I originally had a ticket for Hue and Cry at Paisley Town Hall tonight, but gave it away when the girls announced their date for Edinburgh, the only Scottish gig of this tour. As much as I love the Kane brothers, The Hot Damn! are a class above anything else live.
Doug's car was having electronics trouble, so I drove the four of us to Edinburgh. Doug acted as my personal sat-nav, directing us to a free spot of on-street parking near the Tesco Bank office. From there, we hopped onto the tram to the city centre, where Doug headed off to meet up with his son.
The rest of us made our way to The Alexander Graham Bell for some afternoon refreshments. It was jam-packed, with few tables for four, so we almost gave up on eating there. It took a while before we were able to push two tables together and dine. Much cheapness, though!
Suitably nourished, we headed over to the Old Town to find the venue. Then, having done so, and it not being open, we decided on Bannermans for our next refreshment. There, Gill and Lzi from The Hot Damn! were having a pre-show drink. They had company, so we didn't bother them.
The Mash House is situated halfway up Hastie’s Close in the Cowgate, just a few steps away from La Belle Angele, and has a live show capacity of 230. The gig was close to being sold out (Gill informed us it was the best-selling date of this tour). I'd never been in it before, but liked it. It had an intimate atmosphere with a good sound system, although they went a bit overboard with the smoke machine and lighting, as many small venues do.
The start time of tonight's show was brought forward from 7 pm to 6:30 pm to accommodate the addition of a second support act, Ayrshire's The Breathing Method. Their rhythm guitarist was on vocal duties as they'd recently parted ways with their singer. The bassist helped out on backing vocals, shouting out their heavy(ish) rock choruses. They were pretty good, though I'd like to hear how that sound changes when they get a new singer.
Kit Trigg was phenomenal. I'd not been aware of his work before, but he's a great guitarist and vocalist. He gives off a joyful vibe with his music (and happy resting face). The first track reminded me of Beck with its funky vibe and lyrics, but he then moved on to more solid rock territory.
Goin' for Glory
The Hot Damn! blew it out of the park tonight. I've seen them twice before, but tonight, the band were so tight (and not just because of the small stage). Gill's vocals were off the charts, as was her swear quotient, even with her mum in the audience. The band has great tunes and choreography, bringing a lot of fun to the show. If they're going to cover a song, they make it their own, literally. Abba's Gimme Gimme Gimme tonight contains the lyric "Gimme Gimme Gimme Hot Damn after midnight". I filmed a tiny clip of this song (see below). Filming the rest of the gig was difficult due to the bright spotlights, the smoke haze (I could hardly make out Josie on drums), and my standing position (a punter's head often blocking my view of Lzi on the right), even though I only had one person in front of me. The back of Lorna's head makes a cameo in many of my photos. Her boyfriend turned out to be a rock-adjacent legend, with his dad roadying for Uriah Heap back in the day. His first gig was when he was three months old. I won't repeat his story about what went on between Sharon Osbourne and Randy Rhodes backstage at the Apollo.
A snippet of cover Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
For all that, though, I still had a great time. The positive buzz lived on the following morning, after a great night's sleep (for a change). Who knew The Hot Damn! could cure insomnia? Not something they'd want on their posters.
Setlist:
Sorry. I never saw the setlist, and it's not updated on setlist.fm.
Ticket Price: 4 x £14 = £56, plus £5.60 Service Fees, plus, £1.65 Delivery Fee = £63.25 from TicketWeb.
The merch stall
The Breathing Method
Press photographer (Santa was also there, not in costume)
As I walk to the Hydro from the car, there's a blustery, chilly wind (as opposed to a chilli wind, which is far messier). Security has been ramped up at the venue with the introduction of walk-through metal detectors inside the entrance tent. I get asked to stand aside for a further check, flaggedby a supercilious official. The girl dealing with these checks appears harassed. She needs to scroll through the images on her tablet until she finds me, which takes a moment due to the large number of people flowing through. She doesn't use her wand, but simply asks me what is in my pocket. I show her my wallet. She then asks what is in the other pocket. I show her my keys. "Your keys are metal," she exhales. "Go on in". No pat down, no wand scan. I show her some metal. She lets me in. It was that stupid.
