Noel Gallagher, Damon Albarn & Graham Coxon - Royal Albert Hall

Coming up on our last week living in London - Kimbo and I were very excited to score tickets to this quintessential Brit-pop line-up, part of the annual benefit concerts to support Teenage Cancer Trust.
We've been to shows at The Royal Albert Hall before and it is a truly spectacular venue. Great sound, incredible views, and just a spectacular building dripping with history.
Tonight kicked off with a very short 25 minute set from ex-Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys, performing solo on acoustic guitar occasionally accompanied by metronome.
Damon and Graham from Blur opened with a cover in tribute to recently deceased English psych-folkie Kevin Ayres "May I". Next up they were joined by Paul Weller, for some very experimental free-form jamming behind English "Beat laureate" Michael Horovitz. The combo have recently been recording an album together, so used the evening to premiere first single "Ballade of the Norturnal Commune" and a new untitled piece composed specifically for the evening. It's fair to say the crowd response was fairly mixed to the experimental material - not exactly my cup of tea usually - but it was interesting to see seasoned musicians like Weller, Albarn and Coxon letting their hair down and clearly relishing trying something new. Seemingly to appease the audience expectations of Blur / Oasis burying the hatchet on their long running feud - Weller switched to drums, and Noel Gallagher joined on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, as the very impressive supergroup busked their way through Blur's "Tender".

After a short break, Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds took the stage for a storming run through his great solo debut plus some Oasis classics, and even a few deep cuts like b-side "Shout it Out Loud".
Full Setlist:

Damon Albarn & Graham Coxon:

1. May I (Kevin Ayers cover)

2. Ballade of the Nocturnal Commune  (with Paul Weller and Michael Horovitz)

3. Untitled (with Paul Weller and Michael Horovitz)

4. Tender (with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller)

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds:

1. (It's Good) To Be Free 

2. Everybody's on the Run 

3. Dream On 

4. If I Had a Gun... 

5. Fade Away 

6. The Death of You and Me 

7. Freaky Teeth 

8. Wonderwall 

9. Supersonic 

10. (I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine 

11. AKA... What a Life! 

12. Lord Don't Slow Me Down 

13. Alone on the Rope  (First Time Live)

14. Half the World Away 

15. AKA... Broken Arrow 

16. A Simple Game of Genius 

17. (Stranded On) The Wrong Beach 

Encore:

18. Shout It Out Loud 

19. Digsy's Dinner 

20. Don't Look Back in Anger

Eels - Brixton Academy

Again another completely different setup for The Eels latest tour - after solo, duo, strings, orchestra, this time around we got stripped back guitar based rock and roll that saw erstwhile Eels leader E joined by longtime drummer Knuckles, Honest Al on bass, guitarist The Chet, and P-Boo also on guitar.

As expected with a very heavy three guitar line-up the performances tending towards a more blues rock approach, well suited to material from the latest album 'Wonderful, Glorious', including the opening trio of "Bombs Away", "Kinda Fuzzy" and "Open My Present". The surprise cover of (early) Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" perfectly suited the blues rock approach. With such a diverse back catalog the change in style provides opportunities to revisit some different old songs, in this case "The Sound Of Fear" and a reworked "Fresh Feeling".

The band also looked great in matching dark blue Adidas track suits (with road crew designated by light brown track suits) while E has adopted a less curmudgeonly and more charming persona for this tour that saw him reward good performances from band members with hugs. He even took the opportunity to "renew his vows" with guitarist The Chet as this tour marks their tenth anniversary of "rocking the globe".

E continued his trend of defying traditional rock show expectations by playing around with the encores - firstly combining two of their biggest hits "My Beloved Monster" and "Mr Es Beautiful Blues" into a mash-up as they allegedly only had time for one more song (several encores followed). The nights final encore really tested the patience of long term fans, with the band waiting 15 mins after house lights and music had come on, complete with road crew packing up the stage, to return for "Dog Faced Boy" and the bands self penned theme song "Go Eels".

