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The mighty Mouse at Royal Albert Hall - 23 May 2007
24 May 2007, 11:31
Wed 23 May – Modest Mouse, Billy Childish
I didn't turn up to the venue until 20:30, so I missed the support act, who I had kind of wanted to see because I was trying to figure out why his name was so vaguely familiar. (I have subsequently discovered it was probably because he was the most notable figure in Tracey Emin's tent).
Any way, it did mean I was free to worm my way into a decent spot on the floor - right in front of Johnny Marr, as it turned out. And the band fashionably kept the crowd waiting for about fifteen minutes before storming with Paper Thin Walls as the opener.
A lot has been made of the sound quality -or lack thereof for a rock band to be playing in the RAH. I assumed the vocals were inaudible to me because of the fact I was right underneath Johnny Marr's speakers, but even when Isaac spoke between songs I could barely make out a word he said. Again, I assumed that's because he was too close to the mic, but surely someone of his experience doesn't make a schoolboy like that. The few things I did hear was him asking the guys at the top at the back (where, incidentally, a couple of my friends were sitting) if they could see/hear (?), and a rebuttal of the thought of playing Freebird (I take it that's becoming a running gag now). The crowd around me were shouting to have the vocals turned up, and they would have been within earshot of the band, and I think they did try to address it onstage, but there's only a limit with what you can do with amp levels.
The venue itself was pretty grandiose, but even as we were walking from the Tube station, we were thinking that alternative bands wouldn't exactly be queuing for a spot at that venue. There were posters for Simply Red's comeback. The sandwich bar had been converted into a criminally overpriced bar - £2.90 for a 285ml bottle of Carling, which was the cheapest drink by a long way. Then you weren't allowed to take them into any of the seating areas.
The first thing that struck me when I got to the floor was the fact that the security was barley visible (I actually didn't even know there was any until near the end). The crowd were really well-behaved as far as crowds go, with only one major incident during the encore. I couldn't see what happened, but Isaac stepped in, and he was still visibly angry when he was leaving the stage. My friends from the back said they thought he was trying to help a fan who was being manhandled by security.
Most of the set list was made up of We Were Dead..., and Good News... songs, but they did hold up the earlier stuff as well (just happened that it wasn't the songs I was hoping for, but they aren't my trained monkeys, so I'll live).
The band were so tight, especially the TWO drummers. At some points they were even sharing the same drumkit.
Johnny was made the star of the show by the photogs in front of the barrier. For about ten minutes at the start there was about five fixed solely on him, and none even on Isaac. Isaac went crazy during Doin the Cockroach, and started screaming into his guitar's pickup - which must have worked because I could hear him almost as well as with his mic.
The floor beneath me was trembling under the weight of synchronised jumping during Float On, and the crowd was in good spirits throughout. Before the band came on, the seated crowd managed to get a Mexican Wave going.
The band played a good hour and a half set, and you could see they up for the event, but the sound quality did ruin it for a lot of people (some even left early, according to their reviews. For me, it was the first time I had seen the Mouse, and was prejudiced to enjoy it no matter what and that served me well. Good Show.
I didn't turn up to the venue until 20:30, so I missed the support act, who I had kind of wanted to see because I was trying to figure out why his name was so vaguely familiar. (I have subsequently discovered it was probably because he was the most notable figure in Tracey Emin's tent).
Any way, it did mean I was free to worm my way into a decent spot on the floor - right in front of Johnny Marr, as it turned out. And the band fashionably kept the crowd waiting for about fifteen minutes before storming with Paper Thin Walls as the opener.
A lot has been made of the sound quality -or lack thereof for a rock band to be playing in the RAH. I assumed the vocals were inaudible to me because of the fact I was right underneath Johnny Marr's speakers, but even when Isaac spoke between songs I could barely make out a word he said. Again, I assumed that's because he was too close to the mic, but surely someone of his experience doesn't make a schoolboy like that. The few things I did hear was him asking the guys at the top at the back (where, incidentally, a couple of my friends were sitting) if they could see/hear (?), and a rebuttal of the thought of playing Freebird (I take it that's becoming a running gag now). The crowd around me were shouting to have the vocals turned up, and they would have been within earshot of the band, and I think they did try to address it onstage, but there's only a limit with what you can do with amp levels.
The venue itself was pretty grandiose, but even as we were walking from the Tube station, we were thinking that alternative bands wouldn't exactly be queuing for a spot at that venue. There were posters for Simply Red's comeback. The sandwich bar had been converted into a criminally overpriced bar - £2.90 for a 285ml bottle of Carling, which was the cheapest drink by a long way. Then you weren't allowed to take them into any of the seating areas.
