The Bluetones - London Astoria 2 - 29/4/00
4/5
By: Toby L
Oh yes, folks, bring down all the family and all your friends because this is an afternoon show you'll wanna remember...
In a typically strange fashion, The Bluetones have decided to start a short UK tour promoting their new single in the modest, though intimate surroundings of the LA2 in the heart of Soho. Though that's not just it. The concert, billed as a 'special matinee performance' begins with the headliners onstage at 4pm, playing a full 100-minute set, complete with encores, leaving everyone time to return home and settle down in front of the box to watch 'Stars in Their Eyes'... Right. Maybe not such a great idea after all.
Unusually also for the venue, which opens its doors predominately to over-18s, the day's entertainment is available to all ages. Yes, you've guessed it; parents take advantage of this one-off and bring along all their six-year-olds to shove them in at the front on the side. Pit-moshers from where we're standing seemed not amused. Finally, and maybe more bemusingly, the guest-list entrants are treated to passing over unused Megadeth tickets from a show to have taken place last year, instead of flashing specific passes or just being waved through the security. Surreal.
After a fair forty-minute wait, the notoriously peevish fan-base of our headline-act screamed in shrieks of delight as the brothers Morriss and the rest of the band opened in song immediately; it's like pantomime. Relevantly too, main-man Mark proves to have the most sensational ability to get the people going, staring straight deep into eyes, inviting all to relieve of inhibitions. Further evidence of the fans' undying support, loyalty and all-round keenness is formed by new track, 'The Last of the Great Navigators', receiving a response more favourable than oldie, and favourite, 'Bluetonic'.
Current single 'Autophilia' itself already sounds a crowd-favourite, its 60s-esque backing vocals exquisitely fitting the song's overly bawdy irony, which compares the female-figure to cars; ooh, behave boys. Elsewhere, biggest hit 'Slight Return' is very slight, not sounding as monumental as you'd expect whereas 'Keep the Homefires Burning' sounds bountifully loaded, despite the no-show of a brass section. They soon fade to black as they wander offstage, only to return and play yet more favourites, most notably 'If...', a stunning and arms-aloft show-ender.
Soon the fans vanish from the hall to buy merchandise from an almost empty stall and the after-show party (held in one half of the bar) was notably odd in ambience - maybe due to everyone getting tipsy at the time of 6:15pm. Well, despite a sterling performance from a worryingly reliable bunch, there is an unrivalled benefit to this show ending so early - you can go out and watch another gig. In theory at least, as a glance to the local-listings shows nothing else of similar fortitude. Oh bugger. A curry and 'Stars in their Eyes' it is again then. Marvellous.
Artists in this article: The Bluetones
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