Full setlist:
1. Bombs Away
2. Kinda Fuzzy
3. Open my present
4. Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)
5. Tremendous dynamite
6. In my dreams
7. On the ropes
8. Peach Blossom
9. Prize fighter
10. The Turnaround
11. New Alphabet
12. Fresh Feeling
13. Sound of Fear
14. band intros. E and Chet renewing their "vows" while Knuckles sang Wind Beneath My Wings
15 Go Knuckles
16. Itchykoo Park (Small Faces)
17. Soul jacker Part 1
18. Wonderful Glorious

19. I'm Your Brave Little Soldier
20. My Beloved Monster / Mr Es Beautiful Blues

21. Fresh Blood

22. Dog Faced boy
23. Go Eels

Billy Bragg - Rough Trade Records

Justin and I caught a great short (and free) early Sunday night show from Billy Bragg at Rough Trade East to launch his new CD 'Tooth & Nail'.
Just Braggy solo on acoustic guitar it was great to hear a few old classics like show opener "Sexuality", and slowed down "Greetings To The New Brunette", and a show closing "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards". In recognition of St Patricks Day, Billy also threw in a good cover of "Raglan Road".
Of course being a launch for his new album the show featured essentially the first four songs from the record: "Nobody Knows Nothing Anymore", "Handyman Blues", the delicate "January Song", and a cover of Woody Guthrie's "I Ain't Got No Home" which features on the new album.
Despite being admittedly jet lag sleep-deprived - Bragg mentioned he went to sleep in Austin Texas, woke up in London, and his next show on Wednesday is in Denver Colorado - Billy was in great voice and the new record sounds like a great return to matters of the heart.

Evan Dando & Julian Hatfield - Royal Festival Hall

Despite the prestigious venue, this one turned out to be a surprisingly low-key show with Evan and Juliana playing together trading songs (or “song pong” as Juliana called it). A very casual approach made it feel more like you were listening to two friends trading songs and swapping guitars in your lounge room.

It did lead to a few sloppy moments harmony-wise (particularly early as Juliana seemed to warm up as the night progressed and was in much better voice for the last part of the show) and neither seemed sure who was going to take which verse on their cover of The Velvets “Pale Blue Eyes”.

But there was some brilliant moments as well: a saw player (!) joining to add eerie effects to “Big Gay Heart”, Juliana’s backing vocals on “Bit Part” and “Down About It” – and some much needed love for the later Blake Babies album ‘God Bless The Blake Babies’ with “Brain Damage” and the Madder Rose cover “Baby Get’s High” from that record both highlights. It was great to hear the Teenage Fanclub cover “Cells” live too.

Best thing was the reminder of how fantastic a songwriter (or collaborator as most of the best songs are co-writes) Evan Dando is. It's easy to recall how great Lemonheads stuff like “Confetti”, “Ride with Me”, and "Hospital" are; but the real suprise was solo material like “Hard Drive” and show opener “All My Life” which were both brilliant.  

All My Life
Butterflies
Bit Part
Choose Drugs
Candy Wrappers
Down About It
Hard Drive
I Picked You Up
Confetti
Brain Damage
Into Your Arms
Pale Blue Eyes
Ride With Me
Waiting For Heaven
Hospital
It's About Time
Cells
Big Gay Heart
My Sister
Being Around
Ugly
Frying Pan
Somebody Is Waiting For Me
It's A Shame About Ray
My Drug Buddy
Baby Gets High
Different Drum

Mick Thomas - The Borderline, London

Fantastic show from my buddy Mick Thomas at The Borderline. Mick makes fairly regular trips to Europe, but this was the first time accompanied by piano accordion player Mark "Squeezebox" Wally - and it made a massive difference. The accordion is so entrenched in Mick's early recordings with Weddings, Parties, Anything - that it just makes the songs sound full and right.

Kicking off with a couple from his just released CD 'The Last of The Tourists', it was really by early single "Away Away" that the duo hit their straps.

