790 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS "Here Comes Science" Family Show, London Royal Festival Hall, Saturday 26 June 2010

So, US indie pop masters of all that is quirky, geeky (in a clever rather than nerdish sense) and unorthodox, They Might Be Giants, hit the UK again after a 5 year hiatus with 2 shows on the same day, the evening gig a "normal" one (insofar as how close TMBG ever get to being normal!), and a matinee "family" performance showcasing their recent kid-orientated output, particularly current CD "Here Comes Science". TMBG had always had a jokey, abstract humour to their offbeat and instantly memorable US-alt indie pop tunes, so output targeted at a younger audience was a logical extension. This then was a great opportunity to take my 12 year old son Evan to his first ever gig; we'd been playing "No!" to him in the car since he was 5, and he'd enjoyed it so much he'd since "graduated" to TMBG's "adult" releases, but was nevertheless well up for this!

So, I picked him up from North Wales Friday, and we caught the train to London on a baking hot Saturday morning. Over to Embankment via Notting Hill Record Exchange to flog some old vinyl, hitting the South Bank in good time for packed lunch by the banks of the Thames, and a wander around a couple of exhibitions; in keeping with the "Science" theme, The Festival Hall was hosting a Science Fayre with lots of interactive stands, and also a "Flying Dinosaurs" exhibit with models of various Pterodactyls! This killed time enjoyably until we were called into the auditorium at 10 to 2. Took our seats about 2/3 back in the stalls, stage left, with a great view not only of the stage, but of a fantastic radio-controlled helium filled flying penguin circling the hall! Lots of families and kids in the crowd; Evan may actually have been one of the older kids present, as a 6 year old girl bounced in her seat behind me, excitedly exclaiming, "I love this band!"

The 5-piece They Might Be Giants took the stage at 1/4 past 2, easing into "Fibber Island" from their first "kids" CD, 2002's "No!" The sound was understandably more muted than for a "normal" gig, the house lights were dimmed but on pretty much throughout, and the set concentrated on the kid-orientated material, particularly "Here Comes Science". Nevertheless, TMBG didn't make too many concessions in their performance; an intermittent confetti cannon (particularly during a surprising "Older") and a lot of audience participation stuff is normal practice for them, and the offbeat humour was evident throughout. A splendid "813 Mile Road Trip" segueing into "Dr. Worm" was an early highlight, although the subsequent "Polka" lost a lot of it's normal oomph. "Why Does The Sun Shine?" was a silly "Pirate cabaret" version, with the 2 Johns adopting comedy "aaarrrr" accents and changing lyrics around to suit the pirate theme. "The Avatars Of They", a couple of sock puppets projected onto a big screen, were a funny interlude, particularly during encore "Stalk Of Wheat", and a final "Alphabet Of Nations", with a few alternative nations thrown in(!) was my highlight of a thoroughly entertaining set.

"We know what a long term commitment getting a child into a car can be," said enthusiastic frontman John Flansburgh at the end of the set, as a final confetti shower drew the 1 hour 20 performance to a close. We trotted down the front, picking our way through kids grabbing handfuls of confetti, and grabbed a set-list, before kicking around the Science stands one more time then heading back on the train. Not the usual TMBG gig, but enjoyable nevertheless from my perspective; and more importantly first-time gigger Evan thought it was, "brilliant!"

154 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, Trashcan Sinatras, Popinjays, London University Of London Union, Friday 16 February 1990

Back to ULU, with its' great bar, cheap prices and great football game machine; always a guarantee for a good night out! This was particularly the prospect for this intriguing gig from a quirky, funny new band recently introduced to me by PG. I don't know where he finds them from but I hope he doesn't stop! Fittingly, he was my gig buddy for tonight!

The Popinjays set was truncated by the overzealous roadcrew; a shame, as their Shop Assistants-style of ramshackle but sussed girlie pop was just getting going. Next up, The Trashcan Sinatras showed promise and invited comparisons with early Del Amitri and Aztec Camera with some well constructed strumalong Scottish pop.

As for They Might Be Giants? Well, this mad little two piece, backed up on rhythm by a ticking plinth-mounted metronome (!) were totally amazing! A headlong clash of cultures, styles, unorthodox noise and lyrics, played with humour, verve and huge talent by the two Johns, wielding guitar and squeezebox accordion respectively. What a strange, offbeat pair of Brooklyn boys, but what a great gig!

Oh, Jonathan King was there too, clad in orange camo (well, when you're Jonathan King I guess you can wear what you like, people are going to recognise you anyway), but he gave them a glowing write-up in his Sun music column the following week, under the heading "Fab Two Might Be The New Beatles"!

166 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, London Kentish Town Town And Country Club, Sunday 17 June 1990

One of the most eventful gig journeys ever for this one! Myself, Dave, PG and Jared set off in good time, but were held up for ages on the M4 and North Circular, and didn't hit the A40 going into London until 8 pm. That's when the troubles began... we took a wrong turning at Kings Cross, doubled back but were unable to retrace our steps due to a diversion, and ended up driving through The City! Eventually, in desperation, we just dumped the motor in the next car park we could find, which happened to be in Smithfield Market, found a thankfully nearby tube (Farringdon) and tubed it over to Kentish Town.

