Gig Review: Spoon, Manchester Night & Day, 29th September 2005

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Another night, another gig at the Night & Day. Opening last night’s festivities were Amusement Parks On Fire who were so good at the Leeds Festival a few weeks ago. They were almost as good last night but were hampered technical difficulties which saw their set disappointingly cut short. APOF deal in loud, blissful guitarscapes (wow, I made up a word) over which float Michael Feerick’s barely audible, er, ethereal vocals. Sure, it’s been done before back in the early nineties by the likes of MBV, Ride, Pale Saints and others but it’s good to have shoegazer back on the menu and this band are the best of the new breed.

I’ve downloaded a couple of Spoon tracks in the past and haven’t really been able to get into them but they seem wildly popular in the States and I was intrigued enough to check out their live show. Spoon play a very American brand of indie rock; the songs, bouyed by Britt Daniel’s chunky riffs, chug along merrily for around 3 minutes 27 seconds and then come to an end with the minimum amount of fuss. The formula rarely wavers but both “I Turn My Camera On” and “Sister Jack” sound rather lovely; these are the two Spoon tracks I’ve heard before. The rest is pleasant and listenable but nothing past these two songs really grabs the attention.

On this evidence I’m not sure it’s worth investing any further time, effort or money in Spoon.

8 Responses to “Gig Review: Spoon, Manchester Night & Day, 29th September 2005”

  • Paul Lockett Says:

    I particularly like the comment about “On this evidence I’m not sure it’s worth investing any further time, effort or money in Spoon” – it had me laughing out loud!!!

    Hey – are you following me around? I was at the Editors and Eels gigs, and judging by your comments on the home page about Bloc Party, I bet you’ll me in there tonight at the Apollo too!!!

    Don’t suppose you’re going to the Morning Runner gig at Night and Day, or The Longcut at K2? If so, i’ll see you there…

  • The Ledge Says:

    Sorry, not going to any of those gigs, not even Bloc Party. We’re saving ourselves up for the November gigfest of Wedding Present, Dirty Three, Richard Hawley, Decemberists, White Stripes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Forward Russia!, The National and probably a few more.

    Next gig will be Echo And The Bunnymen at the Academy.

  • Paul Lockett Says:

    Well I have to say, Ledge, that Bloc Party were truly amazing tonight. Their light show was spot on and so was the sound. Two More Years fitted seamlessly into the set. The crowd loved it and the Blocs seemed to aswell.

    I’ve been really fortunate to see them twice this year before today – at Glastonbury Festival (a very muddy experience!!!) and Coachella Festival (they went down a storm there – the Americans loved ’em).

    In fact, while I was queueing up to meet Bloc Party at Coachella, some guy in front of me was raving on about the Decemberists – it caused me to visit a record store in Santa Monica and listen to a few tracks on their CD but I can’t say that I was that enthralled – it sounded a bit too wacky & American for me. iForward Russia! were good when they supported Editors earlier in the year. As for the Weddos – it must be 16 years since I last saw them – My Favourite Dress etc.

    I see that Bauhaus have even announced a date at the Academy in February…

  • JustHipper Says:

    Yeah and New Order at the Apollo for £32.50 a ticket the same night as Richard Hawley. I think we’ll stick with Mr. Hawley. Not in the mood for taking out a bank loan just to see a band. Glad you enjoyed Bloc Party but we figured we’d save our cash for some acts we’d not yet seen (or not seen nearly enough). It’s starting to get expensive, the whole gig thing. I may sound like a dinosaur but there was a time when gigs at the Apollo cost no more than £12 and seeing bands at the Uni was about £5-£8. Inflation sucks.

    I’d definitely recommend pursuing the Decemberists thing further. They are quirky at times but very loveable and they are amazing live. They are charismatic and captivating enough on stage to have managed to get an entire crowd of indie scenesters to sit down on the floor with one hand gesture in Toronto last spring. Bless.

  • Paul Lockett Says:

    I know exactly what you mean regarding ticket prices. I remember getting into the Boardwalk for the princely sum of £2.50 or £3.00 to see bands such as Lush and The Beloved (when they were indie rather than full-on-dance). In fact, more often than not, I’d pay on the night – imaging trying that at most gigs nowadays in Manchester!!

    There has definitely been an escalation in ticket prices over the past few years – Madonna at £155 was a tad outraegeous, but even U2 charging £55 for what was probably the worst ever sound I have ever heard at a concert in Manchester – I left early because I couldn’t stand it any longer. For bands that have been around a while, £25-£30 now appears to be the norm. The real poison on the pill is the ‘booking fee’. I’m not certain exactly what gets ‘booked’. OK, so I can see that the ticket companies have to make their money somehow, but it’s usually £1.50 per ticket plus £4.50 for registered post. That can add £7.50 to the ticket prices for 2 people.

    Anyway, enough of my yacking…

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