Venue:
The Institute, Digbeth, Birmingham
Date: 18/02/2015
Well, how often do you see US chart toppers at a 800 person stand-up venue? I like the last couple of their LPs, after finding the earlier ones a bit precious, so I thought this worth a go, not least as, for the 1st time in ages, I’m seeing a band younger than me. Not that they look it, fer chrissake, most of their publicity shots drawing a Band like vibe, except the Band on their ’69 debut look like One Direction by comparison. And it was good. They hit the ground running with the wonderfully self-reverential and hopefully ironic opener from their new album, banging straight into a stack of songs that amply filled a jangle shaped REM hole in my conscious. But it was if they had played all their good cards first, as, enjoyable OK, it all got a bit safe, dull even. Sure, the musicianship was sound, a special mention for, on keys, accordion and tympani(!), Jenny Conlee, playing like a demented elf, but it all sounds better on record, confirmed by my buying the CD and playing repeatedly today. Colin Meloy’s voice has matured from marmite to a sub-Stipe, but I got bored, however hard they tried to change the mood. Glad I went but I won’t bother next time, no doubt at Symphony Hall or the NEC.
The audience:
Fans, with beards and flat caps aplenty, lumbersexual heaven, should the weather indoors turn inclement. Some of the blokes had made an effort too, but actually, a huge range of enthusiasm, from 20s to 60s, demonstrating the skill of the band in melding modern with retro, Smiths influenced folk-rock. Venue is tip-top, like more bijou Holmfirth Picturedrome, but I am getting too old for standing, noting, with envy, the seats upstairs. Rubbish beer, tho’ at bad pricing, making me glad to have popped into the Old Crown beforehand
It made me think..
Whatever opinion felt about latter REM, they certainly left a hole, and Mr Meloy, with his cerebral record collection, has certainly found a formula. Buy the record.
Caught the show at Weedge Academy and loved it! I agree that the opening was strong – surprisingly so perhaps. Their material does not generally have that level of energy and it was always going to be difficult for them to maintain it (not helped by the inclusion of Eli the Barrow boy and the omission of This is Why we Fight.) Nevertheless, I thought that it had an energy of its own. Colin Meloy is a great front man and the band seemed to be enjoying themselves, which always helps.
i agree that What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is, as we used to say, a belter.
Cheers for the review. Really like the Decemberists. Would love to see them live, but sadly, they’d don’t seem to know where Sweden is.
After a very long wait, I sort of feared that “What a Terrible World, etc” might be a bit of a disappointment. But it isn’t. It’s a very fine platter, and I commend it to this House.
Thanks for the write up. Almost makes me not mind about not being able to see them in London tomorrow (Brixton, 5k+ capacity so I’m surprised they played such a small venue in Brum). As mentioned on our temporary Facebook home I had to sell my tickets as engineering works made the trains back to Essex difficult.
I only quite like the new album. It’s enjoyable, rollicking stuff, but my two problems are the lack of real fire in the musicianship, and that too often the lyrics sound like a pastiche rather than ringing true. Overall it doesn’t reward closer attention. I would still like to see them some day though.
Interesting comments. I’ll be seeing them for the forth time at Brixton on Saturday and I’ve always felt their live shows inject humour and emotion into songs that could easily become morose and overly self-important. Part of that, I’m sure, comes from the interaction between the band members who always appear to be a cohesive group of friends rather than just Colin Meloy’s backing band.
As for the album, given that the songs were recorded over quite a long period, I’m not surprised it’s a little disjointed, but they do largely hold their own against previous output. It could easily have become a ‘contractual obligation’ set. I’m hoping now the band is back together that they follow it quickly with a new collection early next year. I can dream.
My love for the Decemberists started and ended with The Crane Wife which I thought was a fine album . The follow up album was dreadful – a ki9nd of heavy metal/prog mediaeval fantasy which might have been okay around 1974 but has no place in the noughties no siree. To be honest my problem is chiefly with Colin Meloys voice which was bearable on The Crane Wife because it was backed by good melodies. Once the tunes had gone is voice irritated the shit out of me. Better is the spin off group Black Prairie which doesn’t have his voice/
I bough their first three albums as they came out, and enjoyed them, but kind of drifted away (as per Mr Hepworth’s got three, don’t need any more saw). I’m sure there are gems amongst the later stuff – where’s a good place to start reinvestigating?
