The Libertines Vanilo outstore afternoon (Engine Rooms, Southampton, 12.2.2024) and ABC (London Palladium, 17.10.2024)
With my blogs, I realise there is a danger of running too many repeats, especially when delving back into a lifetime of seeing some bands live. Maybe it’s time to catch up with a few other gigs from last year in a retrospective way…. but not just yet.
Monday Afternoon at The Engine Rooms
Monday afternoon in my semi-retired, part-time working week, and I find myself in a queue in the bright daylight on a trading estate opposite IKEA, Southampton. This is the Engine Rooms (My venue blog here) and the occasion is one of these local record shop new album release promotions. This one is for The Libertines.
You buy or pre-order a new LP, CD etc and as a result get access to a special low-key show. Individual tickets can be bought as add-ons but the idea is to kick start the sales and bring some attention to a local record store, in this case Vanilo Record Store, Southampton. The new Libertines CD, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, (I still buy vinyl but not all the time) will be with me on or after the 8 March release date.
Doors open 2pm for the 3pm start. This enables us to grab a table while we wait.
My Libertines blog reflects on my last and other previous experiences. This one now is more about the novelty of my week. This afternoon sees a half-full venue (all tickets sold) with Carl Barât and Pete Doherty playing an informal and low key 35-minute set. They are playing a full show to a sellout and full venue later, and no I didn’t have a ticket for that one.
Entertaining yes and the novelty feel was there, but it felt a little bit too short: but then what are expectations? What is the benchmark when I’ve paid £21 for a CD including a ticket (then there’s the postage adding £5.95).
Run, Run, Run was good to hear, their recent single and a selection of tracks which I couldn’t name but recognised mostly. Pete and Carl play as if round a friend’s house with some mates which has its up-close and personal appeal. Four new songs in the nine-song acoustic performance, ending with Don’t Look Back In To The Sun. Another guitarist joined them for the last few, who’s name escaped me.
Back out in the blinding sun by 3.45pm thinking I wish I was going to their main gig tonight.
Saturday Night at The London Palladium
At the end of the week my ongoing tour continues with a trip to see ABC in London. The Palladium could not be more different to The Engine Rooms. The plush West End theatre instead of the bare, but functional, Engine Rooms – give me either, both bring something to my party.
My last ABC gig was in Bath as part of gig buddy Dave’s birthday celebrations (ABC blog here) and we are back out in our sparkly jackets tonight.
Previously I’ve seen Howard Jones here at The Palladium, and Morrisey before that. So much history here but just those few visits for me. Old variety acts, comedians, legendary crooners and the big names of pop and rock playing special nights. The myriad of framed posters, photos – I even spotted a Norman Wisdom stage outfit – remind of the history. (Bruce Forsyth’s ashes are under the stage somewhere.)
A 2,286 seated capacity with two tiers of balcony, the upper one being particularly steep I remember from the Morrissey gig – stand up and you feel like you’re going to topple out. Only the very front rows of the audience can be seen from up there.
This orchestral gig was the same set up as covered in the 2022 Bath gig – orchestral backing throughout which obviously brings a different dimension to the largely 80s pop sounds.
First half is a varied selection, before the showcasing of The Lexicon of Love, the 80s pop classic. When Smoky Sings is top of those first half pops, but The Night You Murdered Love also used to provoke some humour and pointing amongst friends at the occasional drunken early 80s student disco, so that stands out as well.
The crowd are seated mainly but in the second half many rise to Poison Arrow, up in the balconies as well – no one falls! Martin Fry changes from his white jacket, black shirt and trousers into a pale pink suit – a surprising lack of sparkles but smooth as they come.
The whole Lexicon of Love album is packed with pop gems of course but Look of Love must be the winner – so 80s, yet distinct from the other bands Fry mentions in his introductions and references to the ABC time machine. There is some wonderful sax playing.
Glazed eyes and tilted heads when I look around in All of My Heart, as that concludes the album. That’s it. What next? Time for one more indulgent and orchestrally enhanced version of Look of Love. Pop classic, with strings …and the rest.
There you go. My gig-going week. From an old industrial unit in Southampton to an iconic West End nightspot.
With a Bowie tribute band up next and a not too hectic gig-going schedule maybe I will get time look back at record some of the great gigs I missed out of my blogging last year.
Gigs with Ivan 