Graham Parker and the Rumour (Shepherds Bush Empire Oct 26th 2013) After my post last Saturday, I know that a number of you, especially those of you who know Brinsley, will be wondering how the evening went. So, after a gap of 37 years since last seeing GP and the Rumour, was the wait worth it? It most certainly was. It was almost as if they had never been away. Even before the band walked on the stage, there was a great buzz of anticipation from a capacity crowd that had ensured the venue was sold out within a short time of the tickets going on sale months previously. The band would have been further encouraged that there was evidence of a new generation of fans, as it was evident that not every member of the audience would have been around in the band’s heyday of the ‘70s. There was also something reassuringly ‘Old School’ about the uncluttered layout on the stage and amps placed on top of their flight cases. No frills for a band who just wanted to set up and play. Once on stage, compared to the ‘70’s in your face style of GP’s vocals and overall more aggressive delivery of the band at that time, the evening was more mellow in comparison but full of soul. Regardless of the musical influences of each song, whether it was Good Time Rock’N’ Roll. Country, or even Swing and Reggae, there was no escaping the up tempo vibe throughout the entire evening. The level of musicianship would have been impressive if the band had been playing continuously over the decades but given that they only reformed last year, after a break of over 30 years, the musicianship was truly astonishing. There was no overplaying at all, the song was all important and whatever musical embellishments were made to each song fitted seamlessly. With the considerable talents of two guitar players, in Brinsley and Martin Belmont, and then Rob Andrews on keyboards, they allowed space for each other and not a trace of musical egos. This was an evening of musical professionalism with the utmost discernment and taste. Any young Rock musician who wants to take his craft seriously would do well to catch this band whilst they still can. The evening consisted of songs from their ‘70’s albums and their recording from last year Three Chords Good. However, if you had not been previously acquainted with the band’s considerable canon of songs, old and new fitted together that well, you would not have known which era any particular track came from. ‘Souls Shoes,” one of my all time favourites was there and you have to love a band who can produce a song with the title, “Don’t Bother With The Local Girls.” The balance of sound for the evening was the best I have heard for a long time. One could hear vocals and each instrument clearly, so one did not miss any of the musical nuances and subtleties. This was all the more impressive given that I was at the back of the stalls, standing in a raised area under the balcony. I noticed that Dave Robinson was near as well, so if it was good enough for Dave….. The band were obviously pleased to be back and enjoying themselves and this resulted in two encores. One encore these days may now be worked into the overall running time of the concert but the second encore was the good old heart felt encore from the fans really working in unison to get the band back on stage one more time. There was nothing scripted about this. If you want to go to a concert, just to hear people play, without the aid of pyrotechnics, the evening was as good as it gets. I just hope that they have recorded this tour. And on a more personal note, what about Brinsley? It was great to see him up there again and he was obviously in his element. True to Brinsley being a Tone Hound, the amp he was using he had made himself, although I gather it may have started life as a Fender Vibrolux. He alternated between a Gold Top Les Paul and a Black Strat. I couldn’t work out to start with why there was a green light emanating from his Strat but it transpired that this was for his compressor which he had inserted into it. He was also using 2 Roadrunner Overdrive Pedals made by Andy Eales from Chandler Guitars (Keeping it in the family.) Whether it was Rhythm or lead, his playing was impeccable with a very distinctive tone. In some ways his playing was the mastery of the understatement, although he could definitely branch out. At the end of the day, here was the consummate professional musician who was part of the greater good of a band which was in his blood and was living again and that, regardless of the individual accolades, is what it is all about.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 12:22:57 +0000
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