The first thing that struck me when I got to the floor was the fact that the security was barley visible (I actually didn't even know there was any until near the end). The crowd were really well-behaved as far as crowds go, with only one major incident during the encore. I couldn't see what happened, but Isaac stepped in, and he was still visibly angry when he was leaving the stage. My friends from the back said they thought he was trying to help a fan who was being manhandled by security.
Most of the set list was made up of We Were Dead..., and Good News... songs, but they did hold up the earlier stuff as well (just happened that it wasn't the songs I was hoping for, but they aren't my trained monkeys, so I'll live).
The band were so tight, especially the TWO drummers. At some points they were even sharing the same drumkit.
Johnny was made the star of the show by the photogs in front of the barrier. For about ten minutes at the start there was about five fixed solely on him, and none even on Isaac. Isaac went crazy during Doin the Cockroach, and started screaming into his guitar's pickup - which must have worked because I could hear him almost as well as with his mic.
The floor beneath me was trembling under the weight of synchronised jumping during Float On, and the crowd was in good spirits throughout. Before the band came on, the seated crowd managed to get a Mexican Wave going.
The band played a good hour and a half set, and you could see they up for the event, but the sound quality did ruin it for a lot of people (some even left early, according to their reviews. For me, it was the first time I had seen the Mouse, and was prejudiced to enjoy it no matter what and that served me well. Good Show.
Comments
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vidanes wrote:
Cool! I can't wait to see them in Barcelona! But I will have to make a huge decision: Modest Mouse Vs. Maximo Park... -
FrozenWarnings wrote:
billy childish was good i thought. The sound was better and he was pretty funny. -
Crok wrote:
I'm really disappointed I missed Billy Childish too! I went up and left my house early in order to catch them only to be flummoxed by the damn metropolitan and circlelines consistantly rendering themselves static. -
theboredone wrote:
where he spazzed out but i couldnt agree with ur review more! Tiny Cities was the stand out though it was an amazing 8 min version that made me shout my fuckin lungs out! -
kingrizla wrote:
Billy Childish is something a one trick pony. I'm a bit of a sucker for fuzzed up sixties styled bands but by the end of the set I was pretty well bored stiff of poor renditions of great records by a wise-cracking been-there-done-that smart arse never-has-been.
Also, your mates were right. The security wankers decided an appropriate response to some fifteen year old surfing was to beat his ribs in. Fortunately Isaac spotted it and intervened by pulling them off him and inviting them to take a piece of himself instead which obviously was as inviting as a 8 st 15 year old. Good man Isaac.
Float on was disappointing but Tiny Cities was unbelievable. -
_sonners wrote:
was a lot better than when i saw them at the koko. Still i think it could of been better.
but i do no what your on about with the sound, it was really poor for such a venue i thought. -
nezzacore wrote:
the problem with the sound was the high end, it was really bad and was distorting the rest of the sound, i put my ear bud headphones on to act as ear plugs and it worked a treat, i could hear everything perfectly.
It was a good performance, but i was just a little dissapointed at what they played as im more of a fan of lonesome crwoded west and moon and antarctica stuff, but spitting venom, doin the cockroach and a few of the other tracks were awesome.
Would i would have give to hear cowboy dan, lounge (closing time), 3rd planet or karma payment though!
Oh yeah Billy Childish really bored the piss out of me, i think Jimi would have turned over in his grave had he heard their cover of fire. It really was boring bog standard garage rock. -
nooboom wrote:
For me, it was the first time I had seen the Mouse, and was prejudiced to enjoy it no matter what and that served me well. Good Show. Totally agree, and thats an attitude i think the other reviewer of this gig could try risking. Despite the sound being a bit iffy, which i think is probably a problem that would plague most acts playing at the royal albert hall, the band were brilliant. I'm no connoisseur of architecture but the royal albert hall is an amazing building regardless of sound quality. I had a great time. -
nezzacore wrote:
Yeah the architecture is amazing, great venue, aesthetically. soundwise, i think its more adept to classical, chamber and choral type performances, rather than rock concerts.
The roof had my attention for ages though, those lights were amazing, i got some wicked photos of them on my phone. -
macca7174 wrote:
it was tiny cities where he spazzed out
Ah yes, that's true actually.
i put my ear bud headphones on to act as ear plugs and it worked a treat, i could hear everything perfectly.
I wish I had of known about that... ah well... live and learn.
