spot on vocal harmonies. Tonight will see me find a new respect and admiration for country musicians and this is no more evident than when I find myself staring, open-mouthed, at Savannah Jack’s lead guitarist mid-solo. Halfway through their set he even pulls out a fiddle and is more than competent with it. The band as a whole have some great banter with the crowd and cover songs by the Gatlin Brothers and The Eagles – with the latter really giving their harmonies a chance to shine. They also throw in the classic ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ which gets the whole audience singing along. Lead singer Don Gatlin (a cousin of the famous Brothers) has a fantastic voice. He even walks through the crowd at one point, picking out a woman to serenade. Despite only having one single release to their name, Savannah Jack have been around as song-writers for a long time and have even written for tonight’s headliner. This is a deceivingly experienced band and it shows in their live performance. I would more than recommend giving them a listen.

Kenny Rogers is a seasoned professional. There’s nothing more to it; this guy knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows every trick in the book and it shows. His huge backing band consists of three keyboards, a fiddle, two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. The band is flawless throughout, as you’d expect from a group of musicians chosen to support one of the biggest names in the history of country music. They are all smiles for the duration of the concert and it is obvious that they love working with him.

I am immediately struck by how good Kenny looks for his age. He may be 70 years old but he walks and talks like a man at least 10 years his junior. If that wasn’t enough, when Kenny Rogers sings the years really fall off him. He has a smile on his face for the entire gig and is clearly still completely in love with his job. This is no more apparent that during ‘Through The Years’, which he sings with his eyes closed, still taken aback by the beauty of the music.

I would describe the experience as half music, half stand-up comedy. Kenny’s banter with the crowd is great; he manages to make everyone in the room laugh at every opportunity. After a few songs I realise that I am thoroughly enjoying myself tonight and am completely in awe of the figure just seven rows in front of me. The audience feel the same way too, with everybody clapping and singing along to each song.

Kenny plays some older songs such as ‘Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town’, ‘Reuben James’ and ‘Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)’ made famous by his first band ‘The First Edition’. He might not move like he did in those days but he definitely still sings with the energy and passion of old. Kenny plays a few more hits including ‘The Gambler’ and ‘Lucille’ before concluding that encores are a waste of time. He makes a joke about how everybody knows you’re coming back and he’s sorry that he won’t be doing it tonight as he doesn’t have the legs for it anymore. This gets another big laugh from the crowd and Kenny Rogers is coming off as a really funny guy.

Throughout the gig Kenny has been giving one person in the front row money. He started off giving him $10 for each hit of Kenny’s he could name. The guy reeled off about five in a row and despite already having $50 Kenny kept throwing him bills all night. The man leaves at the end of the night with $120 of Kenny Rogers’s cash. This may be a sign that money may not really matter to Kenny Rogers anymore. He is much more worried about the finer things in life, such as his wife and two young children, who he sings a touching tribute to.

Kenny finishes his set with ‘Islands In The Stream’, once reworked and brought to mainstream fame by American hip hop artist Pras Michel in his song ‘Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)’. The song has most recently been covered for comic relief by Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon from the BBC’s hit show ‘Gavin and Stacey’. Tonight, though, it is the Kenny Rogers version and he hands out tambourines to the crowd to get them involved in the last song of the night. They duly oblige, with most on their feet singing and clapping along. As I leave the NIA with a smile on my face I realise that I have been well and truly treated to a performance by one of the greatest musicians in any genre in recent times.

Originally Published by Birmingham Live! Here

The View, Wolves Wulfrun, 19/02/2009

Due to a cock-up in the box office I only arrive at the Wulfrun Hall in time to see the last few songs of four-piece Last Gang’s set. What I do see is enough to assure me that this is a band that, while being very tight and not doing anything wrong, seems to be lacking that special something required to make them stand out in the music business.

Last Gang could be described as a clean-cut, classic British punk band, although they have clearly been influenced by the ska scene somewhere along the way. Their fight to get the crowd on their side tonight isn’t helped by the poor sound quality the Wakefield band have to deal with, and as such the audience seem to appreciate the music without being too enthusiastic.

