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Remy Zero, Starsailor and Travis @ Astoria, 04.02.02

a picture of Starsailor

James Berry wandered across to the Astoria for a very fine evening of pant swinging and downtempo shy-rocking with Starsailor and their chums.

09/01/2002

Well, it’s a way to stand out, that’s for sure. They take to the stage before 3 acts that could easily fill this venue on their own, and have, 3 acts who’s collective sighs define – to varying extents – mainstream coffee-table lost-in-love angst, 3 acts who could probably ignite the stale Astoria air with the phosphorus whiff of hype and expectation. Remy Zero have the opportunity to land like a sabre toothed tiger amongst the pigeons. Inevitably they don’t quite manage that, but they at least snarl and rock and distort and wail a bit. And anyhow, whispering "boo" would scare your average Starsailor fan into the foetal position. The 5 piece from Birmingham, Alabama have got the streamlined rock thang down to the last Pearl Jam stylee arched back. Forthcoming album ‘The Golden Hum’ on this evidence could turn out a tune-laden treat, even if they do remind us of Live here and there. Could have just been the way the lights hit frontman Cinjun Tate's scalp.

It’s small wonder that Starsailor’s egos have been vacuum packed down enough to fit onto this bill as a support act, never mind second on, because what we find tonight is a very different band to the nervous doe-eyed college boys aiming tentatively at something soaring and sweet, as they were this time last year. Even back then they looked unlikely to find it and now, with little extra to match James Walsh’s swelling cranium (or for that matter his gut) save for some unconvincing distortion and starched, over-practiced rock moves, they don’t even seem to be facing in the right direction. You’d say they were stuck in their ways, but they don’t seem to own their own. And what chance do they have of rescuing the situation when The Other Three barely even seem involved in the music.

Ryan Adams, on the contrary, is more than involved. He’s had a game of poker with it, stuck on a Hank Williams CD, grabbed his acoustic, shared a bottle of Tennessee whisky and is currently trying to keep it upright. And in tonight’s company he is nothing short of a revelation. Revelations can be wasted, right? In a set littered with gaps, stuttered starts, irreverent anecdotes, rambles and ranging mirth (each holding more style than you could ever pray for incidentally), the moment he drifts into song, – sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by a 2 piece string section – everything is slight, authentic, rough, deeply soulful and utterly perfect. A set of almost entirely brand new music – including the brilliant ‘World War 24’ (not about the obvious but "the way my girlfriend dresses") – he finishes with James Walsh guesting, who may suck away any personality onstage, but at least offers honourable backing to a mournful piano led ballad.

After such shockingly simple and inherently natural rock n roll perfection Travis were always going to seem like a repeat on for the thirteenth time that just couldn’t be as good as you remembered it the first time. And we haven’t even seen them that may times. Not that it isn’t always a joy to see Andy rip the Keith Richards out of notes more destined for Kings Of Convenience, Dougie increasingly morph into an animated camp David Bowie (sadly no ‘All The Young Dudes’ cover tonight though) and Fran play the nations favourite storyteller. But what should have been a back to their roots indie-dive rockathon ended up their trademark polished please everyone arena show in a smaller room. But they do finish with ‘The Man Who’s fabulously excessive secret track 'Flashing Blue Light’, almost tripping over themselves to rock (remember when it was all they wanted to do… ahhh), which makes us happy. But nobody could take the night away from Ryan Adams. Now which bar/gutter do you think he’ll have ended up in?

James Berry for Crud Magazine© 2002




01/02 Andrew WK - She Is Beautiful
01/02 Elbow - Asleep In The Back
01/02 Jimmy Eat World - The Middle
01/02 Judge Jules - Clubbed
01/02 Lunatic Calm - Interview - I Can't Techo Satisfaction
01/02 Matt Pond PA - Interview
01/02 Mull Historical Society - Interview - Watching Xanadu
01/02 Nelly Furtado - On The Radio
01/02 Robert Walker - There Goes The Neighbourhood
01/02 South - From Here On
01/02 Vendetta Red - Interview
01/02 Zac Foley - EMF Death
02/02 Juliana Theory - Interview
02/02 Ninja Tune Showcase
02/02 Travis/Starsailor/Ryan Adams/Remy Zero - London Astoria
02/02 The Starlets - Interview
03/02 Akira DVD

03/02 Andrew WK - Coordinates Interview
03/02 Athlete - Live at the Deptford Bear, London
03/02 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Live - London Astoria
03/02 BYO Records
03/02 Hem Interview
03/02 Hoobastank - Crawling In The Dark
03/02 Kinesis - Interview
03/02 LBH - Everybody Sees It In My Face
03/02 Loveless Records
03/02 Pulp - Bad Cover Version
03/02 Six By Seven - The Way I Feel Today
03/02 Sound Of Urchin - Throwin Tomatos
03/02 Sum 41 - Motivation
03/02 Charlatans - We're So Pretty
03/02 The Coral - Introducing - The Skeleton Key
03/02 The Magnetic Fields - Claudia Gonson Interview
03/02 Ikara Colt / The Parkinsons / 80s B-Line Matchbox Disaster - London Garage

January 2001
July - August 2001
September - October 2001
November - December 2001
January - March 2002
April - July 2002
August - December 2002


 
 
 
 

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