You can usually tell a lot about a gig just by
looking at the audience. Not tonight, however. Sure, it's a sell-out,
but whether they're 30-somethings revisiting their Pixies albums
isn't clear. Aereogramme may have had this in mind - will they
win over a crowd whose last purchase may well have been 'Trompe
le Monde' - on vinyl? Well, it's clear that they will have made
a few new friends on this showing: the crowd - swelled by tourists
in town for the festival - are won over by their dynamic sound
and a stage show which exudes 110% commitment. From the lilting
'Hatred' to the the full-on rock leanings of 'Zionist Timing',
they are a band reeking of confidence, and well they might as
album 'A Story in White' has the markings of a classic. |
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So, having established that if the audience weren't
Aereogramme fans, they are now, we can ask again, who have they
really come to see? Frank Black or the Pixies? Maybe even the
Catholics? Surprisingly the answer seems to be the latter. Obviously
any Pixies material aired is met with approval, but the calls
for 'Debaser' are few (and unanswered) while tunes from more
recent solo albums such as 'Pistolero' are welcomed like returning
heroes. Even the memories of the Pixies ex-members are erased,
thanks in part to guitarist Rich Gilbert. Resplendent in red
linen suit and green loafers, he takes guitar playing to a new
art form, delivering Joey Santiago's guitar licks in such a deadpan
way that the term "guitar anti-hero" requires to be
coined. Something of a virtuoso, he also delivers slide guitar
and keyboard, though the arrangements sometimes leave a lot to
be desired - the crisp punchy sound that Aereogramme had seems
to have become lost somewhere, and the full set - close to 2
hours - is starting to become an ordeal for the Pixies-spotters
in the audience. However, they seem to be in the minority, and
are temporarily sated by 'Monkey Gone to Heaven'. Most of the
Black anoraks are happy to singalong to anything, be it a good
if muffled 'All My Ghosts' - perhaps the best-known Catholics
song - or the apt closer 'If It Takes All Night'. The rapturous
reception means encores are inevitable, and, ever-unpredictable,
we're transported further back into 80's student bedsits with
a cover of 'Dirty Old Town'. 'Speedy Marie' and 'Where is My
Mind' further win back the old-timers in the audience, but for
the majority of tonight's crowd, the new Frank Black will do
nicely. |