Sat 7 Jul – Live Earth

Genesis - okay. Nice seeing the band, but they were just decent.
Razorlight - I find them tedious. Meh.
Snow Patrol - widescreen rock works well in stadiums for big events. Liked it.
Damien Rice & David Gray - pleasant enough, especially the singalong 'Que Sera Sera'
Kasabian - I like these guys. Sound was a bit rough and muddy, and the crowd participation went on too long. But good.
Paolo Nutini - he's weird. I can't stand to watch him sing, all hunched over like that.
Black Eyed Peas - suck. Crowd liked…

Wed 20 Jun – Grinderman
Bussed over to Kentish Town and the Forum to see Grinderman. This band is really Nick Cave and some of his band, The Bad Seeds, but they play a rougher, more garage-rock-band type of music. It’s loud and a bit ugly. I missed the opening acts, but enjoyed Grinderman. The band’s excessive facial hair was a bit off-putting, but they rocked through their set. With only one album out there wasn’t much surprise about what they were going to play, but the live versions were fun and energetically delivered, if not polished. Cave flailing his…

Sun 17 Jun – Riders on the storm

I’ve just returned from seeing Riders on the Storm, which are two of the three surviving members of The Doors plus some make-up musicians.

I was a huge Doors fan for many years, and they’re still one of the most important bands to me. The vital rawness, and the hippy worldview mixed with the blues and jazz influences, made a band unlike any other.

Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger went out on the road a few years ago with The Cult’s Ian Astbury as a vocalist. Having an already-famous singer,…

Sat 16 Jun – Muse

First, Wembley the venue: amazing. It’s huge, certainly one of the biggest stadiums in the world. The architecture is amazing, and the giant load-bearing arch means that there are no columns or pillars required inside for support, thus no obstructed views. The seats are steep and high. Being on the concourse is like being in an airport, they’re so huge and shiny. Toilets are plentiful, and are still sparkling clean, with vases of flowers inside. There are plenty of helpful staff. Food and drink is plentifully available, although food is exorbitantly expensive (the smallest non-snack…

Tue 12 Jun – The White Stripes

From my blog:
It was excellent.

The Rivoli Ballroom is fantastic: one of the few remaining dance halls from the ’50s (looks like this but tonight saw fewer kilts). It only holds about 1000 people, and was a warm-up gig for the Stripes’ festival appearances. The only bad thing is that it’s in south-east London, the very opposite of where we live on the west side, so it took a 90-minute trip of 3 tube journeys plus a bus each way.

The vibe in place was great, very positive. Everyone was happy to…

Wed 16 May – Seasick Steve
Awesome. My review at my blog.