lmost didn’t go along to the eagerly-awaited Albert Hammond Jr gig last night. Got a couple of phone calls late in the afternoon that left me feeling very low, and combined with the remaining jet-lag in the system, I wasn’t entirely in the mood.
But the thought of perhaps missing out on something special, and the fact that I hadn’t actually been in the ABC2 before, helped change my mind so off I went in the company of Mrs Villain.
We arrived just as the support act The Pierces were taking to the stage. And there were a substantial number of people gathered to watch. Mrs Villain’s first comment was “oh, it’s eye candy for the boys – it’s a good job my eye candy is the main act.”
This was a band fronted by two attractive young ladies – one very blonde and the other very brunette – backed by four blokes with big shaggy hair. My reply was to Mrs Villain was “I reckon they’re sisters.” After five songs the blond cutey says “Hi, I’m Catherine Pierce and this is my sister Alison Pierce.” So it turns out I was right. Cue rueful smile from Mrs Villain.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much as the band started out – it looked like another example of style over substance. But it turned out that there was quite a lot more to them than I would have imagined. The boys were a really tight unit while the girls really could sing, both as soloists and in harmony. The songs themselves were quite varied – there was folky/rootsy stuff mingled in with songs you could dance to. Indeed, Mrs Villain thought the girls had a touch of Shakira about them during one particular number.
Half an hour passed in a pleasant enough manner.
I did a little bit of research today – and discovered this at http://www.themodernage.org:-
ALBERT & GIRLFRIEND CATHERINE GO ON TOUR TOGETHER
The Pierces, sisters Catherine and Allison, are going gigging with Albert Hammond Jr at the end of this month during the UK leg of his solo tour. They are supporting their new album, ‘Thirteen Tales of Love and Rereleased which will be releasd in February 2007 on Lizard King Records.
Their live band includes Russell Simins of Jon Spencer Blues Experience, Shannon Ferguson of Longwave, Sammy James Jr of Mooney Suzuki and Ben Bromley of Fischerspooner.
The stunning siblings’ pretty blend of do-wop, blues and folk music is actually a perfect match for Albert’s quirky pop tunes. Should be a great bill.
I guess those who more in the know were aware of the status of the blonde Ms Pierce and the fact there was a ‘supergroup’ providing the backing. Kind of explains why so many were there from the outset.
And so to Mr Eye Candy himself.
I’ve already mentioned in previous postings that ‘Yours To Keep’ is one of my favourite albums of 2006. But how would it sound live? And would Master Hammond be a good enough front man?? And would we get morons demanding he play hits by his other band???
The answers – fabulous, yes and no.
I think this was the third or fourth gig of a short UK tour. Coxon Le Woof over at ‘To Die By Your Side’ has written his own positive review of the first night of the tour in Birmingham, but noted that sometimes the words were forgotten. Maybe it was opening night nerves cos there were no such problems in Glasgow.
The band opened with ‘In Transit’, the song that is the most Strokes-like on the album. The crowd went wild, and that set the tone for the evening. The pace never slackened, even when Albert discarded his electric guitar and played songs like ‘Blue Skies’. By and large it was a loud, rocky gig – with three guitarists, one bass player and one drummer it couldn’t be otherwise – but the sound all the way through was superb. Whether ABC2 is an outstanding venue or there was a particularly brilliant engineer on the desk I can’t say for certain. But Albert’s voice came through loud and clear at all times.
The main thing that struck me was this was a band that was really enjoying itself. Albert was forever smiling and chatting with the audience in-between songs – I got the impression he is almost overawed by the reaction there has been to the album and the live gigs. Sadly, it was all over in a little over 40 minutes. But there was no feeling that we had been short-changed in any way as this was top-quality from start to end – and what an ending it was with an incredible version of ‘Hard To Live In The City’.
This week sees the release of ‘101’ as a single. It’s a real radio-friendly number and if Rough Trade get their act together, it could get decent airplay and then hit the charts at a more than respectable position. If so, then the next tour will certainly take in venues substantially larger than the ABC2.
How good a gig was it? Well, Mrs Villain bought me a t-shirt at the end – something that only happens on a truly special night.
As Mr Eye Candy himself sang – Everyone Gets A Star. I’m awarding gold all round.
mp3 : Albert Hammond Jr – In Transit
That’s the 3rd song I’ve made available from a 10-song record. No more I’m telling you. Go out and buy it. It’s only £8.99.