Lambchop Last Night

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Stunning, totally stunning.

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Completely agree. Utterly wonderful. What a fabulous version of "Up With People", a wonderful" You Are The One", great string quartet and the songs from the new record were lovely. Not so sure about the Strangers cover, though!

We saw Kurt before the show in the little Italian place just over the street and wanted to say hello but have a rule never to speak to famour people when I see them in public. It always seems totally embarrasing when I see other people doing it.

Interesting audience: never seen so many men with gray hair/bald spots and leather jackets in one place before - so felt right at home. I've spent today playing all my Lambchop records, smiling inanely and wishing I could see them again.

I did see them a few years back at the RFH: this time they were much better. seemed to having more fun and did much better arrangments of songs. As you said totally stunning.

[QUOTE] [/Same here!

Little mini one’s all lovely and grilled. Plus potatoes, asparagus, mint sauce and salad cream.QUOTE]

nil point!!

Kevin

Manchester Lowry tonight, looking forward to it. Could this be the gig that persuades me live music is alright after all?

Need to buy a leather jacket and shave my crown before I go though.

Bruce

Enjoy!! Let us know what you think.

Kevin

Hmmm.

Unconvinced. No atmosphere, no string section, absolutely no stage charisma. They played well for sure but without really adding anything new or interesting to the album versions IMHO. One or two moments lifted above this but in general failed to excite. Liked the varied set list. My wife, typically blunt, said this; 'Nice. Too nice. Sound more interesting at home.'

I will actually play the albums less as a result of seeing them live (for a while at least).

Bruce

Bruce,

Can't disagree with that assessment of the Lowry gig at all (and god knows I disagree enough with other peoples' assessments of gigs on this forum.

One small geographical point. The Lowry is not (and never has been) in Manchester. It is 100% in Salford and such labelling by artists and their agents etc. annoys the hell out of Salfordians (of which I am not one).

Mike

Bruce and Mike, sorry Manchester wasn't such great shakes. I think I'd have felt rather cheated if I'd heard that the night before had a string quartet, which really added to the overall sound and mood, and then seen a band with only half the players. I'm glad I'm London based: methinks this wouldn't have happenerd the other way round.

Kevin

kj,

Manchester is indeed no great shakes but Salford... now that's a different matter!!!

I'm not so sure I felt short-changed as just plain disappointed. I have always felt that Lambchop are a little over-rated on record although it's possible to put together a quite impressive compilation. The bottom line with the live experience is that, like Bruce, I need more than a string section. If you can't deliver a great (or even good) gig without the strings then what kind of band are you?

So, us in the provinces probably feel a little more as though we saw how good (or not) a band they really are rather than having the deficiencies masked if you like. I have also seen the (a?) full version of Lambchop before and been just as disappointed so maybe it's me or maybe it's those songs?

Mike

Mike,
sorry if I came across as knocking the provinces: although my experience is that Manchester ( don't know about Salford) is a damn fine city, 'cept for the footie teams, obviously...

I love theLambchop songs: Is A Woman has grown to be one omy fave cds, although it was a slowburn, and I find Wagner a more impresive performer now than when I first saw them after Nixon came out.

btw, have you heard the new Bonnie Prince Billy? A great record with wonderful versions of old songs. Bizarrely, those of the London audience without leather jackets and bald spots looked a lot like the Bonnie Prince: some seriously unkept facial hair.

Kevin

Is that Master and Everyone (which I like quite a lot) or is there another?

Bruce

(who has now booked for Willard Grant at the Manchester Academy (nr Salford).

I thin it's called Bonnie Prince Billy Sings Palace Music Greatest Hits: Basically, full scale C&W versions of some Palace songs - pedal steel, violins, backing singers...wierdly sounds a good deal like Lyle Lovett, but the songs sound even better than the originals. Well worth a listen.

Willard Grant: more great facial hair by the look of the ads.

Kevin

kj,

I give in. 'Is A Woman' is a grower but the live experience was just so mundane that they might as well have not been there.

I really can't figure out the new Bonnie 'Prince' Billy from the reviews. I am a major fan of Master and Everyone and especially I See A Darkness but the reviews suggest something very odd indeed. More clues needed.

Bruce - I think I've buggered up with the WGC. Declined to go having not really clicked with Regard The End (although it sounds awesome as a HSCD) since I received it for Christmas. Might have a rethink before they sell out.

Mike

PS: Manchester are welcome to the Academy. Over-sized and acoustically displeasing shed that it is.

The new Bonnie Prince Billy does sound odd on paper. Basically, he covers his own early Palace tunes in a fairly traditional country style - ends up sounding like a cross between Gram Parsons and Lyle Lovett. The surprising thing about this is that the songs bloom in this setting. Songs that I've loved for ages like New Partner or The Brute Choir gain a completely different beauty. It's produced by Mark Nevers, who is part of Lambchop's studio setup and several other 'chop members. I'd be interested to hear what you think if you get a copy.

Kevin

Review here at Pitchforkmedia is interesting to say the least!

Do you think he liked it???? I think the cd is wonderfully playful. One review, I can't remember where, called it a true punk record, calculated to alienate fans with narrow expectations and confound expectations. I've always loved Parsons, Yoakham, Clarke and think it's just fine. I guess if you've come at Oldham via low fi without a C&W strand to your collection it might grate.

Kevin

Well we like lo-fi and C&W so despite the very odd reviews I think I'm going to take a punt on the new Billy. Thanks for the recommendation.