A band can have the greatest songs ever written, the most
talented musicians in the world and a venue to rival Wembley, but if they don’t
really want to be there, then all of that is futile. If the band aren’t interested,
the crowd aren’t either, but thankfully, that certainly wasn’t the case last
night. Patent Pending couldn’t have provided a more enthusiastic start – their
energy onstage was completely infectious, right from the word go. Banter (yes,
i hate that word but it seems suitable) between songs was genuinely funny –
comedy AND music - win win! There were understandably some people who knew
Patent Pending songs, and some who didn’t – but the songs are so catchy, most
were quickly won over. I was so excited to hear ‘Douchebag’, but was
unfortunately next to some people who were not so familiar with the song - my
enthusiastic dancing and beautiful (atrocious) singing earned a few strange
looks!
A part of their set, which particularly stood out, was a
speech leading up to their song ‘One Less Heart To Break’, regarding the
passing of a friend. It aimed to give hope to those who needed it, and was such
a refreshingly honest sentiment, I found myself tearing up slightly.
Ordinarily, when it comes to onstage declarations and ‘motivational speeches’ I
have the emotional range of Kristen Stewart, well, in any Twilight film*, but
this got to me. I’ve seen countless bands live, but never once have I seen
someone delve into the tricky world of the end of life, and come out having
created such a positive message. I hope it reached whom it needed to reach.
There’s enough misery in this world without adding to it on stage. Other bands
should take note.
*Kristen Stewart has three emotions, miserable, miserable
and miserable.
By the end of their set, the majority of the crowd were as
excited about this new found band as they would be if Bowling For Soup
themselves had just finished playing. It’s an impressive feat to stir up that
much excitement in the space of a relatively short set.
I have a confession to make about The Dollyrots set – I went
for a much needed pint (or two) after so much Patent Pending dancing, that I
didn’t actually SEE them – but I heard them, surely, that’s the most important
thing? They have a very unusual sound. I mean this in a completely complimentary
way, but there are few bands I can think of that are a fair comparison - the
one that comes closest is probably Letters To Cleo. Quirky is the word that
seems most suitable to describe them – especially the unexpected cover of The
Wurzels. There’s something indescribably strange about them (The Dollyrots...but
also The Wurzels) – but which makes them hugely likeable.
Each time I see Bowling For Soup, there is an apprehension
at the back of my mind – is this the tour that they’ve started taking
themselves too seriously? It would almost be understandable, as it seems to be
expected with a lot of artists that once they reach a certain level of success,
they become, for lack of a more sophisticated phrase, completely up their own
arses. Thankfully, this was not the year, that BFS decided to jump on the pretentious
bandwagon! Would you ever see the mighty Bono waving to people? Would Muse stop
mid-show to hoist a penguin? I think not.
Although it’s clearly a smart career move, you can’t help
but be appreciate how down to earth they seem, and genuinely nice. Likeable
songs and likeable people are such a welcome change to the seemingly god-like
status that many bands award themselves. BFS shows are a breath of fresh air. I’ve
said it before, but I’m always taken-aback by how genuinely friendly people are
– even the maddest of dancing is conducted in a polite, very English way! The
band seems to attract positive people, and it really shows. You can tell that
most people there have so much time for them, and know the songs inside out –
it makes for a great atmosphere.
If you leave a gig feeling in some way better than you did
before, then the band have done their job. For yesterday’s show, slightly
better is an understatement - the somewhat crazed smiles on people’s faces as
they left demonstrated that they did a very good job!
As I’ve written this the next day, I can give a sort of
review of the aftermath. I got out of bed this morning, still slightly reeling
from getting to bed in the early hours, only for my legs to promptly give way, as
I fall into the wardrobe. Well, you can’t say I wasn’t enthusiastic!
*Waves*
