keeprighton2

I hate the way that real Djs, who actually love and are knowledgeable about music, have been slowly eased out of Radio 2, and replaced with celebrity presenters and comedians who know nothing and care even less. Thank God for radio 6.

Amen to that

This was our first Wilco gig after being fans for years. We weren't expecting to be hit by such a freight-train of noise!

 

After reading the reviews of the second night at the Roundhouse (featuring a Nick Lowe cameo, and a quieter set), we evidently chose the wrong evening of the two. It would have been great if there had been some kind of indication that it was going to be so ear-splittingly heavy but, we appreciate that it's pot luck with concerts, especially with a band with such a diverse back-catalogue. Sorry to be a downer but we feel a little cheated.

 

Having said that, Bull Black Nova, Handshake Drugs, Sunday Morning, I Am Trying.. and Germany were definitely highlights for me.

My point exactly - for a band on the cusp of 'crossing over' and with some fans probably attending for first time, I thought it was a serious sonic assault on the first night (first half hour), not that I don't like any of the songs that were played. It's just that the pacing/sequencing maybe wasn't quite right for a potentially broader audience. As Tweedy admitted during the show 'Not ALL of our songs end like that....(ie noise an distortion)...'just MOST of them do...' haha

Think sometimes Tweedy feels he has to do more of a 'rock' set when he comes to London (less of the Americana type stuff) because he's worried maybe that the 'cool' crowd might think they're going soft. Just a hunch. But thought he got it dead right for night two, much more variety and the inclusion of the poppier uptempo newer stuff mixed in with the classics and a willingness to drop some of the longtime live staples worked well. It's such a great back catalogue, and it just felt right. Nice one.

Dropping Misunderstood for Heavy Metal Drummer must have been down to timing reasons as they were very close to 11pm curfew when it started. Jeff actually said something like 'we've just got time for one more' - Misunderstood would have taken them over which is a shame as it's one of their finest live tunes and probably my fav. Sending the crowd off with 40 plus 'NOTHING's would have been the perfect end to a great show.

Probably going to nip over to Paris in the spring as I have a couple of young nephews over there I've converted to the cause over the last few years. Allez les Wilcos!

Only way they could have topped it would have been with a communal 'What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding' led by its writer Sir Nick.

Now THAT is a song!

Norman, ever heard 'The Day That Thatcher Dies' by Hefner? (Darren Hayman, another great unsung songwriter). If not you need to hear it.

Heard they might be adding Dublin at some stage in spring? Duets with Burt Bacharach, Jay?!

Just returned from the second London show - a couple extra songs than night one (21) but same length show at roughly 1 hour 45 mins.

The best bit for me though was redefining the standard setlist - NO Jesus Etc, ITMWLY nor Handshake Drugs.

This ever happened before? I can't recall it.

After what I thought was a below par first night at the historic Roundhouse, one of the great Wilco shows for night two, certainly in my top two or three.

At last the setlist was ripped up and for the first time in my Wilco watching there was no ITMWLY , Jesus Etc nor Handshake Drugs.

Big changes to setlist - 21 song set of which only 9 were played the night before so 12 different which was fantastic for everyone who went both nights.

Really enthusiastic crowd right down to the person halfway back waving their crutches around much to Tweedy's amusement.

Absolute highlight was appearance of Nick Lowe in encores - 'Jesus Of Cool' as Jeff introduced him for a wonderful rendition of 'Cruel To Be Kind'. Never seen Tweedy beaming as much as he was throughout this song. Brilliant

So many highlights really. Surpised to hear 'Open Mind' from the new record, and even more so 'I'll Fight' off the last one.

Opened with 'One Sunday Morning' then 'Poor Places', 'I Might', a blistering 'Art Of Almost', ALTWYS (always seem to play that in London), BBN, and among the changes 'Box Full Of Letters' , War On War, PKB, VC, etc etc

Encores Late Greats, Cruel... and HMD to finish.

Storming set and London lapped it up. 'Bravo' as I once witnessed Shakespearean acting legend Sir Ian McKellen bellow out from the old Roundhouse auditorium after watching a performance of Richard III in Russian!

Don't forget Dermot O'Leary is the bloke who presents X Factor - not a clue about proper music. Hope Jeff ripped the piss out of him.

Wilco on with Mark King from Level 42...

Hope the Beeb don't think they've gone THAT bland

Mind you it's Wilco's biggest problem IMO. Too many people to please because they're so diverse and end up alienating a fair number with every release.

Anyone expecting a folk strum or some golden pop moments who walked into the Roundhouse last nuight must have bee wondering what the hell was going on. Could have been Sonic Youth or the Jesus and Mary Chain up there for half an hour.

Funny station Radio 2 - dreadful during the day by and large but occasionally very good in the evenings. Usurped pretty much these days though by (BBC) 6 Music.

Didn't mean that to sound so negative - new songs sounded pretty good I thought live.

Just could have done without so many of the songs we've heard so often before - Handshake, ITMWLY Shot In The Arm, IATTBYH etc and dont think Bull Black Nova was a great addition - anyone new to Wilco might have been blasted back through the entry doors that first half hour - not much light and shade there.

Quite a short show really - a fair bit under 2 hours - don't know why they cant come on at 9 instead of gone 9.15 and off by 11

Agree about the hat - couldnt see Jeff's face at all with overhead lighting and thought he was very quiet last night - said nothing at all until half way through and then got going a bit. A little underwhelmed by the sound after good reports I'd heard about Roundhouse PA - sounded cluttered and dense for first half of show - very much the 'alt rock' side of the band for most of the first hour - nothing we haven't heard before and at times felt they were going through the motions a bit.