Back in Australia, Mick has been doing a few smaller shows he calls 'Song Bingo' where if your number gets called you get to request any song Mick wrote and the band will attempt to play it. This has resulted in some very deep digging into the back catalogue and I suspect is responsible for a few of the more obscure inclusions tonight night "The Ballad of Peggy and Col", "The Swans Return" and "Taylor Square" (although I believe the latter was a special request for a fan whose daughter just passed her A levels and had a stuffed toy called Taylor).
New single "DVD and a New Tattoo" was a corker, as was Phillip "Swill" Odgers from The Men They Couldn't Hang who was in fantastic voice for guest lead vocals on "Industrial Town" (covered by The Men on 'The Domino Club').
A pretty aggressive curfew only left time for one quick encore of fan favourites "Father's Day", "The Rain In My Heart" and "For A Short Time"


My Mother's Guitar
All the Roads
Away Away
The Ballad of Peggy and Col
Taylor Square
Gallipoli Rosemary
The Swans Return
Lonely Goth
Record Launch
DVD and a New Tattoo
You Remind Me
Star-O
Industrial Town (with Swill Odgers)
Our Sunshine
A Tale They Won't Believe
The Last of the Tourists
Encore:
Father's Day
The Rain in My Heart
For a Short Time

Blur, The Specials, New Order - Hyde Park London

Kimbo and I went child-free to check out the Olympics Closing Ceremony Celebration in Hyde Park. It was essentially the same setup as I saw Springsteen at a few weeks earlier, with added Olympic Security (imagine the most extreme airport security you've ever encountered and double it!) which meant rather than a quick stroll through the gates we were stuck in a queue for 45 minutes.
Sadly this meant we missed the first half of New Order's set - but we did make it through in time to grab a drink and catch "Blue Monday", "Temptation" and a surprising "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (is it a cover when it's the same band with a different singer and name?)
Next up was The Specials, who I thought would be good - but turned out to be fantastic, getting the whole crowd skanking along. It was great to hear "Monkey Man" (mostly played in our house via The Wiggles cover with Kylie Minogue) and "Doesn't Make It Alright" but the biggest response was for a crowd pleasing "Message To You Rudy", and the set closing "Too Much Too Young". Apart from how great they sounded, what was most surprisingly about The Specials was how relevant their message of peace and tolerance still seems today.
Having seen Blur at Hyde Park during their "original" reformation, I was expecting a pretty similar show this time around - so it was great to see them dig a bit deeper and try a few new things - especially given the that this is rumoured to have been their final ever concert.
Kicking off with "Girls & Boys" they quickly dug into less obvious material with "London Loves". "Out of Time" was an early highlight with guest Arabic lute player Khyam Allami giving the song a new slant. Early B-side "Young & Lovely" was a surprise inclusion and sounded great, as was moody album track "Caramel".
The show really took flight with "Park Life", featuring guest Phil Daniels shouting out the lyrics. After a manic "Song 2" the main-set closed on a sombre mood with "No Distance Left To Run", "Tender" and a sublime "This Is A Low".
The encore kicked off with new single "Under The Westway" (especially written for tonight according to Damon Albarn) which was especially poignant, before a big finale of "For Tomorrow", into "The Universal".


Blur:
Girls & Boys
London Loves
Tracy Jacks
Jubilee
Beetlebum
Coffee & TV
Out of Time
Young & Lovely
Trimm Trabb
Caramel
Sunday Sunday
Country House
Parklife (with Phil Daniels)
Colin Zeal
Popscene
Advert
Song 2
No Distance Left to Run
Tender
This Is a Low

Sing
Under The Westway
Intermission
End of a Century
For Tomorrow
The Universal

The Specials:
Do The Dog
(Dawning Of A) New Era
Gangsters
It's Up to You
Monkey Man
Blank Expression
Doesn't Make It Alright
Rat Race
Stupid Marriage
Concrete Jungle
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Do Nothing
Stereotype
Man At C&A
A Message To You Rudy
Nite Klub
Little Bitch
Too Much Too Young

New Order:
Elegia
Crystal
Ceremony
Isolation
586
The Perfect Kiss
Bizarre Love Triangle
True Faith
Blue Monday
Temptation
Love Will Tear Us Apart

Bruce Springsteen - Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park London