The King is Dead. Or the new one. Although someone will be along shortly to explain that the Hazards of Love is their career best.
Career worst me thinks. HOL is the only Decemberists album that I have never been able to get into. I love the rest, although I agree Colin Meloy`s voice can be a bit marmite.
I’ve not been tempted by the latest album. The tracks I’d heard didn’t really grab me. I am delighted that Jenny C has recovered and is back to rude health she’s a great character and ace musician.
Went to see them at Brighton Dome last night and thought they were completely tremendous. I’ve been a fan since The Crane Wife and while I think the songs on the new album are ever so slightly underwhelming they certainly sounded the business live and worked well as buttressing between the more, er, epic material. Particularly enjoyed The Rake’s Song, with its demonic red lighting, multiple drummers and Colin’s sly version of an old audience-participation routine, and the final encore was a total riot. Don’t know what the significance of all that yellow gaffer tape was but I expect it’s an erudite reference to some obscure Appalachian folk tale…
Me and Mr Drakeygirl went down to Brighton for Friday’s gig, too, Bengwy! Should have asked on here if anyone was going – we could have had a beer beforehand. I was about three people in from the front of the stage, so had a great view. Almost close enough to get gaffer taped during the Mariner’s Revenge Song! (I loved the way Colin ad-libbed the change to the crew being “gaffed” alive instead of “chewed” alive, after the band decided to piss around and tape each other – and the security men – up). I’ve seen The Decemberists live three or four times now, and thought this was right up there with them at their best. I’ve found the new album to be a real grower, and I thought the new songs more than held their own.
Can’t see how anyone could find a Decemberists concert dull, retropath, but then if you’re not that keen on them in the first place, I suppose you could lose interest.
I think they’re fabulous live – talented musicians, having a whale of a time (excuse the pun), and putting on a proper show, packed with a panoply of tunes, light and shade, pomp and fun. I think Colin’s voice is in extremely fine fettle, too.
Oh, and Hazards of Love is a great, bonkers album.
Wow, must have been great to have been that close to the action, we were in the balcony where you’d have needed opera glasses to pick out the whites of their eyes. I missed that lyric change but by then I was finding it a bit difficult to keep of track of everything that was going on, what with a member of the audience fainting and being carried out just as the crowd was letting rip with the swallowed-by-a-whale noises. A brilliant show and highly memorable (and not just because the bizarre “evacuate the building” false alarm at the interval).
Ah, you were in the lad-di-da (di-da-di-da-di-da) seats. I missed the fainter, but stoically ignored the alarm, along with 75% of the crowd.
I hope we don’t have to wait four years for another tour.
I think Drakey just about sums up my Saturday in Brixton with the Decemberists – they put on a jolly fine show, and in Colin Meloy they have a front man who can connect with an audience by playing on laughs one minute before switching to earnest sincerity and professional delivery the next. OK I’m a fan and I would say that. It wasn’t just me though. There was a lot of love for the band and they held the audience throughout.
Looking around there were a lot of 20-somethings and beardy hipster types and with the level of chatter throughout the rather limp support act, I was expecting it to end up as one of those highly anticipated evenings smudged by others. I need not have worried. From our position in front of the sound desk there were just people captivated and invigorated by the stage. Bladders were held and even those who can’t go thirty seconds without speaking or checking phones managed to wait until between songs. Even then, like some trendy schoolmaster, when Mr Meloy spoke, we all listened. Brilliant.
None of the new material suffered from being played live and there were no groans dissatisfaction or shouts of “play some old”. Because they did play some old too – Grace Cathedral Hill, Legionnaire’s Lament, a quite vitriolic 16 Military Wives, a three part segue from Hazards of Love and a powerful fully progged-out rendition of The Island. I’d been dreading the music-hall camp of the Mariners Revenge Song after a rather lack-lustre experience with it four years ago from a seat at the back of Hammersmith Odeon, but here, amongst a floor of fans, we collectively howled, swayed and bowed to the ministrations ringmaster on stage.
Even my slightly cynical brother- and sister-in-law whose tastes tend towards the coarser end of the Foos, QOTSA, Jack White and whatever noisemongers the kids are bigging up, went in cold having never heard anything by the Decemberists, admitted afterwards it was an extremely entertaining gig. I agree.