Just sniffed on Gigsniffer... Ticketmaster are selling tickets to this by auction. I wonder if this is the way ticket sales will go. As every gig these days sells out with half the tickets going to touts for ebaying the implication is that tickets are just not expensive enough. So can the agencies see more of the cash which is currently being raked by the touts?
It's not a route I'd like to go down - I'd much prefer we got better at anti-touting which, let's face it, is easy to do but no one wants to do it. If the venues actually took RETURNS that would be start, then there would always be some tickets on the door. The danger of the auction route is we end up paying a whopping 45 notes to see Dumpy's Rusty Nuts at the Joiners. We know this is possible as that's what Seatwave, Viagogo, Getmein etc are charging and if they're charging it then some idiot must be paying it. Ok the touts will be squeezed out but only because the agency and tout roles would be all merged into one... tickettout.com here we come.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Girls @ Scala 24/02/10
After a long winter break with a complete dearth of gigs we're back with a packed program over the next few weeks. First up, Girls. So I downloaded some songs and gave them a listen, and original they are not. I don't think I've ever heard an album before and picked up so many tunes that I've heard before - two of which are Jesus and Mary Chainer's. Big Bad Mean is Kill Surf City, Darling's lyrics are delivered to Quo's "well here we are and her we are and here we goooooo" (Rockin' all over the WORLD man!). Then back to the Mary Chain for Ghost Mouth which rips of the distinctive start of Just Like Honey. Then they rip off Iggy for a title (who would call their own song "Lust For Life" - it's bound to be a disappointment). Then they rip themselves off... Curls is just a slower version of Darling. Vocally the singer is fairly feeble and lyrically it's all a bit 6th form poetry (I'm just crazy/and totally mad/im just crazy/and fucked in the head). Tcch.
But this is a gig review, not an album review. Live they are actually a better prospect than the songs suggest. They CAN play, and he loves to stick all those arpeggiated chords in, which he does quite well, but it does just sound like someone strumming a new guitar in guitar shop. Just getting a feel for the neck I expect. Plus he's into re-tuning every bloody string between every bloody song - it's all a bit "David Gray" (cf. Luke Haines). For a half hour slot it would all be pleasant enough, but they do milk it for the best part of an hour and a glance round the audience shows the majority of people are texting, chatting or just staring vacantly ahead.
Back for the encore and Kill Surf City and they butcher their "own" song as they just can't do noise. Returning to the mass arpeggiations (if the word does not exist, it needs to for these boys) and what sounds like Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head. This is just too much to stand and so the sniffer sneaks out the back.
I'm obviously not the only one to make JMC comparisons - as standing in front of me were two twenty-somethings the dead spit of the Reid brothers C1986. Hang on - they're meant to be IN the bloody band!!! (2/5)
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Japandroids, 4 Or 5 Magicians, William
William: these guys need an image makeover - they look rubbish. However - get over that and they sound bloody good! A cut down three piece with a terrific guitar sound. Vocally they're a bit shouty shrieky though - might need a bit of work there. I'm not being shallow here - guys - image is everything. The bass player looks like he works in the accounts dept. by day... rock out a bit and you might make a few quid out of this. (3/5)
4 or 5 Magicians: already, just 12 hours later, I can't remember anything about them. But there were NO magicians and it would definitely have helped if there had been. (1/5)
Japandroids: are from Vancouver and the singer is called Brian (he reminds us of this all night, in case we forget). Brian is in this for the shags. Now I know that's not unusual for people in bands, but there's no need to make it quite so bloody obvious. He's almost as blatant as Steve "anyone fancy a shag" Jones. That aside, Japandriods is just Brian on guitar, and the other bloke on drums, and they make a right racket. But that's a good racket. The kind of racket that, when combined with a bit of witty banter and youthful enthusiasm is very watchable. Not the kind of racket that would stand up to listening to in the car though, it'd drive me bleedin' nuts. If you're going to be a 2 piece sound then you need the talent or imagination of Jack White or Nick Zinner - if not then you've only got your novelty factor and self belief to rely on and, believe me Brian, even those English girls you're craving will get bored of that by Christmas. (3/5 for now)
Japandroids Tickets or White Heat tickets and all Madame Jojos tickets are on www.gigsniffer.com
Noisettes @ Shepherds Bush Empire 26 October 2009
A band of ups and downs for me - some of that chart friendly don't-upset-the-rhythm cack really grates on the old sniffer's ears and I never really paid them much attention. But then I saw them do an unplugged on the BBC's Glastonbury coverage this year and thought - hang on - these guys are good, plus they have a cute singer who can also play bass. And play properly, not in the 'token girl musician' way either. Singer Shingai Shoniwa has a 60's style sound to her, a kind of black Amy Winehouse without all the tedious My Drug Hell stories.
So, not knowing what to expect, the opener, don't-upset-the-bloody-rhythm, set me on a bit of a downer. But then it's hard not to start warming to such a great front-woman and let's face it, without her they have nothing to set them apart. But tonight she leaps, struts and postulates in a way that has your attention focused. From laying prostrate over the drum kit, to draping herself form the circle balcony in a provocative fashion that has every man, woman and health and safety inspector's eye's watering. Don't try this at home kids. There's crooning, shrieking and some all out hard rocking and enough interest to go home and google them to find out just exactly who IS this woman? (4/5)
Noisettes tickets can be bought from www.gigsniffer.com before anywhere else.
Doves + Magazine @ Roundhouse 22 Oct 2009
Magazine, Feed the Enemy and Doves with There Goes The Fear both in one night. Great gig. But ditch the bleedin' choir lads.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Spirtualized @ RFH 13 October 2009
Well we lucked in and got seats just five rows back. There were a lot of people on stage.. 10 choir, 8 string, 6 brass, 2 drums.... That's cutting the takings pretty thinly. Still - a great show as they blast through the whole of Ladies and Gentleman we're floating in Space. Both an aural AND visual assault. Leaving a gig with your ears ringing we're all used to, but when your retinas are also burnt out from staring straight into one of the highest quality strobes known to mankind then the journey home can be quite troublesome.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Fiery Furnaces @ Audio Brighton 7 October 2009
The sniffer took a day trip out of town to catch them in a smaller venue as the London show was at cargo, which is a bit faceless. Well worth it - up close and loud. Tonight they're in full rock mode - every time you see them you get something different it seems. Everything set to guitar or everything set to keyboard? Gaps between songs or no gaps? Song A lyrics to song A tune or song B tune? Played forwards or backwards? I think I've made my point. The sniffer's preference would be guitar/no gaps/A to A/forwards. Whatever way round, its all good fun. (4/5)
Fiery Furnaces tickets will appear first on www.gigsniffer.com
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