The Alarm – Islington Academy

Many years ago, Herself and I were fans of the Alarm, but they faded out for a while, disbanded, reformed with different members, all sorts of gubbins. In fact, the only member of the Alarm who’s still there is the lead singer, Mike Peters.

Anyway, they released a new album earlier this year (which, frankly, we weren’t overly impressed with) but we still go tickets to go see them live. Well, less than £20 each, what the hell, we could always leave.

Finding the Islington Academy is an interesting experience – OK, once you’ve located the N1 centre and the main carpark, you actually see the entrance for the venue, but it’s tiny, and not the easiest one to find at all – there’s no signage that we could see from the street. Thank the lord for A-Zs.

Inside, the venue actually looks like a revamped Student Union. In fact, I suspect that’s exactly what it is. But it’s OK – small, max of about 500 people, I’d guess – but two bars, and generally OK. The support act, Sweet City Fire come on pretty quickly (not surprising, considering that for some bizarre reason there’s a 10pm fixed finish on the gig) and are surprisingly good. Not perfect, but not far off it either. They played for about half an hour, and were far better than most support acts I’ve seen. Definitely one to watch out for.

And then the Alarm. Considering that Mike Peters is also undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, and can’t be anything less than 45, he looks bloody good. Throughout the set, he was energetic, and commanded the stage totally. The people behind him are also bloody good, and you can see there’s a great dynamic in the band, that they’re there and enjoying themselves. And man, do they rock.

Thankfully the setlist was a real hotchpotch of new and old stuff, and coupled with an audience who obviously knew every single track inside out, it was a fantastic gig. The new album certainly sounds better when performed live, but I think we’ll have to reasses it at home too.

All in all, an utterly brilliant gig. Well worth the money…

Tracy Chapman – London. The Concert

So yes, as Gordon pointed out, a bit more about the gig itself.

First of all, the Hammersmith Apollo is a sod to get to. OK, the parking in the area isn’t too bad, and it’s dead opposite Hammersmith Tube station, but it’s still something that, at street level, is a sod to get to. And we’ll gloss over £7.50 for parking.

Inside, the venue’s pretty stunning. However, as with a lot of the Apollos, and older venues in general where they seem to have been converted from theatres, the seating is a) tight and cramped, and b) uncomfortable.

Despite all that, the concert itself was stonking. She doesn’t do much on stage, yet there’s a certain amount of presence, for want of a better word. Not showy, just three people (and a bit of unidentified (pre-recorded?) percussion) doing what they do – and doing it bloody well. The standard well-known tracks (“Fast Car”, “Talkin’ about a Revolution” etc.) were all done, as were various items from all the earlier albums as well as the new one.

In addition, a couple of covers, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” added some variety, and a very much more rock-driven “Another Sun” which kicked things up a gear.

All told, an absolute stunner of a gig. Not much talking to the audience – although some members still insisted on yelling for tracks, or talking to her – just a pure-breed performance. Well worth the money, and the effort, and even of having to tolerate the fuckwits. Although it would’ve been better if I’d had a stungun…

Tracy Chapman – London. The People

It’s been a long time coming, but last night we went to see Tracy Chapman in concert.

And bloody hell, she was good – but the audience were a nightmare. In fact, a very similar crowd to that experienced by Skytower.

I don’t understand why people pay £35 per ticket to go and see a sensational concert, only to talk to their mates all the way through it. Or to text people all the way through – and believe me, in the dark, the screen illumination can be sodding bright, and fucking distracting. I also don’t understand the point of keeping on going out to get more drinks etc. You’ve paid thirty-fucking-five pounds to see this gig, yet you spend half of it walking to and from the bar, and/or fucking off the people around you by constantly moving. You stupid self-obsessed bastard.

As for people with cameras, I don’t quite understand why they’re incapable of turning the flash off. Quite honestly, the flash at that range isn’t going to do anything, although it’s quite likely to screw up your photos. The camera thinks it’ll be getting a lot more light (due to the flash), then doesn’t – because the flash is swallowed up by the distance – so you just get screwed up and dull shots. And then try, and try again – but always with the flash on. Twat.

Oh, and why is it that people insist on singing along with all the songs? You’ve paid to see the original artist sing them, not attempt to drown them out with your own toneless/tuneless attempts that – more than occasionally – also have the wrong words too.

Still, despite all of these tossers, the gig itself was stonking.