I can count on one hand how many times that I've arrived in Camden at 7:45 am on a Saturday morning to atttend a gig. As part of the Carling Live 24 music thingy, it happened last Saturday 1st May 2004.
Kasabian kicked off the procedings at 9:00, in front of a mixed crowd consisting of those tired because they had to wake up so early, and those tired from having been up all night. I fell into the first camp. Whilst Kasabian played their nondescript "music", a red head left her change at the bar. Passing it via the bartender to herself, she noted to me that it had been a long night.
Maybe it was the article that I had read about Kasabian on my train journey to the gig that put me off, or maybe it was their attitude of self importance, but I wasn't impressed. The crowd upfront did respond to the band, those of us near the back were waiting for the real show!
The Von Bondies blasted onstage, playing rock 'n roll as it should be: LOUD. The set initially consisted of future classics from their recently released Pawn Shoppe Heart album. "C'mon C'mon" being a real crowd favourite for obvious reasons, though "No Regrets" and "Been Swank" were not far behind.
|
This was real rock 'n roll, with real grit and swagger oozing from every pore of Jason Stollsteimer's body. They weren't pretending to be anything, what we saw and heard was passion for rock 'n roll, and the crowd loved it.
Some people there would only have known them because of the altercation that Jason and Jack White had had, but I bet there converts walking out of The Barfly at 11 o'clock that morning. They made The White Stripes sound a bit light footed....and light fisted.
And when I thought that they had failed to play my favourite track, the final song was "It Came From Japan". A rock 'n roll classic, maybe not yet, but give it a few years. If only I had recognised the tired-eyed girl at the bar before she got on stage, I may have given this review a higher mark. It was Marcie Bolen....a missed opportunity to ask her how Jack White is...
|