There's no problem getting in after that, and, after a quick squint at the merch, I make my way upstairs to section 207. The arena is laid out for seating, with most of the audience still to arrive. This has hardly changed when Turin Brakes take to the stage for their acoustic set. Though I'm unfamiliar with their work, I'm initially impressed, but the longer they play, the more vapid they sound. This feeling isn't helped by the chatty wags behind me, who are shouting over the music to hear each other. No class!
Setlist: Sea Change Spacehopper World Like That Keep Me Around Fishing for a Dream Underdog (Save Me) Pain Killer (Summer Rain)
Deacon Blue's audience is predominantly middle-aged, as you might expect for a band that started in the '80s. The response to their opening numbers, all from the new album, seemed muted due to either a lack of familiarity with the songs or because the audience was seated. It's only when Fergus Sings the Blues that they rise to their feet and come alive. Where we are near the front of the balcony, everyone remains seated (except at the end). This makes it more obvious when people need to exit the row, prompting everyone to stand to let them go to the bar or toilet. Unfortunately, this was a frequent occurrence, particularly during the new songs, of which they played ten. Maybe the venue should set up a pisshead section close to the bars and toilets for those so inclined.
Ricky was struggling with his voice, but he used all his experience to get through the set without drawing attention to it. He was less chatty than usual, occasionally patting his chest, singing forcefully in the range he could comfortably hit, pulling out when his voice was about to crack. Lorraine bolstered the vocals more than usual to compensate. That showed how good they are as a band, as they still delivered such a great performance under these circumstances.
I wasn't so sure about the staging. They didn't own the Hydro this time. Yes, they had lighting and screens, but this performance could just as easily have been delivered in the Royal Concert Hall, with much better sound. I kept thinking back to how good they were at Oran Mor, a much more intimate performance that showcased them as people and highlighted the new songs better.
The band paid a warm tribute to Jim Prime, who passed away recently, afterwards leaving his cap on a microphone stand to show he wasn't forgotten. Jim was such a down-to-earth character and an intrinsic part of the band that he was sadly missed. Not to detract from his replacement's performance. It just wasn't the same without him tinkling away at the back.
Despite Ricky's vocal struggles, the band played for over two hours. It was irritating to see so many audience members leave after the performance of Dignity. It wasn't exactly a mass exodus, but with two songs remaining, a noticeable chunk of the audience started making their way to the exits. I could understand this if you were on crutches or infirm, wanting to avoid the crush, but these were hipsters, youngsters, and couples. The front row in 207 was half empty by the end. I don't understand these people. You paid a lot of money for a show. Why leave before the end? It wasn't as if it was overrunning. Maybe they had wristbands that allowed them into the private bars. I dunno.
So, a good night, if not a great one.
Setlist: Turn Up Your Radio! Up Hope Late '88 Fergus Sings the Blues Raintown Mid Century Modern That's What We Can Do Wages Day Love and Regret How We Remember It Chocolate Girl/ Stone in Love with You Twist and Shout Ashore Your Town Loaded The Believers Underneath the Stars When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring) The Great Western Road The Hipsters Real Gone Kid Curve of the Line Dignity People Come First Keep Me in Your Heart (Warren Zevon cover)
Ticket Price: £65.00 Plus £8.80 Service Charge, plus £1.70 Facility Charge, plus Handling Fee £2.00 = £77.50 from Ticketmaster
Loaded
Dignity
The person sitting next to me asked what kind of phone I used to take the pictures and complimented the quality. Looking at the images afterwards, they are not all that great, but it's what I've got, and it's better than what I had before. 207 is quite a distance from the stage, so they're not that bad.
We drove to The Stand tonight as the Glasgow SPT Subway closes early on the Sabbath*. We couldn't find any free spaces on Woodlands Road, so thanks to the nightmare temporary traffic light situation along St George's Road, it took half an hour to drive the circuit back to Napiershall Street. At least it was dry during the short walk to the venue.
