Standing in the queue I notice am the ‘old’ one there. The average age was about 17 and seeing some of these kids getting dropped off by their parents was precious.  But this made it a little unclear of what to expect from the night was this the music kids are into today?  The it happened.  Right infront of me was this kid, may be 16, wearing the same shirt I was wearing and then it hit me I was really getting old and I need to change my wardrobe to accom’ my new old tastes in fashion.

After some man got sick all down the back leg of a rather big fella the queue started to move and we where on our way.

The warm up was OK, well he was pretty good.  Having him constantly remind us of the main event I feel took a little away from his own performance, which was top.  The bass however genuinally shook the very foundations of the place adn I think I lost two fillings. With this type of music it’s hard to really hear what he’s saying (ear plugs a must I think for a reviewer) but there was a sweet shout out to Abby who had turned 16.  The the worst thing that could have happened the PA System packed in and there would have been silence if it wasn’t for the howl of boos.  I didn’t get this guys name but from the merch’ stall guy I found out he was local.

It was inevitable I think but the boos where loud and there was a mini walkout to the other bar, but I think this was more because it was getting a bit stuffy in here and by the end of the night a majority of the guys would be topless.

And then the main event at 20:45 Chase and Status (with Andy and breakdown) came to the stage, the lights went up and all I could say was awesome.  Though local guy was good there was something about the reality and solid professionalism of what Chase & Status did even during the opening of their first track.

How they sample and mix is a credit to where they see their music and themselves.  Through some tracks they seem to want to take a risk and when they do it works perfectly.  They managed to pull in quite a wide crowd as there where plenty of more mature types who stood away from the mosh in front.

But then they did something that was a little unexpected.  They played a track that was so 80s in feel that it would have had no place being on this bill tonight. But they worked it out and they knew exactly what they wanted to do and they did it.  The track (again thanks the the bass didn’t get the name) was a solid offering.

The Exclusives

For those in the room what they got told about these next tracks being exclusive I could very much believe since this was the start of their UK Tour.  Feel was another test by the guys and paid off their second offering was from the new British Michael Caine film ‘Harry Brown and saw the guys bring on Plan B on stage.  His vocals where a bit low live to the point I thought the backing track was singing.  But this is something that I think they will work on the more shows they do.

Chase & Status really impressed me and their show at Concorde 2 was a sellout, it would be a shame if you missed these guys as they have managed to breathe some much need fresh life in to British Music.

1st October 2009 [Copyright © 2009, The New Current.]

‘Tomorrows just a song away, a song away’.

Its Thursday tea time and I’m topping up on my pop, watching TMF and they’re playing the new Hockey video. Song Away is getting a stint as a future hit in the middle of the UK Top 20 chart, ‘citing!

Half nine-ish Friday night I’m watching the song live. Hockey are playing to a packed O2 Academy 2 (the small upstairs bit). Now I know I’ve been having a few issues recently about feeling old, but there’s no denying there’s a shitload of kids in the crowd, and they’re all going mad. Hockey grew up as a party-band and I can see that they have an impetus to get things going, rather than ponce about like a band-band. Now unfortunately the venue’s ulterior motives mean the party finishes for ten, but I’ll get on to that later.

Newcastle’s Little Comets are supporting – but it aint a local thing, they’re a permanent fixture on this autumn tour of Hockey’s. I think the aforementioned excess of youngsters is for the Comets’ benefit. I don’t want to use the phrase ‘local heroes’, but the crowd are singing and clapping in all the right places, yunno. I might say they sound like The Wombats, but I fucking hate The Wombats, and I like Little Comets. They have a POP-type dance vibe, but not in a boring same old, same old way. The addition of some very nice harmonies and a ‘percussion washing line’ get the venue jumping. Either that, or the young crowd has gone to town on Calpol and E numbers.

And they have the single Adultery coming out 28th October

Since single Too Fake started doing the rounds in early 2009 Hockey have been re-mixing homemade debut album Mind Chaos for a full UK release on 28^th September. Musically Hockey have a new wave eclecticism, channelled mainly in the dance direction, comparable to LCD Soundsystem without the electronics or The Strokes without the pointy shoes.

Aesthetically the foursome are out looking for fun. Well, there’re a foursome by day but they’re joined for the gig by a keyboardist in a funny hat, making five. Singer Ben is dressed for sports day and wearing a head band, and I think he’s gonna need it. 

