From: Glyn Tippen
| Thought I would email you my impressions of the verve gig
at hammersmith palais last night, while it's still fresh in my mind. The
only way to describe the gig is mind blowingly brilliant. If you weren't
actually there, you have missed something akin to seeing 'the Stones' in
their prime. Quite simply,' this was music'. From the moment they started with 'New Decade' the five of them were on a different musical planet. Richard was as lively, dare I say 'mad for it', as I have ever seen him, stalking the stage like a caged Lion and whipping the crowd into a frenzy after every song with cries of 'come on' and announcing half-way through the gig that this was the "greatest f***in rock and roll tour this country has ever seen. I certainly wouldn't argue with him. The others were equally 'up for it', with Nick and Simon creating hypnotic melodies that were quite awe inspiring, and Sobbo doing his normal solid job. 'New boy' Simon Tong stayed in the shadows slightly; playing rythmn guitar on tracks like 'History' while also providing synth. and percussion for other tracks. However all this helped to create a fuller sound (if that is possible). The Palais is a great place to watch a gig, with a balcony and raised areas, so that you can get a great view of a band wherever you are. The whole place was packed to the rafters which led to a great atmosphere with people hugging each other with sheer delight after each song, and not seeming to care about the hot, sweaty atmosphere. And why should they when songs like 'Slide Away', 'On your Own', and 'Life's an Ocean' ringing out with mindblowing power and emotion. New single 'Drugs..' recieved a great reception, mind you so did every song. The crowd were as 'up for it' as the band. The band played about three songs I hadn't heard before, but frankly I was to blown away by the performance to take note of their names. The only down side to the evening is the fact that it had to end.. no 'Gravity Grave' or 'Blue', but unbelievably they were hardly missed. Highlight of the Evening was definately, 'Stormy Clouds' ..............with Reprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.oh yeah, quite mind blowing. |
From: Mark Lascelles
| I don't know if anyone has written about The Verve's
comeback gigs, but I'm going to anyway. The rescheduled London date was last Thursday and my wife and I drove down to see it. To say it was worth the effort is a huge understatement - they were sinly incredible. Easily one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life. I'm still reeling actually. What was so surprising was that they were very, very heavy - real piledriving guitar noise throughout, and nothing really similar to on record. Even the laid back tracks had their heavy moments. The sound remained good for the whole show and was constantly thick and buzzing, which made what was an already really intense gig become more so. It was like a kind of wind tunnel of noise was unleashed on the audience - Nick McCabe has to be the best guitarist of his kind there is. I just couldn't believe the sounds he was making. I have to go for a Spiritualized comparison because that was the last big gig I saw and most people on this list must be pretty sick of me moaning on about it. But I felt so rotten after that gig and this made me realize just how bad Spiritualized were in June, but Verve made me regain my faith in noisy music as a whole. I take back everything I said a few days ago about how there aren't bands around anymore who just make a racket - Verve do more than that. Its a really big noise they make, but there's loads of tunes and melodies in there too. During 'A Northern Soul' they were banging away, and then suddenly pulled up and let the drums go for a few seconds before bringing the bass back, which was like being thumped in the gut - fantastic stuff. Some may grumble that only Slide Away was played from the first LP but they've become so heavy now that it didn't really matter - the few new songs they played sounded just as good as all the ones I was singing along to. They have to be poised for superstardom now. The up and coming Oasis tour will bring their music to a big audience, and then there'll be no stopping them. I have to treasure the memory of seeing them in a smallish venue, because next time it'll be some horrible big arena with no atmosphere. Thank God for that gig. It was truly remarkable. I cannot recommend these guys enough - I'm sure a US tour will be happening soon, and if they are half as good as last Thursday you American guys will love it. |
From: Jim
| General consensus amongst people I spoke to was they
didn't like the venue - I was saying I was quite happy, though maybe I
