I'm famous now for all of these rock and roll songs...

Time continues to run away, March vanished quickly and the Brad gig in Birmingham feels like ages ago.  

And so this blog... 
The Gaslight Anthem are a rock band from New Jersey, this has led to inevitable comparisons to Bruce Springsteen (however not to Bon Jovi!). Whilst there is a recognisable similarity in style and I guess in lyrical content, they aren’t ‘The Boss’ and I’m glad they aren’t. They knowingly ‘borrow’ from other bands including Pearl Jam, I imagine that Brian Fallon, the Gaslight lead singer, is behind that as he is a fan (and you thought I’d avoid writing about them in at least one blog!). I’ve seen mixed reviews, both of the band and of their live performances including them being described as dull and formulaic. I can’t judge the perception of others, music is a personal thing, that’s what makes it so special. To me though, that’s not how I feel about them, they evoke a feeling of almost rock music comfort I guess. There are no pretenses, this band work hard (and there are differences between albums).

One of the blogs I meant to write ages ago was about a TGA gig in Brixton. I was lucky enough to have gone to sound check before that gig. It was late afternoon and I was to be found hovering outside a stage door, which isn’t really my thing. Brian Fallon emerged from the door, says hello to us all and that he’d see us all soon. I was then in major swoon mode, he has amazing eyes. Anyway, after being guided through backstage, we found ourselves in an empty venue and they played a mini gig just for us, and then we returned for the real thing later that evening. 

Back to the recent gigs, arriving to the miserable weather of Bristol wasn’t joyous. We (just me and my mate Ian for this one) ventured to the O2 Academy just in time for the end of the Japandroids but we went to the bar. The gig was good although both the band and the crowd seemed a little well, sedate. After arriving on stage to Van Halen’s ‘Jump’, TGA played 22 songs, including most songs you would ‘expect’ them to play  plus covers of The Animals ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ and The Who’s ‘Baba O’Riley’ (where Brian seemed to actually get really into it). ‘Here Comes My Man’, ‘Mulholland Drive’, ‘American Slang’ and ’59 Sound’ made for a great encore.

There was little interaction from the band with the crowd, it was very down to business in attitude, and although they seemed to be enjoying themselves, it felt like something was being held back particularly by Brian. I reasoned that it was the first gig of the tour, the band had not long flown in and I still came away happy, it was good to see them again. We decamped to the Hatchet Inn where we were joined by Eva for a few drinks, the general consensus of those in the pub was it had been good quality performance. Some of the band popped into the pub a bit later on and they seemed happy. 

Friday rolled by, it began with a full English at Dizzy’s Cafe (great food/reasonable prices), continued with  creating dream music purchasing lists and a cuppa at Rise Records (brilliant independent record shop and cafe with a great atmosphere) before heading back to the Hatchet Inn for the rest of the afternoon. Where our numbers grew by the addition of Mark and between all of us we put a fair amount of change in the jukebox over the next few hours. 

Heading inside earlier than the night before, we caught the Japandroids. Ok, so they weren’t awful but I just didn’t take to them. It was very enthusiastic, it was loud and raucous but felt a bit vacuous and the vocals seemed strained.

This second night in Bristol was more energetic, there still wasn’t a whole lot of interaction from the band to the crowd, they seemed to step it up in terms of general fun. The crowd were louder with impromptu and at times very odd moshing. Brian explained that it was ‘same band, different set' and he was right. This included ‘We Came To Dance’ and ‘The Navesink Banks’ from ‘Sink or Swim’ which were good to hear as were ‘Desire’ and ‘Film Noir’. ’59 Sound’ was definitely more enthused and there was a groundswell on the floor of fans. The night ended with ‘Backseat’ which could become TGA’s ‘Yellow Ledbetter’ but it felt right as a closer. The cover was a Bob Dylan track ‘Changing Of The Guards’, one we’d heard at that sound check gig in Brixton. It felt like a more rounded night, a really good live music experience. 

There appeared to be a more smiles leaving the gig, heading toward The Hatchet Inn. It ended up being one of the best nights I have had in a very long time. I drank a lot, sang along a lot, smiled a lot and luckily so did those accompanying me. It would be worth another trip to Bristol just for another night in the pub like that! My (imaginary) hat off to the DJ that night. 

Interestingly, it was mentioned twice in Bristol by people that I couldn’t have been there for Gaslight, I didn’t look like a fan. I guess I don’t have the high-top sneakers and sailor tattoos, but it was saddening in a way that other fans judged me based on what I looked like. 

And so, Easter weekend approached. I wanted to see some friends in Shoreham-By-Sea and they took priority over the TGA on Good Friday.  
London crowds can sometimes be a bit cliquey for me, lots of people at gigs as a place to be seen rather than for the music, but heading over to the gig at the Troxy in east London, with Ian and Sarah (latterly joined by Hinn), that didn’t seem the case. We queued...yes you read that correctly... queued. There were camera peeps videoing the said queue, roaming up and down, and strategically positioned along the wall which seemed a bit odd. As was the militaristic bag search for food, drink and camera equipment. 

I’d not been to the Troxy before, it’s a cool art deco venue, with a fully carpeted floor which felt strange at a rock gig but there was a great atmosphere  My opinion on the Japandroids unfortunately didn’t change, and was supported by others with me, although there were obviously some there who were absolutely loving them. 

This gig was different, there were pro cameras around the venue at strategic points plus roving in amongst the crowd. Something was up, possibly a DVD recording but beyond this, there was a feeling, you knew the boys would bring it – and they did. The set was great, unrelenting yet well paced and a lot of fun. Brian (in a dashing hat) was telling anecdotes and even invited a fan on stage who reckoned he could play guitar – he couldn’t, overstayed his welcome and may well have felt a tad daft on Sunday! They were enjoying this night, playing together, each member of the band grinning in delight at what appeared to be the enjoyment of just playing on stage. Brian looked at times like a naughty school boy who was about to be caught doing something he shouldn’t. The crowd singing back at them was brilliant and it seemed unexpected at some points. ‘Boomboxes and Dictionaries’ made an appearance in the set, but it was predominantly ’59 Sound’ and ‘Handwritten’ heavy. There were no covers, other than the snippet of ‘Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ in the closing, quite brilliant version of ‘Backseat’  which was completed by bassist Alex Levine proving rock star prowess by smashing up his bass guitar on stage. This was The Gaslight Anthem stating -  we’re here, we enjoy this, we’ve good songs in our catalogue, come with us for a good time. 

Earlier on Saturday we’d gone to the Johnny Cupcakes shop in Carnaby Street. They’ve a slogan – ‘Do More Of What Makes You Happy’. 
Live music makes me happy, seeing musicians enjoying playing music makes me happy... The Gaslight Anthem made me happy.