Justin and I had the pleasure of taking our friend Alex to her first Springsteen show on Saturday. Despite forecast of rain and everyone digging out their wellies and raincoats – for the most part it was a sunny day in Hyde Park.
Hard Rock Calling is one of those all day events – starting at midday and running through to a little after half-ten (more on that later!)
We got there a little after 5 to catch the set by John Fogerty immediately before Springsteen. Bruce himself introduced Fogerty as “the Hank Williams of our generation”. It was great set by Fogerty – plenty of Creedance and solo hits – but the highlight was Springsteen joining for a set closing duet on ‘Rockin All Over The World’.
After a reasonably quick stage changeover – Bruce and came onstage solo and announced he wanted to play the first thing he’s ever played on English soil, and led into a brilliant slow-piano version of “Thunder Road” exactly like the early performance that kicks off the ‘Live 75-85’ boxset.
This led into a great pack of rockier material, including “We Take Care of Our Own” and “Wrecking Ball”. Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine (who seems to becoming a regular extension to the E Street Band in the same way Susie joined duing the reunion tour) added guitar to “Death To My Hometown”.
“Spirit In The Night” was a great inclusion, pretty loose and featuring a great segment with Bruce sitting on the onstage stairs with Clarence’s nephew Jake, reminiscing about his Uncle.
The rarely played ‘Tracks’ standout “Take Them As They Come” was the sole sign request, played on behalf of a Spanish fan who ingeniously listed all the shows on the current tour he had attended and requested the song, with all but the final show in London crossed out as not being played.
It was great to see John Fogerty join again to duet on “The Promised Land”.
I really enjoyed the almost solo acoustic “Empty Sky”, and the highlight of Tom Morello’s appearances was a riveting “Ghost of Tom Joad” – something of a hybrid between the full-E Street Band performance and the Rage Against The Machine cover version.
Of course the biggest surprise of the night was saved for the encore when Springsteen announced he been “waiting 50 years for this” and introduced Sir Paul McCartney. After a quick change of mics to ensure the lefty didn’t clash guitars with Bruce – they kicked into a very tight version of “I Saw Her Standing There” with the E Street band essentially acting as a backing ground from McCartney. This quickly led into an extended “Twist and Shout” which saw Bruce and Paul trading verses.
As well documented in the media, as Bruce and McCartney kept trading guitar solos to wind the song up for conclusion, the sounds noticeably dropped, then went off entirely a few minutes later. Confusion reigned briefly for a few moments as Bruce and Paul played on before someone came from side stage to advise them the sound was off. Springsteen looked at first pissed off, then slightly bemused. McCartney headed straight offstage - I’d like to think to try to put his weight behind getting the sound put on again - however it wasn’t to be and Springsteen cheekily led the crowd (or at least those of us close enough to hear without amplification) through an acappella “Goodnight Irene”.
A lot of finger pointing followed in the next few days over who was to blame – but it seems the culprit was the promoter Live Nation who elected to turn off the sound rather than break curfew much further (Springsteen was approx 10 mins over at this stage). This decision was likely prompted by the significant issues they’d had renegotiated use of the park after complaints from residents last year – the capacity was reduced from 75k to 60k and number of concerts dropped from 13 to 9. It’s fair to say from the look on Springsteens face he’ll be highly unlikely to work with Live Nation in the UK again.
I think the ultimate response to it was Springsteen himself, who kicked off his next show in Dublin a couple of days later with a giant power switch set to off at centre stage. He came onstage, turned the switch back to On and muttered “before we were so rudely interrupted” and continued playing “Twist and Shout”. Nice work.

Full setlist:
Rockin' All Over the World (Bruce guesting with John Fogerty)
* * *
Thunder Road (piano)
Badlands
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown (with Tom Morello)
My City of Ruins
Spirit in the Night
The Promised Land (with John Fogerty)
Take 'Em As They Come
Jack of All Trades (with Tom Morello)
Empty Sky
Because the Night
Johnny 99
Darlington County
Working on the Highway
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Raise Your Hand
The River
The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)
The Rising (with Tom Morello)
Land of Hope and Dreams (with Tom Morello)
* * *
We Are Alive
Born in the U.S.A.
Born to Run
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
I Saw Her Standing There (with Sir Paul McCartney)
Twist and Shout (with Sir Paul McCartney)