Watching the Barenaked Ladies at Brighton Dome on Thursday was possibly the most fun I've had in front of a live band.
I can't remember the exact set list; a combination of excitement, ignorance and a touch of alcohol puts that a little out of reach. But I recall rolling in from the bar as they were getting stuck into The Old Apartment to wild applause. They then took us through a healthy collection of great tunes. Pinch Me, The King of Bedside Manor, Intermittently and Some Fantastic stick in my memory, along with some songs new to me, like Sound of Your Voice, which will probably see me adding more BNL to my iTunes over coming days.
They spoke entertainingly of their brief time in Brighton. Ed and Steven made it clear that share Brightonians' mixed feeling of wonder and distaste when they survey our seaside delights - particularly our tacky pier with its eyebrow-raising rides - "Like the ones at Disneyworld but with all the fun stuff removed" observed Ed. A rap followed, describing the way that Ed endulged in Palace Pier's 'Super Booster' ride while Steven let his doubts get the better of him. (As it turns out, Steven's anxiety was well-founded)
I first heard the Barenaked Ladies on the radio some time around 1992. If I Had $100000 instantly grabbed by attention. Music that was warm, affectionate and fun without being sloppy or obvious. That appeal, and of course, the implausible name, stuck in my head and I duly went out and bought Gordon, the BNL's first proper album. I liked Gordon so much I bought the next album, Maybe You Should Drive. Then, for some reason, I forgot about them.
Several years later, a friend tried to re-awaken my interest in the Barenaked Ladies and sent me a mini-disc compilation of their best stuff to date. Living at the time in a rural greek village with a limited selection of music, I'd say it did the trick for those few months. And last Thursday night, when I heard songs like Some Fantastic for the first time in around four years, I was taken right back to an echoey marble-floored room in Greece, where the Barenaked Ladies were delivered to me through a tiny Sony minidisc player and a pair of miniature speakers.
These days, the Barenaked Ladies are very much into technology and the internet. Their website is awash with videos, downloads, fan links and general nonsense. Steven has a fairly entertaining blog. On Thursday they were even offering for sale USB sticks containing the music of the whole concert, just as soon as they'd played the final chord. I'm waiting for Thursday's gig to appear on their download site so I can relive the fun of the other night.
Oh and Meg, thanks for that minidisc.
5 comments:
No probs, pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks for the photo from the gig! I have to thank Matt Page for getting me into them in the first place when he forced me to listen to them over and over in Spain!
Hoorah for Pagey! He was supposed to be there on Thursday, but couldn't make it.
Hi, I just completetly randomly stumbled across this blog. The picture of Steve and Ed kinda caught my eye because I was there too!. Just thought I'd stop by and share the love! It was a really, really great show, and I had such a good night. Listening everyone sing along to Million Dollars at the end was nothing less than... beautiful. And I kept looking round through the show, and pretty much everyone I could see was smiling. It was all such a treat, and wasn't Boothby Graffoe funny [the warmup guy]? I'd recommend their new Are Me album. It's all fun, some of it is forgettable, but it has moments of brilliance which are the band's best yet.
Hello Blue.
It was indeed a brilliant briliant night.
Unfortunately, I missed Boothby Graffoe (and One Week) because the friend I was with 'doesn't do support acts' so we were having dinner instead! I saw Boothby Graffoe many many years ago. I hope he's still as good as he was back then.
I have now downloaded the Brighton gig from the BNL website (only 7 quid!), so I've been reliving some of the best bits.
You're right - $1000000 was great. I also love the topical bits they were doing about the pier, etc. I laugh each time hear Ed singing "I was the woman screaming on the pier! I was the woman screaming on the pier!"
Of course, I've listened to the gig several times again, thanks to that download. And my memories of listening to BNL in Greece are being displaced by memories of Brighton. But when music's this good, you can't just lock it way and keep it with the old memories!
Thanks for reading!
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