Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Rock City, Nottingham

 Supported By Night Beats

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Babyshambles, Rock City, Nottingham

Supported by Sweet Return, Another Day & Max Bianco

 

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Heaven 17, Octagon Centre, Sheffield

 

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Feeder, Academy, Leeds

 

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Belly, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

 

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Pixies, Academy, Birmingham

Supported by Big Special

So this is my sixth Pixies gig. I saw them five times first time around up until 1991 but then they split up in 1993. I've seen them only once since they reformed in 2003, that was at Leeds Festival in 2005. 30 years ago... Where does the time go? but to be fair they never come to Nottingham any more like they did in their heyday, so here I am at the Academy in Birmingham. Not one of my favourite places but it's going to be great to get reacquainted with Black Francis and co.

First though are local lads Big Special who say they met just around the corner at Matthew Boulton College. They seemed to consist of just a drummer and a man with his thumbs up. Turns out he’s the singer but doesn't have an instrument. Yet there is a secret guitar playing somewhere and some keyboards as well... Yes, we have another karaoke merchant.  

That aside... they are nice lads who are clearly delighted to be supporting the band they described as the best in the world and they do make quite a good 'manufactured' sound. I particularly liked the secret saxophone on what they described as their new song. 

Pixies take the stage without a word and ease into the instrumental ‘Cecilia Ann’ perhaps a sign that they are simply going to let the music speak for itself because there is no banter, no theatrics and no attempt to involve the crowd in a singalong just a tightly wound set of one relentless classic song after another. 

Song two is one of those classics ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’ but obviously without Kim Deal. Emma Richardson, of Band of Skulls fame, takes on the vocal and the bass guitar that is so fundamental to their sound. She nails both. 

'Wave Of Mutilation' and 'Planet Of Sound' hurtle along in the Monkey's wake. Then we are treated to material from albums I am less familiar with along with tracks from their new and tenth album, ‘The Night the Zombies Came’. This pattern of old and new continues seamlessly throughout a generous 28 song set.

Of course, the ravages of time meant I wasn’t expecting Black Francis to yelp like a lunatic as much as he used to but even at 60 he still howls his way through the magnificent 'Caribou' and commands the stage throughout. Although he does have to keep reaching for his reading glasses to read the set list. Which is great really. So he's not a God after all, he's just like the rest of us. 

Then there's Joey Santiago, whose guitar used to shred my eardrums for days after one of their gigs. Then again... I might struggle with my hearing at that work meeting tomorrow. The ears are also not helped by the volume of David Lovering’s precision drumming.

Other highlights... a brutal 'Gouge Away’, the wonderful ‘Hey’, the brilliant 'Here Comes Your Man', an amazing ‘Where Is My Mind?’ and then there’s ‘Debaser’, still snarling and shredding ears after all these years.

The finale comes via a particularly unhinged ‘Tame’ before Richardson’s take on the hypnotic 'Into the White' ends the night. There is no encore and instead the band then come together centre stage to show their appreciation to us as we show our appreciation to them. 

I was a little sceptical of how good they would be after all these years but I needn't have worried because while it was different they were still once again immensely special. 

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Rock City, Nottingham

Supported by Dan Ottewell &  Amigo the Devil

First up tonight is 18-year-old Dan Ottewell from Ashbourne and his electric guitar. To say he is delighted to be here and playing to a sold-out Rock City is the understatement of the year. He bounced onto the stage like an overexcited puppy where he tells us of his nights’ crowd surfing here and when he broke his nose in the mosh pit. Clearly this is his first time the other side of the crowd barrier. After performing his entire, excellent, set as high as a kite he gets his girlfriend up on stage to take a photo of him in front of the crowd. Then he departs for a well deserved lie down.  

Next up after Dan is the not much calmer Danny Kiranos, otherwise known as Amigo the Devil, who is based in San Francisco. His band start with a promise of lies, some weird shit and a cry of ‘happy birthday’. He describes their music as Dark Country and he has a great collection of love songs. One is called 'I hope your Husband dies', an ode to said Husband's wife. Then there's another belter entitled 'Crying at the Orgy' and then there's 'Hungover in Jonestown' where he gets everyone singing along to the chorus... this life is a joke and death is the punchline. 

I'm already getting into Dark Country and Frank Turner has yet again found not one but two great support bands. 

And so, onto the man himself, with the Sleeping Souls of course, and his new album Undefeated. He tells us that this is his 31st show in Nottingham and his 3016th in total. 

