“I
wish they [Grandaddy] would come back…”
I
called this gig, way back on Bonfire Night 2010 (gig 797), when former (and
future!) Grandaddy mainman Jason Lytle played a short but sparkling set of his
former charges’ numbers, in support of Midlake, one of many bands to briefly
and undeservedly claim the title of “the new Grandaddy”… We didn’t want a new
Grandaddy, we just wanted the old one back! One of the finest and most
consistent bands of the late 90’s/ early 00’s with their blend of parched yet
warm alt-Country and lush, woozy psychedelia, and the only band to be my
Reading Festival “Band of the Weekend” twice (also being one “New-Order-playing-Joy-Division-songs”
set short of winning that honour 3 times!), they’d been much missed since their
2006 split. But now, after a short (relatively speaking for reunion bands these
days) hiatus, they’re back, easing in with sporadic US gigs and Festivals, then
a new album, this year’s fine and melodic if hardly groundbreaking and very
typical “Grandaddy”-sounding “Last Place” and, finally, a tour!
Tix
were duly snapped up on the first opportunity, so a sunny Spring evening saw
Rachel and myself depart early, this time avoiding the annoying and copious
Bristol roadworks by heading up the hill to the Level 5 Trenchard entrance! We parked
up and hit the venue in good time to meet up with Bristol friends Kiron and
Alison, and their friend Mike, for some rock chat, before popping into this
large auditorium for openers Amber Arcades, on at 8 as advised by vocalist
Annelotte, manning the merch stand earlier! After easing in with a slow-burn
opener, they hit their stride with “Right Now”, my favourite on their sweetly
low-key, pastoral and strumalong Belle And Sebastian meets Stereolab debut album
“Fading Lines”. However this and the subsequent “Come With Me” were much more
overt and dynamic “live”, and dare I say it, much more “rocking” than even
their Nada Surf support slot last year, before they diverted back into more
pastoral territory again, “This Time” featuring some hazy, smooth harmonies. I
tried hard not to make the obvious Bettie Serveert comparisons as well (Dutch
band, blonde vocalist wearing a baseball cap, quirky indie pop etc.), as the
Stereolab-esque metronomic groove of “Turning Light” closed out a fine opening set.
We
repaired to the back bar between sets, then the buzzer signified Grandaddy’s
imminent entrance, so we headed back into the now-packed venue, unfortunately
pitching up in a cramped spot ¾ back with tall blokes in front of us, chatty
cathys behind, and a pile of coats on the floor which I kept tripping over. Not
great viewing, but luckily there was a large screen backdrop which projected films
of nature and industry (plus lots of long ol’ freight trains) throughout, to
complement Grandaddy’s musical performance. As for the boys themselves; they
wandered on just after 9, again looking like 5 Amish farmhands who’ve taken a
wrong turning, and eased into the chugging, melancholy “Hewlett’s Daughter”,
the mix clear and precise albeit for Jason’s high-pitched, Neil Young vocals,
which were a little echoey. “Hi – OK, now I got the talking out of the way!”
quipped Lytle before the languid ballad “Yeah Is What We Had”, and to be fair,
apart from fulsomely praising short-notice stand-in guitarist Shaun, thereafter
he let the music did the talking!
My
7th time overall “live” experience of these Modesto natives, yet the
first since Reading Festival 2003 (13½ years ago!); damn, that’s awhile! The
warm and fuzzy “Laughing Stock”, featuring raindrop-like keyboard patterns, was
a lovely early highlight, like a hazy, half remembered dream, underpinning a lushly
melodic yet low-key set start. However “The Crystal Lake” finally showed some
of the power of old, the haunting, plaintive riff building to a strident, dramatic
and powerful denouement, , the wolf bearing its’ teeth at last, allaying my
fears that this set might be lazily sliding into a “Grandaddy by numbers” performance.
The abrasive keyboard riff of newie “Evermore” recalled an eerie 60’s spy film
soundtrack; then the unmistakable riff of “AM180” preceded a potent, tough
rendition and the set highlight thus far. Great, but ultimately topped by set
closer “Now It’s On”, groovy and dynamic, a thing of wonder and plangent beauty.
I
tired of stepping on the coat pile, and took a solo push forward for the
encore, rather infuriatingly finding plenty of space to at least swing a small
rodent about 3 rows from the front, stage left. Bah! If only I’d known… Jason
announced, “one new song and one old song,” for the encore, and “The Boat Is In
The Barn” preceded a snappy, punkish blast through “Summer Here Kids”, to
finish a variable yet overall thoroughly enjoyable set, an entirely valid and
worthwhile return for these old favourites.
A
surreal moment afterwards; I grabbed the list and a fellow punter asked for a
photo of it, he couldn’t get a decent pic so I said, “no worries, I’ll put it
on my blog,” to which he replied, “hang on, are you Dave Rose?” Turns out he –
Andrew – and I crop up at the same gigs occasionally so he checks out my blog
afterwards. So hi Andrew, hope you enjoyed this one, and see you down the front,
dude! Farewells and a quick chat with Annelotte, again on the merch stand, then
we navigated our way around the worst of the Bristol roadworks for a return
before midnight. So overall, it still felt as though Grandaddy were/ are easing
themselves back in, but no matter – I wished they’d come back, and I’m glad
they have!
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