The current traffic craziness is getting worse, as 2 lots of roadworks on the M4 and a totally ludicrous parking space search around the top of Park Street conspired to make us very late for this sell-out gig, as we walked into the Anson Rooms just as support Lowgold were finishing their set. Bugger! So, we headed straight for the scrum at the bar instead, and tried to chill and chat amongst all the brand new Grandaddy student massive, before decamping into the main hall at the first audible signs of life from the stage.
Grandaddy are certainly striking while the iron is hot, following up their biggest gig to date (Shepherd's Bush Empire, gig 474) with a trawl around some good sized provincial venues, accompanied with a re-release of their stunningly delicious "The Crystal Lake" single from last year. It seemed odd in a way then, that this set was eerie and low-key, and took awhile to settle in to. No animals nonchalantly patrolling the stage either, although the green-lit stage set, resplendent with leaves and branches decorating the monitors, banks of keyboards and instruments, was cute and evocative. Nevertheless, despite the desolate and haunting "Miner At The Dial A View" early on, it took until a superb "Crystal Lake" to really shunt things along from eerie introspectiveness to glittering woodlands psychedelia. A subsequent, almost raucous "AM180" and a Ramones-like punkish blast through "Summer Here Kids", really got the crowd good and warmed up, but tonight's true highlight was the set finale "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot", which had previously struck me as somewhat cumbersome, but tonight soared in it's stark and beautiful simplicity. Saving the best until last tonight, and no mistake!
An encore run through "Non Phenomenal Lineage" and "So You'll Aim Toward The Sky" bookended this ultimately utterly splendid and totally worthwhile Grandaddy performance, which was rapturously received. Grandaddy, stumbling upwards and onwards!
And, of course, the drive home was quick and delay-free, which made missing Lowgold all the more galling. Bugger! Again!
Grandaddy are certainly striking while the iron is hot, following up their biggest gig to date (Shepherd's Bush Empire, gig 474) with a trawl around some good sized provincial venues, accompanied with a re-release of their stunningly delicious "The Crystal Lake" single from last year. It seemed odd in a way then, that this set was eerie and low-key, and took awhile to settle in to. No animals nonchalantly patrolling the stage either, although the green-lit stage set, resplendent with leaves and branches decorating the monitors, banks of keyboards and instruments, was cute and evocative. Nevertheless, despite the desolate and haunting "Miner At The Dial A View" early on, it took until a superb "Crystal Lake" to really shunt things along from eerie introspectiveness to glittering woodlands psychedelia. A subsequent, almost raucous "AM180" and a Ramones-like punkish blast through "Summer Here Kids", really got the crowd good and warmed up, but tonight's true highlight was the set finale "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot", which had previously struck me as somewhat cumbersome, but tonight soared in it's stark and beautiful simplicity. Saving the best until last tonight, and no mistake!
An encore run through "Non Phenomenal Lineage" and "So You'll Aim Toward The Sky" bookended this ultimately utterly splendid and totally worthwhile Grandaddy performance, which was rapturously received. Grandaddy, stumbling upwards and onwards!
And, of course, the drive home was quick and delay-free, which made missing Lowgold all the more galling. Bugger! Again!
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