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PLAYING OUT LOUD! Gig Reviews (top) Rainstar / Nickelback & Bon Jovi - St
Mary's Stadium, Southampton - Friday 9th June 2006. We unfortunately missed all but the end of the Rainstar slot but they sounded good as we approached St Mary's stadium and even better when we arrived inside. This Portsmouth six piece would have relished the opportunity to play in the home of the Saints and by all accounts didn't waste the opportunity either.
The show came to a close two and half hours later but far too
quickly, which is usually the sign of a great night. Bon Jovi belted out 'Keep
The Faith' and with a final 'Good luck to England in the World Cup' they were
gone. There were smiles on plenty of faces as I left St Mary's Stadium, even
fellow 'men-in-waiting', like me, seemed to have enjoyed themselves. Meanwhile
my wife, with tour programme, T-Shirt and camera in hand floated home on a rock
& roll cloud. Magic!
CD Reviews (top) Scott Walker. The Drift. As dense, but not quite as obscure as the cover illustration, “The Drift,” is Scott Walker’’s first release since “Tilt” in 1995. A beautifully crafted album with lush strings juxtaposed with industrial rock, moments of high opera and an overall aura of impending doom, it is not easy listening. But it is rewarding - Scott’s voice has become more than ever an instrument in itself, intense and anguished. As has been noted in other reviews, the shadow of 9/11 hangs over the album, and in that context the lyrics, though abstract, do make sense. The album is more like an abstract work of art than a conventional album - there are certainly no songs here that could be released as singles. “The Drift” has to be taken as a whole, all the tracks are interlinked. A very personal work that probably no other artist of the stature of Scott would attempt, let alone get the funding of a record company to produce. But in his terms, it must be considered a huge success, and if it only peaked at 95 on the album charts, it will surely go on selling as a cult album for years to come. Bruce Springsteen. We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions. I’m not a particular fan of Springsteen, but I loved this boisterous slice of Americana. Bruce bellows the lyrics out, the band seem to be having a great time, and there’s a very warm feel to the album which starts out with “Old Dan Tucker” and goes on to present the greatest music of the octogenarian Pete Seeger plus some of the traditional songs he made famous. All kinds of folk idioms are presented here: Cajun, banjo, accordion, fiddles, and there’s a bullish contemporary attitude from Bruce which recalls The Pogues on several tracks. The mood is pretty upbeat throughout apart from the gentler “Shenandoah” and the anthemic “We Shall Overcome.” But there isn’t a track here that I didn’t appreciate on its own merits. I loved “John Henry,” once recorded by Lonnie Donegan, the pure gospel of “Mary Don’t You Weep,” and the stirring “Pay Me My Money Down.” And even the closer, “Froggie Went A Courtin’ works! A terrific album. The Handsome Family. Last Days of Wonder. The seventh album by husband and wife team from New Mexico, Brett & Rennie Sparks, and very good it is too. Rennie’s lyrics and Brett’s booming baritone collide to explore the underbelly of American life, but the themes are universal. Death seems to fascinate the pair, and the opening “Your Great Journey,” is indeed about a final journey - death. Apparently “When automatic sinks in airports no longer see your hands and elevator doors close on you, when buses drive right past,” - you are deceased. Brett’s deadpan singing almost denies the humour in the songs, but the lyrics are a terrific read in themselves. Madness, car accidents, airports, telephone wires, driving, hunting, The Handsome Family’s songs exlore the mundane signs of modern life, but invest them with a kind of haunted beauty. Not a dud track here, and an album which I will be playing again and again. Go straight out and buy it! SINGLE REVIEWS BY MARTIN SIRL: Single Reviews added throughout the month. Watch this space! We welcome you to submit your own cd, gig or venue reviews here at POL. Simply click on the link below and type away! Please include relevant details such as your name, date of gig etc. Click here to send in your own review Looking for a different Reviews? Click here for our archive |
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By
the time we had settled into our seats in the 30 degrees evening sunshine
Nickelback where just arriving on stage. I must admit to looking forward to
seeing these Canadians more than the headline, my wife on the other hand, had
eyes for only one act this night!
A
few Mexican waves later (when was the last Mexican wave at St Mary's I wonder?)
we were onto the main event. How cool is this guy? Without any introduction, the
band fired into 'Last Man Standing' and Jon promptly descended down the walkway
leading off the stage, to deliver the number from the centre of the standing
crowd! Oh yes, we're in for a treat here...
I
was soon on my feet dancing away without actually realising it! I was also
impressed by the shear weight of lyrics that my wife, as a devoted fan, had
subliminally fed me over many years. The band and Jon in particular, had the
audience eating out of their hands. The loyal fans in attendance loved the
interaction with Jon and I'm sure quite a few of the female fans would like to
have interacted with Jon a bit more! 
Setlist:
song!)
LIVIN'
ON A PRAYER
4AD - CAD 2603. Running Time: 68:48
Columbia. Running
Time: 60:34
Loose Music. VJCD166. Running Time:
43:29
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