We got to the gig at 9.20, completely missing support the Ordinaires, and had to negotiate our way in; the promoters had cocked up our tickets but had put us on the guest list, but nobody seemed to know that! Bah! So we eventually got in a couple of minutes after TMBG had taken the stage! We piled down the front for the band; Messrs. Flansburgh and Linnell, the two Johns, the Wizards of Odd, again put on a spellbinding show of polkas, style and genre clashes, good old fashioned pop music and wild outlandish entertainment and fun. Highlights were a frenzied "Polka", a hoedown version of "Cowtown" and a brilliant, almost touching "Angel". Some mad screaming (the "audience participation element," the band called it) greeted the final encore "Folk Family". In retrospect, not quite reaching the heights of the ULU show, but still utterly unique and hugely enjoyable.

And just to cap off an eventful evening, we found out we'd parked the car in the middle of a load of meat warehouses, and returned to find huge articulated lorries offloading carcasses all around us! Never a dull moment, this evening... TMBG's John Linnell was moved to describe it onstage as, "an evening without parallel"; he didn't know the half of it!

203 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, Family Go Town, London Bloomsbury Theatre, Tuesday 4 February 1992

There are few better ways to kick off the new year, gig-wise, than a London jaunt to see They Might Be Giants with fellow devotee Mr. Garratt! First time for me at the Bloomsbury Theatre, a posh seated venue where, according to PG, the phrase "G'wannnn Teeeem!" was originally coined at a 1985 vintage James gig!

Support Family Go Town were on at 8 - an early one, this, good thing we got an early train! - and played the sort of innocuous zeitgeisty dance pop blast that would have sounded more apt as support to Thousand Yard Stare, for example. We decanted to the bar and sampled Mr. Branigan's beer nuts instead!

This odd Brooklyn two-piece, They Might Be Giants, actually featured a drumkit this time (well, one snare and one cymbal, at least) instead of the lectern-mounted metronome, but their musical approach is still sparse, tinny, clever-clever without venturing into smugness, and as funny as a barrel of monkeys. Being appointed the Official Band of International Space Year (allegedly) hasn't changed them; "we're promoting a record that isn't out for two months, so this next song represents the non-audience participation element of the show!"

"I Palindrome I" (whaaaat??) was the most memorable of the new stuff; "We Want A Rock" and oldie "Don't Let's Start" the best of the more familiar material. However, everyone was a winner as usual. Another remarkable show from an idiosyncratic yet thoroughly entertaining band!

274 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, Waltons, Brian Dewan, London Shepherd's Bush Empire, Saturday 1 October 1994

Following their "Top Band" performance at Reading Festival this year and a splendid, slightly more serious album in "John Henry", They Might Be Giants are having a good year, so I was well up for this London headliner. Did a bit of shopping "oop The Smoke" today, before popping along to this venue, a new (to me) theatre-type hall on the outskirts of Shepherd's Bush Green. Got there just before first support Brian Dewan took the stage; a suit-and-tied chap with a lap guitar, singing very strange songs about painted corpses and poking his eye out. Occasionally curiously entertaining, and certainly, on reflection, more memorable than The Waltons, a very ordinary wallpaper pop combo who recalled the likes of Crowded House and Aztec Camera, only not in a favourable light.

John and John, the 2 joint inspirations behind TMBG, joined us at 9.15, starting with the booming acapella of "O Do Not Forsake Me" (so much for my assertion that they'd never try that one live!) and, again joined by the full 6-piece band accompaniment, proceeded to rock the house! "Welcome to our ambient techno house mix," little John offered as the introduction to oldie "Don't Let's Start". A hugely entertaining, wryly funny, oddball, offbeat yet deliciously vibrant and tune-filled hour and 3/4 (including encores) ensued. Highlights? Lots to choose from but "Particle Man", "Angel" a gem again, "Whistling In The Dark" were amongst the best tonight. I joined the moshpit (yup, a They Might Be Giants moshpit! Will wonders never cease?) and danced my legs off. Quality control maintained after Reading; great stuff!

395 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, Catchers, London Garage, Monday 18 January 1999

A sell-out gig to kick off 1999's gigging year! Took the day off and had an afternoon up the Smoke with Rachel and her friend Sarah, shopping and visiting the Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum, before hitting the venue at 7 to successfully shift our spare ticket (poor PG is ill), getting into a Dutch auction and selling it for £25 to an American guy, much to the disappointment of the competing Greek lass! So, with my ill-gotten gains, I got the round in at a nearby pub, then we hit the venue in ample time for Catchers' set of unobtrusive strumalong songs at 9. Sort of a limp Irish Everything But The Girl, they were mildly diverting but nothing more.