Maybe their popularity is taking Hockey by surprise, as they have a knack of warning the crowd that they ‘won’t’ve heard this one’. You get some gigs where this phrase would mean three and a half minutes of waiting patiently and then clapping politely. That’s not what tonight is about though, and Hockey’s new songs provoke the same raucous dancing as favourites Learn to Lose, Too Fake and Song Away. They do drop a bit of a Country flavoured song in there too, which was a bit…weird, but it was only one song, so I’ll let it go. 

RANT: There’re a couple of things about live music that boil the New Current’s piss, and unfortunately they both occur tonight. The first is shocking prices charged by mobile phone companies for watery lager. Next time I come here I’m smuggling in a half bottle of Chekov! 

The second thing is encores. Pointless rock self-indulgence! Hockey succumb to this shitty tradition. I’m not sure why cos they’ve played a great set and should leave on a high. 

For 10pm the gig has finished to make way for the Academy’s Friday rock night, and The New Current is hot-stepping it outta there to lay hands on a reasonably priced pint!

Reviewer Richard Fawcett, The New Current Copyright © 2009

or to give it the full flyer poster… ‘the survial of (r)evolutionary theories in the face of scientific and ecclesiastical objections: Being a musical comedy about Charles Darwin (1809-1882).

Few plays come to the fringe that stand out like ‘The Origins of Species’ and see’s John Hinton take on the whole that is Charles Darwin in this wild and wonderful ride through the life and times of one of the most famous scientist of our time.  As we walk thought the makeshift stage we are greated by Mr Charles Darwin sitting behind his desk trying to finish his notes.

John brings to life Darwin in a way you would never have thought.  His perfomance is simply wonderful to watch with the right balance of comedy, history, and music.   The play sheds some light on the man who has become one of the most important scientist in the 20th century and John takes us on the journey Darwin would have taken himself, the voyage on the Beagle, the people he met and who inspired his life, and his family.

This becomes more than an interesting play it becomes a very novel way of getting to know a Great Britain.  And all you have to do is add John’s warm nature and wild sense of humour and you have one of the sweetest shows at the Fringe 2009.  This was a sell out crowd and we where packed in to this make-shift studio but that didn’t matter.  The audience was fully into the show and the humour was so typically wonderous there where few moments you wouldn’t be either smiling or laughing really loud.

John’s songs where very much in his style incredibly creative and give you the journey you need to keep up with the story.  And there is one bit that is simply divine.

‘If your interested in history, music, and Charles Darwin then this is the show for you…but if your interested in music, seeing an original production, and one incredibly talented actor & singer then go and see this production before the fringe is out.’

*****

There are to few times when your at a festival that boast shows and artists from all over the world that you get to see an act as perfect as Jonny Sweet’s show ‘Mostly about Arthur’. His show at the fringe 2009 ha been getting a great deal of attention, great reviews, and sell out audiences (today not being any different).

Don’t underestimate this show, it will leave you safe in the knowledge that comedy is alive and well and is being well looked after by Mr Jonny Sweet.

Jonny meets everyone at the show, a small overheating WW2 bunker at Edinburgh University with a smile, a hand shake and a kiss, and the show starts. ‘Mostly About Arthur’ is about Jonny’s brother, Arthur, who has passed and the show is about his life as a blurbbist on book jackets. That’s a much as you can go without giving to much of this show away.

Sweet has created such a well rounded and believable character that during some of the unscripted interaction with the audience left me speechless. He avoids becoming a ham or simply re-enacting the comedy of legends past. The use of the audience is key to most acts and if they don’t have the audience and the same wave length then there is a chance that the whole things could fail.

What Sweet has done is use language that is quite middle class and somewhat and phrases like ‘silly old egg’ that catch you off guard and this is the show. It is written with a class that places it in a league and he is careful to make sure that there are no holes in the script that would risk loosing the audience.

His mannerisms on stage are erratic and careful, at times his smile portrays both an innocence and mischievousness that becomes a pleasure to watch. As he limps through his show on stage we get to hear more about his hero brother an his quest to get him greater recognition. Sweet’s timing is perfect and he only seems stronger when he gets three audience members up on stage.

Its not hard to see why his show has been selling out and why tonight the audience was almost on the floor with laughter. His cutting nature and his incredible ability to turn to deadpan made the show stand out tenfold. Though not all was well and towards the end of the show his laptop battery started to die on him and the whole things seemed to unravel before him.

DON’T in any way shape or form think that this affected the overall outcome of the show, in fact, it made the show special and something that only the lucky few in that room had been privy to. It was a shame because you got the sense that he wasn’t really happy with the way the show had end he was a true professional and if anything what happened tonight will be more fodder for an already unbelievable show.

Jonny Sweet is a name you will know for a long time…no one, NO ONE can create a character like Jonny Sweet, unmissable. ****Four Stars