Judah & The Lion hail from Tennessee and first came to my attention when they supported Kaleo at the Barrowlands. That night they blew away the main act with their energetic, fun performance. When I realised they were coming back, I knew I had to see them again (I didn't realise they'd already been back in July, playing King Tut's at the very start of this tour). The gig was supposed to be at The Art School but was transferred to SWG3 in Glasgow's west end. I had never been to this particular venue before and wasn't sure how easy it would be to park nearby so snagged a brightly-lit space outside a local gym, opting to walk the rest of the way. We were running late so I didn't want to risk having to drive around to find a closer space. Then, as we approached the venue, we saw loads of empty parking bays. I began to wonder if the gig had been cancelled. The street was deserted. I would normally expect a stream of latecomers flowing towards the venue but the only people in sight were a gaggle of girls smoking outside plus a lone security person checking the tickets. We could hear that an indistinct din from inside telling us the support act had already started. Climbing a couple of staircases we entered a warehouse-like space with a low ceiling, visible beams supporting the floor above. The room was divided by a curtain, in front of which was the control desk, with the bar area behind it. The audience was sparse but that is not unusual for a support act. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the music. Sara 'N' Junbug are a young Scottish four-piece pop band with catchy songs and a fun attitude. I liked the twenty minutes that I caught and would go see them again. Maybe. They come across better live than they do in their youtube videos.
I wasn't overly alarmed by the small audience. However, at 8.20 pm, when the intro to 'Pep Talk' blasted out and there still weren't many more people, I was dismayed. It was a small crowd with lots of empty space. Judah & the Lion didn't disappoint though. They put in a varied and energetic performance, full of charisma and charm. Frontman Judah did his best to bring the crowd closer and engage them in singalongs and hand waving, even getting them dancing. Everyone looked like they were having a great time. It was just a shame there were so few people. They deserve a bigger audience. As well as tracks from their latest album, 'Pep Talks', they played covers such as Blink-182's 'All the Small Things' and Tom Petty's I won't Back Down', plus their rendition of 'Loch Lomond' and an original Tennessee hillbilly tune that I don't recall the name of.
The lighting was a little in-your-face because of the low ceiling, with the spotlights regularly blinding me. They made good use of the massive glitter ball though.
They finished their hour with the anthem, 'Take It All Back'. I recorded it on my phone but stopped the video early not expecting the lead singer to jump into the crowd to continue the song. That video file was too large to load here so the file below is the very end of the concert. It captures some of energy and warmth of their performance.
I was lucky enough to meet Tim Minchin after one of his early gigs at the Edinburgh Fringe. He was signing merch after the gig and I'd joined the long queue of swooning girls waiting to meet him. When I got to the front, I became totally starstruck. I barely managed to utter my name and he joked about how he should spell mumble mumble. I bought his CD and a canvas bag (which I never took to the supermarket because he'd signed it). I returned to my friends feeling that he was going to be a huge star. He had an amazing ability to construct comic songs, the talent to blow you away with his piano skills and a star charisma that grabbed your attention. I wasn't wrong. A few years later, he was playing large concert halls backed by the massive Heritage Orchestra having reworked his songs on a grand scale. It felt like he'd graduated to a higher level. Then we lost him to stage musicals and Hollywood (the latter of which he is still bitter about as the new studio execs wiped out five years of his life with one phone call). Still, he got a couple of songs out of the experience. Now he's Back, hence the tour title, doing what he loves. Only, this time, it's a little different. He starts as he normally does, bare of feet and big of hair, just him and the piano. There is a curtain behind him, curtailing the depth of the stage, just a couple of spotlights beaming down at him. We think maybe he's deliberately going small as he hasn't toured in eight years and wants to build his confidence. He admits when he put the show together it was always going to be more about the songs, not the comedy, suggesting he was wrongly categorised as a comedian. Then a few numbers in, he pulls a switcheroo. The curtain falls revealing his new backing band, complete with brass section. Columns, topped with spotlights, line the perimeter of the stage with a giant screen in the centre. The gig transforms into a rock concert, with new and old songs reworked for this new type of sound. It's a typical Tim move. He would never be satisfied giving us what we expected. It was a great gig. (I don't have any pictures of the performance for two reasons: firstly, a very funny sweary stage announcement instructed us not to, then Tim reinforced that message saying he wanted us to experience every moment of his show live, not from behind the lens of a camera. It seemed a fair request.)
Timings: Doors 6.30pm, Onstage 7.30pm, Show over 10.20pm. Setlist Set 1 - Before the Interval If This Plane Goes Down F Sharp Mitsubishi Colt Thank You God Rock N Roll Nerd 15 Minutes If I Didn't Have You Woody Allen Jesus Prejudice Set 2 - After the Interval Leaving L.A. Cheese I'll Take Lonely Tonight Fuck This
The IMAX countdown trailer promises a cinema experience like no other. Le Mans '66 delivers big time. You can feel the growling car engines in your chest and the giant screen takes you inside the races for maximum, nail-biting excitement. The script, casting and characterisation are all excellent. Known in America as 'Ford vs Ferrari' (because the Yanks might think it's a foreign film), the film stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, the team hired by Ford to dethrone Ferrari as kings of the track. Their battles are not just on the track though as their egos and those of the corporate suits clash to undermine the task. Of course, as it's based on a true story, the ending is never in doubt yet it still manages to surprise. It took me a while to place the English accents of Bale and Caitriona Balfe, who plays his wife. Then I realised it was by order of the Peaky Blinders, only with racing helmets instead of flat caps. Matt Damon's character was even called Shelby. I noticed a nice detail where Miles young son was wearing an Aston Villa football top while watching the telly. A moment I loved (without spoilers): during the Daytona race, I wanted to punch the air in delight, yet had a tear in my eye such was the excitement. Bale hasn't driven this fast since his turn in the batmobile.
Tonight was a masterclass in hilarity. From the moment he walked on stage, Tommy owned the room. Dressed all in black, save for the maroon band around his trilby and the white surround of his shoes, the comedy tinker eeked mirth from every pore. Lyrical at times, he always kept a twinkle in his eye and a cheeky grin beneath his grey beard to let everyone know he was joking, no matter how awful the thing he'd said. There was a tremendous physicality to his performance too which exaggerated every laugh. Having no support act helped transport us into his world, his voice (no matter which accent he was abusing) held us rapt from one beautiful line to the next belly-shaking whopper. The craic was flowing freely and it was a shame it had to end. The man claims to be made of dreams and I think that's true. I'll not remember many of his lines but I'll keep that warm memory with me for a lot longer. It was a great night. That was until my wife complained about my driving on the way home and we got into a fight, which she won with hurt silence. I wish I could travel back into Tommy's world. To sleep, perchance to dream of twenty-four-year-olds.