Song to hear: Youth Run the City.

Next up are The Law, an alternative indie band which fellow Dundonians and tonight’s headliners The View have called “the best band in Dundee”. The World-War-two-style air-raid sirens that signify their entry onto the stage would suggest that this is a band which really believes what The View have said about them.

Lead singer Stuart Purvey certainly has a confident air about him, with a style and presence not too dissimilar to one Liam Gallagher. His call “Oi oi!” gets the crowd going, although they soon tire as the 5-piece fail to live up to expectations.

The Law may well have been having an off-night tonight but that can be no excuse and their set, despite being a solid one, was nothing to write home about. The band has a good presence but seem to think that is enough as they hardly move for the whole 30 minutes. This statue-like performance is matched by the mostly static crowd, with the exception of a few fans at the front.

Song to hear: Man in the Moon

With the support acts out of the way, the electric atmosphere associated with any gig involving indie rock band The View starts to build. Chants of ‘The View are on fire!’ begin almost immediately after The Law’s set finishes and barely stop for the excruciatingly long 40 minute break.

The sight of The View finally gracing the stage is greeted by a deafening roar of anticipation, only heightened as bassist Keiren Webster shouts down the mic: “how the fuck are you?!” After an intro track which would not be out of place in a monastery, they move straight into first song ‘Glass Smash’ and the crowd get their first dose of front-man Kyle Falconer’s unique and unabashedly Scottish voice.

Something that strikes me straight away is how mature their sound is for a band who look like they should probably still be in school. Baby faces, curly hair and skinny jeans fail to hide an established talent for song writing and a magnificent stage presence.

The crowd are bouncing from the first chord. Webster again has an influence, getting them clapping along as the atmosphere really hits a peak for the first time tonight. It is immediately clear that, in the eyes of the audience, The View are most definitely the best band in Dundee at the moment.

By the time they hit crowd favourite ‘Wasted Little DJs’, it is clear that Falconer and Webster have a very close friendship, with drummer Steve Morrison and guitarist Pete Reilly ignored for most of the set. The importance of Falconer and Webster is only highlighted as they keep swapping instruments and vocal duties. ‘One Off Pretender’ sees Webster switching to guitar and lead vocals, with Falconer taking the bass and backing. It is also evident that most of the band are steaming drunk tonight, with Webster claiming “I’m really pissed” and then instinctively taking over vocal duties halfway through the band’s most successful single ‘Same Jeans’, as Falconer throws up on stage. While for most this would be a disadvantage, it seems to do The View no harm at all and they continue to deliver a brilliantly energetic set, despite Falconer in particular looking slightly the worse for wear at times.

They end with hit ‘Superstar Tradesman’ and new single ‘Shock Horror’ to get the crowd involved one last time, and after a set list somehow spanning 18 songs they know not to expect an encore. The View have put on one hell of a show tonight and have expended almost every last ounce of energy in their bodies. One of the best things about the gig is that you really feel a part of things. This is not ‘The View in concert’. This is The View and their fans as one, creating a fantastic atmosphere and a show to remember for everybody in the building.

Set List

Glass Smash

5Rebeccas

Wasted Little DJs

The Don

Temptation Dice

One Off Pretender

Skag Trendy

Wasteland

Typical Time 2

Face For The Radio

Covers

Realisation

Jimmy’s Crazy Conspiracy

Comin’ Down

Same Jeans

Give Back The Sun

Superstar Tradesman

Shock Horror

Originally Published by Birmingham Live! Here

The View on Myspace

The Law on Myspace

Last Gang on Myspace

The Script, Wolves Civic, 11/02/09

I arrive at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall at around 7.15pm, with just enough time to grab a typically over-priced beer and soak up the atmosphere – it’s one of intense anticipation from the crowd, which is quickly filling to its capacity of just over 3000 people.

