Venue:
Manchester Apollo
Date: 16/05/2015
An Alabama Shakes song is typically dramatic and intense. They stretch and warp the normal song structure; time signatures are irregular, hooks are disguised, melodies meander. There are few clap along moments.
They create a platform for Brittany Howard to express herself and she is an absolute star. She is the sole focus of attention. She hollers, she prowls, she arches her back, she thrashes her guitar, she whispers, she screams. She puts so much into her performance, I fear her heart will burst from her chest. The rest of the band simply stand and gawp, amazed at their good fortune working with such a charismatic front person.
Their first album is more conventional and sounds more muffled. I had thought those songs might jar with the ones from Sound & Color, but live, they are given the same crisp, spacey dynamism and they mix extremely well. The net result is a gripping hour and a quarter set, leaving me with the belief I had just witnessed the greatest living rock singer in her prime.
The audience:
An extremely high proportion of ladies (I’d say 50/50), lots of hair (we baldies were a tiny minority), bad shoes (you’d be mad to wear decent shoes on the sticky Apollo floor but I did notice one foxy rock chick sporting thigh length boots – I bet she regretted it) and overwhelmingly white (close to 99%).
However, I always believed Captain Underpants’ f*ckwits were a myth. Maybe, I’m used to the dance or jazz crowd. Maybe, Alabama Shakes require closer attention than the average rock band. Whatever. The f*ckwits were out in force, loudly talking over the top of the songs, constantly shuffling about and spilling drinks. Why pay forty quid simply to talk over the greatest rock singer in the world? Just go to the pub. You can laugh at your own stupid jokes as loud as you want there, drink until your speech is slurred and it’s cheaper.
It made me think..
Brittany Howard is a superstar. It was the last night of their UK tour. I’ll have to catch them again next time.
This is from earlier in the year to give you a flavour of their act and Brittany’s absolute command.
http://youtu.be/-KFtsCA3Fnk
Future People
Sounds great, thanks- think the new album is very strong
As to your comment re talking etc, I’m with you – I just don’t get it, on any level it is ignorant
Good review Tiggs, hope you didn`t have to spend too long cleaning your shoes after the concert.
The Apollo is a rough place these days and the fuckwits deserve a smack in the gob. I too have never been able to understand these bastards who attend concerts yabbbering all the way through and every now and then putting their phones in the air to take a photo/footage then it`s back to the yabbering.
But back to the Shakes, a bloody good band made great by Brittany. Every ten to twenty years somebody special comes along and Brittany is one of those. I`ve not bought the new album yet but will rectify that next week.
Thanks, Baron. If I were you, I’d buy the album immediately. It is far better than the debut.
I include the link for the comments. Pencil, whose musical taste is exemplary, was less impressed.
What`s going on Tiggs? You`ve not made 1000 views with this post yet.
How can you tell?
Easy, I`ve got an App.
Yeah. And not one has bothered to give me a thumbs up. All 999 viewers!
Fuckwits…..at last Sunday night’s Tom Baxter gig at the Glee Club in Birmingham I had the rare privilege to be sat right in front of the only fuckwit in the room, a gobby, brassy, pissed Brummy woman with a foghorn voice that proved very distracting throughout the support act.
The lady sat next to me politely asked during the interval for her to button it during TB. She asked very reasonably and politely, but we were rewarded with a “fuck off” and a glass of water emptied at velocity in our direction. Having liberally doused several members of the audience she was reluctantly escorted from the room by security, to a loud cheer which in turn prompted a “fuck off you bastards” over her shoulder.
Tom Baxter was, as ever, excellent and not a peep was heard from the audience, save laughing with him when he forgot a new song halfway through………….twice…….