wouldhave preferred it @ astoria.....well problem not....anyway: set same as sheffield, except no sonnet, again g/g was on setlist (email me for photocopy - I got nick's!) but didn't get played.... highlight for me was problem man called sun (yes karen you were thought of!) - rolling people and come on rocked liked bastards..... band seemed a bit tighter to me (any other opinions), Richard said little but at one stage said he'd fucked up his voice after 7 days on the road (I wish my voice sounded so good when f'd up....I only just got it back yesterday after virtually losing it from leadmill.....has gone again obviously) Richard didn't work the crowd as much at start, but then did in the middle of the set, and during non singing bits like the stormy clouds reprise etc (another higlight again) was a top gig, but for me atmosphere didn't match leadmill, though it was pretty mad....other people I talked to on way home reckoned gig of year for them etc etc tix going for 70 (seventy) quid outside.....lots of desperate people ed + tom chemical (bros) were there, but wasn't really looking so don't know who else still very surprised that nobody taped leadmill - anybody done any?? sorry US people if were letting you down on that front - personally I just assumed somebody else was doing leadmill, and well it does become a hassle and can take away form gig sometimes.......eeeeek.....wish I'd borrowed that DAT machine..... oh well ps forgot to mention was apparently trouble at the hotel the extended verve family were saying in Sheffield on Saturday night, inc some arrests, but i know no more than that. |
From: Steve
| The future's looking good, the futures looking so fucking
good. On at half nine and straight into A New Decade no `So we were alright after all, mutherfuckers ... Come on!` or anything from Richard but then again he didn't need to. For those who are interested from L to R: Nick, Pete at the back with Rich in front, Simon J, Simon T. Nick kept making adjustments to his effects throughout the first song, not having seen them before I don't know if he always does this or if he wasn't happy with his sound. They were loud, my hearing is still shout to bits and I was on the balcony at the back, god knows what it was like in front of a speaker. Simon T sat at the keyboards playing a tambourine and looked a little out of place but he was soon up with a guitar and boy did it look good. The Verve - Richard flanked by three guitarists what a sight, what a sound! And then it got better. Richard on acoustic for On Your Own and DDW. Imagine it if you weren't there, Peter with four blokes on guitars playing the most heartbreakingly beautiful music on the planet - jealous? Sorry to be cruel but well it was a sight. The crowd just stood there, heads nodding, very little jumping up and down and no pushing. It was all the old school verve fans there, probably for the last time. From now on (Uk wise) its going to be a mixture of pre and post BSS. There'll be the `Lads` there from now on treating The Verve like Oasis and all the others, its a shame but its also the future and it will be down to use to educate them that its the music that makes the Verve who they are and who we are. Lets make sure we get them to buy all the old stuff. `This is a fuckin old one he` he said, crowd erupts, `Stormy Clouds and Reprise tagged on at the end` - something like that anyway - crowd goes even more ballistic. This was the moment of the night for me. Stormy Clouds ends and Reprise begins, Richard sits down at the foot of the drums and lights a fag, gets up has a dance around and then sees out the rest of the some on tambourine. We cheer, they leave. We cheer, they come back. My eyes went a little as BSS slowly kicks in, it does work live trust me. History is so massive to me they can never do it justice I missed the it slowly builds on the album. We need the time that the intro gives us to set our selves up for it but that small gripe pails into insignificance when you hear him sing `Maybe we could find a room, where we could see what we should do, maybe you know its true, that living with me is like keeping a fool` - shivers down the back anyone? And `Come On` finished it. Its the first time I've heard `Rolling People` and `Come On` and first impressions - Northern Soul pt2. No bad thing. So that was that, got my T-shirts, both official (inside) and dodgy (outside) - I'll be wearing them round the shops on sat. For someone who went on there own because no one I know had heard of the The Verve when tickets went on sale let alone liked them it was great to talk to people while at the bar about favorite B-sides, hats off to the bloke who said `I See The Door` was his `couse that's mine too. |
From: helix
| Fucking awesome fucking hot!! - you knew it was good when the songs made you forget about the cruel inferno temperatures and the rivers of boiling sweat streaming down your back!!!! - for all of you outside the UK - we're having a bit of heatwave over here and nowhere is perpapared for it!! I thought DDW was awesome, and having not quite got into BBS thought it was fantastic live- the people I was with - having loved the CD version and played it to death thought it didn't work so well live! |
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