The lights go down and the first support act, Will and the People, take to the stage. The hoards of young girls scream, thinking that it’s the Script, and are slightly disappointed when they see the truth – a five-piece band who describe themselves as ‘melodramatic pop’, although there are more than just a few hints of ska in their songs. WATP certainly have enough about them to get the crowd bouncing, although things don’t quite turn out that way. There’s a definite sense that the sell-out audience is saving themselves for the headliners, despite the tartan-clad front-man’s claims that this is “the best audience we’ve ever had”. They play a great set and the applause when they finish shows that they probably deserved a bit more dancing than they were given.

Song to hear: Salamander.

The lights are killed again and the crowd goes wild but, alas, another false dawn. Gary Go walks onto the stage, video camera in hand. As if in hope of appearing in a music video or DVD extra, the throng at the front of the stage screams and waves – only adding to Gary’s already huge ego. Although first appearing as a 4-piece ‘band’, this is very much Gary Go and his backing band. His first words “I am Gary Go” ensure nobody sees things any differently. The spotlight is on the lead singer, with the rest of the band shrouded in smoke for much of the gig. Arrogance aside, Gary Go is a very tight, accomplished act. He has a brilliant voice and the perfect harmonies provided by his backing only emphasise this. There seems to be a general admiration from the crowd, who sway in time to a group who sound remarkably like the Fray.

Song to hear: Wonderful.

After a short break the room goes dark and the audience know that the headline act is finally here. As the Script takes centre stage the room erupts with screams from a crowd which seems to be 90 per cent female. First out is drummer Glen Power, who shows he has talent beyond a pop band with a short but brilliant drum solo. The feeling of euphoria is only heightened when guitarist Mark Sheehan and handsome vocalist and keyboard player Danny O'Donoghue appear, with the latter clearly a favourite with the girls in the audience tonight.

The drum solo smoothly leads into the Script’s first song of the night, ‘Before The Worst’. O’Donoghue’s instantly recognisable keys are greeted with another roar from the audience as the crowd seem to finally be giving this gig their all.

The first thing you notice about the band is the way they line up on stage – an unorthodox arrangement which sees the drummer on the right hand side, in line with guitarist and singer, and the bassist pushed to the back and out of sight. With drummer Power being involved with much of the vocals as well as providing some very astute percussion, it is clear that he is a massively integral part of this band.

The other thing that is evident straight away is how tight the band are as a unit and it appears Power is the one keeping them this way. He plays flawlessly and is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished drummers I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. He doesn’t overdo it but every fill and every beat is perfect. The only downside to this is that sometimes the drums are a little over-powering, with the crowd struggling to hear the keys and guitar at times. Regardless, the Script is on form tonight - the threesome of Sheehan, Power and O’Donoghue work perfectly together, both vocally and instrumentally. They play with an honesty and passion which cannot be ignored, whilst all the time keeping things simple and just doing what the crowd adore them for.

As they move through the tracks on their impressive debut self-titled release, crowd favourites ‘Breakeven’ and ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ bring the best out of what had been a timid audience. By this time most of the sell-out crowd are singing along with every word.

The Script is a primarily pop band, although they certainly like to add a sense of hip-hop to their songs. This is no more apparent than in ‘We Cry’, the song which the band cites as the one which made them famous. They leave the stage after a party atmosphere for ‘Rusty Halo’ but the crowd know an encore is inevitable.

O’Donoghue and Power return first and play a gorgeous rendition of ballad ‘I’m Yours’. Power is now on guitar, but somehow still manages to play the hi-hat and bass drum on his kit at the same time. Sheehan and the unnamed (and seemingly unimportant) bassist are back for the band’s finale – a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’, and it seems that for the huge audience packed into the Civic Hall tonight, that’s exactly what the Script are.

Set list

Before The Worst

Talk You Down

Breakeven

The End Where I Begin

We Cry

If You See Kay

Fall For Anything

The Man Who Can’t Be Moved

Rusty Halo

Encore

I’m Yours

Heroes (David Bowie Cover)

Originally Published by Birmingham Live! Here

The Script on Myspace

Gary Go on Myspace

Will and the People on Myspace