Although we arrived later than I'd hoped, we were still given seats near the front, despite the room being fairly full. Just lucky, I suppose. We could have just as easily been located at the back. I don't know how they organise the seating allocation.
Neither does he.
We were warned by both the ticket checker and the manager not to talk during the performance or heckle the comedian. Not just us. They told everyone. Even Mark was informed of this when he entered the room.
Mark opened the show standing in the middle of the audience, unmiked and unrehearsed. He described how much he loved the old Stand venue with its claustrophobic, low ceiling and conspiratorial atmosphere. "This room isn't that", he said dismissively. "But never mind. We carry on." He then pointed out the positives, such as the larger room holding more seats, which meant he'd sold more tickets.
He was his own support act, so he rambled on, as he does, being funny about hosting the Meat Preparation Awards and how people comment to him that they couldn't do his job. That they would get too stressed, yet he finds standing on a stage talking to strangers really comfortable. It's when he meets them in real life that he finds it stressful. He also pointed out that we could talk and heckle if we wanted. He didn't mind. That's what a Glasgow crowd is famous for. He left us with a hook for the second half, telling us he'd explain who Phoebe was and how things went at this Corporate gig.
His second half was consumed by his concerns about AI. He's not happy with the company Photobox. They'd let him down at Christmas. His order of a yearbook containing photos of his kids had been delivered to the wrong address, seven miles away, a fact he discovered from his ex-wife, who was not amused at seeing images of her children being shared on social media in an attempt to locate the owner. Phoebe is the customer service manager at Photobox. It was her that Mark complained to about the disastrous outcome of his order. It was only after many communications back and forth on the live chat that he realised she wasn't real. He'd been duped into thinking she was a real person.
How far will this take us? Are humans walking blindly into obsolescence? What kind of world will we be living in under our AI overlords?
He then pointed out all the things that AI won't be able to do better than a human, such as holding in a sneeze on the subway until you can no longer do so, then loudly saying the word "sneeze" as it comes out, ironically drawing more attention to the thing you were trying to avoid. These flaws will never be programmable. They'll set us apart from the machine. We need to embrace these idiosyncrasies if we are to remember what it is like to be human. That's where the funny lies.
I enjoyed his sets. He's a funny man in many ways. Mark's delivery style may appear neurotic and bumbling, but he makes his brief hesitations and changes in pitch a strength, throwing out the funny lines casually but deliberately. Some of it is improvised (he had to check whether Engelbert Humperdinck was actually dead - he isn't), but he does a good job of hiding it. He initially struggled to feel at home in the space, thrown off by the gig being in a room he hadn't played before, but by the end, he was firing on all cylinders, landing his jokes well enough to give him time to sip his wine during the laughs, instead of in silence.
On the way home, fueled by his hilarity, I wondered if the car's sat nav would ever incorporate AI. Would it be able to detect if I hadn't followed its instructions and remind me in time to change to the lane it wanted me to be in? Would it learn that I needed earlier warnings based on traffic and weather conditions? Could it tell if my windows were steaming up and automatically clear them? Would I be directed to a car wash when the windscreen was too dirty? "You have reached your destination."
My wife didn't find this conversation amusing or interesting. She shut it down faster than I could say Ctrl+Alt+Del. But she did enjoy the comedian. How long will it be before Men and Women are leaving their partners for AI substitutes, followed by AI divorces when they realise how needy we are?
Food for thought.
Ticket price: £45.00 for 2 Postage: £0.00 Booking Fee: £1.60 Voucher/Credit: £0.00 VAT: £7.77 Total: £46.60 directly from The Stand.
* Grammarly wanted me to change "The Sabbath" to "Saturdays" - does that make Grammarly Jewish?
Back in January, I was supposed to be at the Magnum gig at the Garage, but it got cancelled due to Storm Éowyn. That gig was rescheduled to tonight, but I'd already promised to take my wife to this show, so not even Storm Amy could stop that.
The Hydro now has a fence around it. The only open gate was located outside the centre entrance to the building. Rather annoying when your tickets give you priority access via the OVO door on the east side of the building. With the driving rain, we were glad just to get inside, regardless of which door we used.