Spotted Jonathan Ross (not Jonathan King this time!) and voluminously-proportioned wife arrive at the by-now heaving venue before TMBG took the stage at 10.15. Now a 7-piece "live" act, with 2 brass instrumentalists augmenting the line-up, they kicked off with a splendid "New York City", one of the rockier and bouncier, but no less sing-along, numbers from their last LP, 1997's "Factory Showroom", and proceeded to play a varied set of their clever, unique and fun US college pop. The set was very entertaining, if slightly self-indulgent (a few more songs and a little less twatting about would've helped for me) with highlights including a sing-along "Shoehorn With Teeth" and a frenetic early "Polka", played firstly very fast, then even faster! Big John Flansburgh was the main vocalist and focus, as he conducted the crowd with the ease of a seasoned carnival barker, with the manically grinning John Linnell contributing occasional lead vocals, some crazy tenor sax and squeezebox.

For me, though, the set picked up considerably for the encores; a brilliantly touching "Angel" and a riotous "Birdhouse In Your Soul" preceded some tomfoolery, with puppet heads singing "Exquisite Dead Guy" and big John getting a conga line going by exhorting the crowd, viz; "everybody conga! I'm NOT fucking kidding!!" So, I conga-ed at a gig - another TMBG first!

Oh yeh, and Jonathan Ross was down the front, singing along to a whole load of numbers, including obscure album tracks, so respect to him!

521 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, Cousteau, London Shepherd's Bush Empire, Monday 16 July 2001

Back to gigging in Blighty again, after our Boston trip! It didn't take too long either, thanks to a rare visit to these shores from Brooklyn's finest, the two Johns! So, old TMBG fan "Peej" (who introduced me to this band in the first place, playing me "Shoehorn With Teeth" back in 1988) collected Rachel and myself, and after a slight parking hiccup, we hit the Empire at 7.30 for a huge surprise - it's Monday night, it's TMBG, and yet the place is heaving!

This, unfortunately, meant that we didn't have too much room to move away from the bar and hide from support act Cousteau. I walked away from their Fleadh set, but there was no escape tonight! So we had to endure their inappropriate Nick Cave doomy balladry - apart from, as Peej pointed out, there being more death in Nick Cave songs! The band were OK, but the vocalist sucked big time.

But never mind; we had a treat awaiting us, and at the appointed hour of 9.15, the house lights went down, and white light and cacophonous noise heralded the arrival of the touring 5-piece They Might Be Giants. And immediately into "Angel", their touching, tender finest hour. Wow!

"It's great to play a place with so many... balconies!" the energetic John Flansburgh said, before introducing "Fingertips", their collection of cut-up soundbites from 1992's "Apollo 18" as, "a song we never get right!" I'd disagree; they totally nailed it for me! In fact, the whole of this set was pretty much spot-on; a superb collection of their uniquely oddball simple pop tunes, ranging from their entire recorded canon of work, played with their off-the-wall style and just enough quippy humour to sail this side of self-indulgence. "Birdhouse In Your Soul" ("our hit, back in the day!") was perfect, and rocked this packed-out house, and a raucous "How Does The Sun Shine?" sealed it for me. I'm pretty sure that the sheer amount of people present tonight surprised the 2 Johns as much as it did us, but their performance matched the occasion. Great stuff!

660 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, Galen Ayres, London Kentish Town Forum, Thursday 26 May 2005

The hectic May continues, thought not as hectically as expected due to the cancellation of the 2 Dear Leader London gigs - bah! Nevertheless, this is a first trip to Ye Olde Londone Towne for a gig, since last September! Also, first time at the Forum since God knows when! Rachel picked me up straight after work and we had an encouraging 2 1/2 hour drive straight in, hitting the venue at 10 to 8. This however meant enduring another in a long line of poor TMBG supports, the female-fronted Galen Ayres, who weren't bad, just dull, particularly when trying to be Coldplay/ Keane moody rather then their snappier, poppier fayre.

The place filled up notably thereafter for this still nowhere near sold out gig, and the two Johns and their cohorts took the stage a little after 9.15. Bounding straight into "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" with big John F on guitar, bouncing around the stage like a dirigible, it was clear they were in great form, playful, quirky, upbeat, poppy and downright fun as ever before. "Experimental Film" was a jaunty early highlight before the excellent new "Alphabet Of Nations" (which did exactly what it said on the tin!) and a brilliant double header of "Don't Let's Start" (their first ever single, introduced tonight as, "a new one!") segueing perfectly into a frantic "Why Does The Sun Shine", my personal highlight.

Then TV presenter and celebrity TMBG fan Jonathan Ross came onstage to introduce the "Venue Songs" section of the set - 9 numbers written about venues from TMBG's recent US tour, highlighting their supreme inventiveness. They subsequently roared back with a brilliant, almost poignant "Angel", the inevitable "Birdhouse In Your Soul" (which still manages to not sound overplayed!) and a stunning "Fingertips", an amalgam of soundbite hooks crushed together, which I wish my son Evan, a big TMBG fan, could have seen! "New York City" (which Rach had been jonesing for on the journey up) rounded off a fantastic 1 1/2 hours of cheesy grin-inducing fun and supreme entertainment. Just over 1 1/2 hours on the journey home too, to cap a memorable evening!