Ashes was played third and Impossible Germany was last of the main set - and agree shortest encore I've seen them do - just two songs.

Hoping for some variety tonight - looking forward to it - great venue.

Yep, was forgetting Royal Festival Hall - that was a good one, polite seating but great viewing venue.

Hopefully Tweedy will be chatty tonight - he's been less so in more recent visits but used to bite in response to banter with wind-up merchants in the London crowds.

Didn't go to the infamous gig in '97 ish when he had a running battle with the audience at Shepherds Bush - seemed to attract hecklers chasing

a bit of 'sport' in the London gigs that followed that one. Brings out the best in him - he's a far better front man when bristling, prickly and on edge IMO.

And loved that line at Shep Bush a few years ago about the bloke near the front who looked like Salman Rushdie ...

Looking forward to London shows tonight and tomorrow.

Seems the band are slowly working their way round all the London venues of a certain size - they've been pretty much everywhere, Shepherds Bush Empire, Hammersmith, Astoria (sadly no more), rubbish place in the East End beginning with T name of which escapes me, Kentish Town Forum, now Roundhouse which will be my first visit since it was revamped - heard good things though.

Hoping for some surprises over the two nights - as usual a lot of punters will be there for both nights and Jeff's normally pretty good at changing it for multiple night shows in one place. Remember seeing them on two successive nights in Dublin in 2007 and there were something like 14 songs different second night.

Bring it on....

Why are so many people saying I'll give my final opinion when I've heard the album at a 'higher-bitrate-than-the-webstream'

You've heard the songs, right? That's the SONGS.

If you don't like them now, they won't get any better.

In my opinion, the muse is starting to leave Jeff. I like much of this album but overall the songs (for the most part) are not (quite) what he turned out in his troubled years. The TREATMENT of the songs is as creative as ever. But does dressing them up with imaginative soundscapes not just disguise the fact that some of the songs per se are not that great?

Hmmmm 'The Whole Love' has just appeared on a 'budget priced' download site apparently at a bit rate of 320....

Ripped from the recent webstream?

Yep big fan of both.

Saw SFA first way back in '96 and many times since. 'Hometown Unicorn' first song that drew me in - catalogue beginning to weaken on last few albums IMO but many highlights down the years - 'Run Christian Run' 'Ice Hockey Hair' 'Venus and Serena' pop genius.

Am a pal of their ex label boss who told me that SFA records always sold exactly the same amount every time, regardless. Eventually got dropped because there was no 'progress'.

Perception was that they were a bit too 'weird' and Welsh to cross over into major popularity.

Nice chaps too.

Yep there were some terrible English punk bands but thats not the point.

It was a social phenomenon that changed music forever, gave a kick up the bacskide to the self-satisfied bland rubbish that was being churned out in the mid 70's It encouraged anyone to pick up an instrument and make a noise however primitive.

Without DIY music there would be no indie. Challenged the major labels and paved the way for independent labels.

Hooray for English punk. And there was some great music too.

Hey, make room for me Shakespeare, I'll be the other SFA fan who you ref'd earlier.

Loved them ever since I heard 'Hometown Unicorn' in the mid 90's and heard them tearing up the soundtrack to that great British cult film 'Twin Town' years ago.

Have met Gruff several times out and about over the years. Went backstage with them at Brixton a few years ago. Top lads all. Funnily enough the actor Rhys Ifans was in there with them that night - he of Twin Town and Notting Hill etc - Ifans was an original member of SFA before going on to act instead.

By the way don't know if you ever saw the onstage video that accompanied the Rings Around The World tour - had animation of explosions and planes flying among tall buildings. All, I was told by their label boss at the time,a pal of mine, filmed before 9/11. Prescient/spooky.....

Like the way they're changing the order of the sets around now - good to have some variety

I remember Spsingtseen saying he felt he 'underplayed and oversang' on the original Darkness.

Can't say I agree with that - I feel the production and whole feel of it defines the record, mskes it what it is, a desolate yet urgent record.

In the light of what he said I hope he hasn't ruined the origianl outtakes from 77 and 78 by supplying new vocals, cos quite frankly he can't sing like he used to anymore. 'The Promise' is one of my fav Bruce songs in its original form and I'll be disppointed if he wrecks it like he did for Tracks.

Looking forward to seeing the film - was kind of hoping they might put out the Passaic classic show from Sept 78 but should still be amazing watching the Houston show from front to back.

75 thru to 81 is a defining period for me - can really take it or leave it after that even though the 85 stadium shows were unforgettable. 76 thru to 78 IMO defines the legend - the bootlegs dont lie!

Gushing review this morning:

http://bit.ly/bsURK1

Great to see the trad/regular setlists deconstructed a little - Jesus Etc (no singalong) in encores and Shot In The Arm later than usual.

Classic encore trilogy 'Poor Places/Reservations/Misunderstood' and 'Someday..../Not for The Season' was a nice surprise double.

Never seen Tweedy looking so happy - great venue/fairly steeply banked seating and boxes etc. 'Wecome to the galactic senate' was Tweedy's observation of the rows of boxes high up in the gods.

All in all felt like the band were moving out of cultdom and up to the next level.

So, what's the chance of getting another album?

 

These guys are great so I'm pretty excited.

Would imagine one will follow if they don't kill eachother during the comeback. Doherty was fairly obnoxious and off his face during the press conference the other day.

new song/video 'Compliments' is REAL good imo:

 

http://bandofhorses.com/

 

Ben's voice sounds different, but i like it

I'm sure last time I saw them Ben said the song 'Older' recorded previously by band member Ryan Monroe solo would be on the new record. It's on his myspace I think