Five years of performance art
reduced to a single leafty sprouting taped to Yan’s sleeve? Which is gone almost
immediately anyway, cast aside a few songs in, during a routinely chaotic ‘Apologies
To Insect Life’. Which is a shame, obviously. You didn’t love them because of
the eccentric foliage and stage-set taxidermy, but it made you embrace them more,
certainly. It didn’t contribute directly to the searing, victorious guitars of
‘Remember Me’, for instance, performed tonight in all its naked glory, but instead
gave it an engaging place to call home. But British Sea Power seem to have
developed maturity issues – they’ve got that burning post-debut desire to be taken
seriously, sans props. Which is in many ways a disappointing outcome for a band
that burned round the clock as a beacon of theatre and knowledge in a sea of shallow
attitude and pedestrian performance. But it is hard to take too many points
away on presentation when the content impressively carries more weight with every
outing. ‘Larsen B’ seems superfluous in the context of ‘Open Season’, a little
heavy footed for all its company, but as it trips over riff after riff after interlaced
melody in its mezmerizing climax tonight it proves they ain’t short of ideas.
Not by a long chalk. And there will be no use here for that chalk either, no outlines
necessary, there is life aplenty up there. There are two aged men performing a
wild bucking-bronco dance before of us as if to offer gusty confirmation of that,
as ‘Spirit Of St Louis’ plays their tightest hand. Some of the older songs
are starting to become solidly classic, played as if they’ve seen many a season
come and go now. ‘Fear Of Drowning’s ever ethereal guitar line and monumental
beat feel etched into the fabric of the room. But the newer songs really make
strides unleashed. ‘How Will I Ever Find My Way Home’ is bright and unapologetic,
outplaying the album version. ‘Please Stand Up’ builds with a sense of purpose,
like the Flaming Lips rooted in the real world and sees a man (part of the unashamed
bucking bronco party) stood on a barrier with his arms aloft for the duration.
Quite. ‘North Hanging Rock’ takes well placed baby steps forward and is very beautiful
in its organic formation. Stony-faced Noble even offers up a modest smile as it
spirals powerfully upward. ‘Lately’ sits pretty at the end of the set,
and that is where the festivities really begin. You can fill in the dots yourself
from hereon in. There are bird noises peppered throughout the set. Eamon is the
misshapen wind-up toy soldier in the reductions box he always was. This is still
a recognisable band. But as much as we mourn all that has departed from the experience,
we also have to concede that they’ve got exactly what they wanted. They are the
band they wanted to be, without the perceived novelty. Relevant sites:
http://www.britishseapower.co.uk
James Berry for Crud Magazine 2004©
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| 04/05 British Sea Power - Live - Scala, London
04/05 Eels - Live - Royal Festival Hall, London
04/05 Doves, Elbow, Longview - Carling 24 , Manchester
04/05 Joy Zipper, ICA London
04/05 The National - 100 Club, London
04/05 Redjetson / Liberez / Twentysixfeet - Marquee, London
04/05 The Warlocks - Bethnal Green Working Men's Club
12/04 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - ULU, London
12/04 Elbow - Live -Brixton Academy, London
12/04 Franz Ferdinand - Live - Alexandra Palace, London
12/04 Morning Runner - Kings College London
12/04 Carling Weekend Reading Festival 2005
12/04 Sigur Rós - Brixton Academy, London
12/04 Crud Top 20 Albums 2005 |  |
January 2001
July - August 2001
September - October 2001
November - December 2001
January - March 2002
April - July 2002
August - December 2002
January - March 2003
May - August 2003
November 2003
January - March 2004
April - September 2004
October - December 2004
January - March 2005
April - December 2005
January - August 2006
September - December 2006
January - September 2007
October - December 2007
January - May 2008
June-December 2008
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