We didn't stop to buy merch and headed into the hall. Our seats were on the aisle in the front row of section 51. The floor layout was different to what I've experienced before, utilising a mix of standing and seated areas, the arrow-shaped stage extending into the room.
The audience was predominantly young, small, and female, with a few fathers, husbands, and boyfriends occasionally present. This allowed me a great view of the stage, albeit from a distance.
Our row was empty until about five minutes before the show started, when a family of potatoes arrived. My wife chuckled as she'd only just asked if I was happy with my seat, offering to swap, just as the mummy girl's thigh slapped down against mine, her ample frame filling her seat and part of mine. The entire family was on the large side, so the gran decided she would stand at an empty seat in section 002. Thigh girl often joined her, much to my relief.
The people directly behind us remained seated, unlike everyone around them, which made me feel uncomfortable standing. Eventually, realising no one was using the back row of 002, I crossed to that area, allowing me breathing space and ample opportunities to take pictures without upsetting anyone.
McFly opened the show, much to the adoration of their fans. I can understand why these noughties popstars are so popular, bringing in a new generation of young fans. Their pop tunes are catchy, the band members are all charismatic in their own way, and they give a great pop/rock-lite show. Although I have an issue with the stage orientation, where each band member tended to play to their corner, the energy of the band couldn't be faulted. The harmonies were flawless. The lighting and pyros wouldn't hold a candle to a KISS show, but they gave the young ones something to remember.
Busted were minus one member as James Bourne had called off for the tour due to ill health. I wondered how his absence would affect the band's dynamic. They initially seemed lacking, making a lot of noise and giving out a lot of energy for little reward. It was as if they were trying to set themselves apart from McFly, delivering a punk performance that was edgy yet lacking in musicality. Even when they brought on another guitarist, I still didn't warm to them. They were like the support act you tolerate waiting for the headliner. In my opinion.
After this, we were treated to a drum battle between the two drummers. To be fair, this was entertaining as both drummers played the same fast-paced tune in sync. Then Matt Willis and Dougie Poynter appeared upstairs on either side of level 2 to slag one another off, splitting the hall to get them to deliver insults to the one opposite. Better that than a bass off.
Then Charlie and Danny played together on one number before finally both bands united as McBusted for the finale.
If I'd been a teen and this had been my first concert experience, I would be raving about this show. It gave a little of everything. But I'm not a teen and this aint my first rodeo. I have banked a considerable number of brownie points, however. Magnum would probably have been a better night for me.
Setlist:
McFly Where Did All the Guitars Go? (McFly song) Star Girl (McFly song) That Girl (McFly song) One for the Radio (McFly song) I'll Be OK (McFly song) Obviously (McFly song) Room on the 3rd Floor (McFly song) All About You (McFly song) Transylvania / Lies (McFly song) Red (McFly song) The Heart Never Lies (McFly song)
Busted Crashed the Wedding (Busted song) Meet You There (Busted song) Dawson's Geek / Britney / Nerdy / Why (Busted song) You Said No (Busted song) Loser Kid (Busted song) Who's David (Busted song) Sleeping With the Light On (Busted song) Everything I Knew (Busted song) Thunderbirds Are Go (Busted song) What I Go to School For (Busted song)
McBusted
Drum Battle Hate Your Guts (McBusted cover) 3am (Busted song) Not Alone (McFly song) Air Hostess (Busted song) 5 Colours in Her Hair (McFly song)
Encore: What Happened to Your Band (McBusted cover) Shine a Light (McFly song) Year 3000 (Busted song)
Videos:
All About You - McFly
What I Go to School For - Busted
Five Colours in Her Hair - McFly
Ticket Price: from Ticketmaster
2 OVO Customer Presale Aisle Seat Ticket (enter via OVO door) £75.00 x2 £150.00 Per Item Fees £10.15 (Service Charge OVO Customer Presale Aisle Seat Ticket (enter via OVO door)) x2 £1.70 (Facility Charge OVO Customer Presale Aisle Seat Ticket (enter via OVO door)) x2 £23.70 Order Processing Fees Handling Fee (£2.00) £2.00 Total £175.70
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