reallyrather


February 2002 March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 March 2010 April 2010

email

Powered by Blogger


   Sunday, June 23, 2002  
A potted plant sits on the shelf, a once-thriving gift from a green-fingered friend, now a sad withered presence having signally failed to prosper in it's new home. Had reallyrather appreciated more fully just what a galvanizing experience The Polyphonic Spree live would be, it would have been brought along and placed at the foot of the stage in confident anticipation of miraculous revival. This free show (their 2nd performance at David Bowie's Meltdown festival) took place on the ballroom floor of the Royal Festival Hall foyer ahead of the Coldplay concert; it's a guess, but reallyrather would like to bet it's not the palid Brit-rockers their fans will be telling their colleagues about this morning. Doubtless arriving hot foot from another challenging afternoon at IKEA, these innocents and sundry other South Bank strollers were drawn delighted and gaping to the heaving stage - full band plus theremin, synths, brass section, violin & choir, all bouncing - by the irresistible positive energy generated by the Spree and channelled by lead singer Tim deLaughter. Stirring, anthemic pop tunes supporting lyrics often dishing out simplistic, beatific wisdom, the hour took on the air of a pagan revivalist gathering. All the best tunes from the The beginning stages of..' were unleashed plus several more. As on the album, reallyrather's pick of the bunch was Track No.8 (they're all untitled), a spectacularly catchy ditty consisting of just two lines -

I've found my soldier girl, she's so far away
She makes my head spin around

- repeated over. It works, believe me. Concert over, the cassock-clad band filed out of the hall to the rapturous acclaimation of the throng of newly converted true believers. They're coming back to the UK & Ireland for some Summer festival dates - go, bring a friend (and maybe that old watch that stopped working years ago)...

As anticipated, the Arnold July 4 Borderline listing is an error - the band play there Aug 5, doubtless plugging the new EP, imaginatively entitled Arnold...

Meanwhile, over in Boston, The Woolly Sessions is what Lemonpeeler have called theirs...
   posted by SMc at 12:34 PM |