There's not much to say about his set as it's as brilliant as ever. He opens with two from the new album 'No Thank You for the Music' and the 'Girl From the Record Shop' and plays another five from that record including the excellent 'Letters'. 

There is of course plenty of old favourites too with the crowd singing back the words to him of every one of them, old or new. And yes, he ends up in the crowd at the end.

Doves, Rock City, Nottingham

Supported By White Flowers 

Support tonight is from Preston duo Joey Cobb and Katie Drew known as White Flowers who appear as a three piece tonight. Their sound is somewhat ethereal and they are very good but sadly they don’t hold the majority of the crowd’s attention. Their set maybe spoilt by the chatter of the crowd but not by their own; the lead singer does speak at the start but then after a short 25-minute set they just finish and walk off without a word. So not chatty themselves and maybe miffed at the inattention of the audience. 

To be fair, Doves aren’t very talkative either but then they do open with an instrumental ‘Firesuite’ and will later close with one.

It is largely just great to have Doves back after a very troubled few years. The tour for their last but one album ‘The Universal Want’ back in 2021 was side-lined due to Covid and then cancelled because frontman Jimi Goodwin was struggling with various health issues. 

Now four years on they are back with ‘Constellations for the Lonely’ which not understandably they describe as ‘dark’ but they are still without Goodwin, so the Williams brothers drummer Andy and guitarist Jez take centre stage. They are bolstered by the addition of four other musicians. 

So, they have not one but two new albums to promote although they still somehow end up playing a set mostly of their classics. A gorgeous 'Snowdon', the wonderful 'Winter Hill' and a brilliant ‘Pounding’ among many others. 

Jez steps up to take on most of the vocal duties. He has the added issue, he tells us, he's struggling with his voice - not that you can tell. 

Andy vacates the drums on occasion to do vocals as he does on 'Last Year’s Man' from the new album and on 'Kingdom of Rust' in the encore where he starts up front on vocals before returning to his drumkit halfway through. 

‘Here It Comes’, a classic from their debut album ‘Lost Souls’ in 2000, is dedicated to the absent Goodwin who they assure us is here in spirit. 

After set closer ‘Black and White Town’ they return for a four-song encore that ends with the instrumental 'Space Face' from their Sub Sub days.

The Futureheads, Rock City, Nottingham

Supported By Cucamaras & Du Blonde

The last time I saw the Futureheads was six years ago at the Rescue Rooms, so I’m curious about why we’re at Rock City tonight. It’s only about half full, with the balcony closed and just one bar open. I hope they got a good deal. 

There are two support bands with the opening slot given over to a local band each night. Tonight, it is Nottingham’s Cucamaras who self-describe as ‘post-something’. Sadly, I am too late to catch anything but their last song which sound great with it’s fuzzy riffs and post-something-ness. Damn, I should have got her earlier.  

Then there’s a very quick turnaround before we get Du Blonde which is the stage name of Beth Houghton. She’s from Newcastle Upon Tyne so I hope she gets on with our Sunderland based headliners. 

Houghton is no solo artist and is fronting a six-piece band tonight with some seriously strange outfits going on.  

 

A mix of a bit of glam and a bit of ‘what I just got up in’ but never mind what they look like just feel the music. Which is a decent poppy guitar fare that they certainly put their heart and soul into. I shall try not to insult them by comparing them to Echobelly from the 90s. 

Rock City has now filled up a bit with middle-aged folk like me as the Futureheads take to the most minimalist stage setup I’ve ever seen. I mean who needs gadgets, gimmicks and fancy backdrops. All they need is their guitars and a drumkit. 

Then we’re into the first chant-along of the night with the ‘The Beginning of the Twist’. 

The band have the already converted crowd in the palm of their hands as they quickly rattle through ‘Struck Dumb’, ‘Decent Days and Nights’, ‘Radio Heart’ and ‘Meantime’ barely taking breath. 

The set is largely a nostalgia trip as you would expect as there’s only been one new album in the last thirteen years. This was ‘Powers’ in 2019 from which we get just the one track ‘Good Night Out’. 

 

There’s a mid-set breather where the band down their instruments and go all acapella. I didn’t show much interest in ‘Rant’ the acapella album they did in 2011 but ‘Beeswing’ tonight is excellent. 

Aside for the ‘hits’ there’s plenty of banter, mostly between themselves but occasionally they involve the audience usually when over-explaining the reason behind the next song.  

 

Sadly, were all too soon at the end where the brilliant ‘Carnival Kids’ leads us to the closing ‘Hounds of Love’. They are tempted back for a three song encore before after ‘Man Ray’ that is really is out lot.