Cougar Microbes

The one thing that can be said about 2009 is that I have devoured a ton of live music in all sorts of venues from both emerging and established acts. When my friend announced he had a spare ticket to see Green Day I figured there were far worse things I could be doing with my Saturday night.

I have already caught the band live on a few occasions in the past; notably at one of my first ever gigs on the ‘Dookie‘ tour (where the band even aired the Tre Cool sang bonus track ‘I Was Alone‘). At the time the band’s attitude and energy left a big mark on my impressionable young mind.

After witnessing the ‘Nimrod‘ tour of 1997 I had to wait a few more years before seeing them once more, this time at their massive Milton Keynes shows in 2005 (which became available soon after via the Bullet in a Bible CD and DVD release). The metamorphosis the band had gone through from bratty (albeit enjoyable) upstarts to established rock royalty was remarkable.

The sensational success of ‘American Idiot‘ (its global sales are very close to those of ‘Dookie’ which, considering the advent of downloads  and internet streaming, is a pretty amazing achievement) has allowed Green Day to play to a whole new generation of fans and in ‘Jesus Of Suburbia‘ and ‘Holiday‘ produced tracks as good as anything that has come before.

But back to 2009…. Having not seen a gig at the O2 Arena since its hasty corporate re-branding I felt it was time to give it the Cougar work over. Additionally, I had recently ripped into The Offspring‘s disappointing performance at Rock En Seine so it was time to see how 1994s other break through act were doing.

“The O2” is a huge cavernous venue that manages to be simultaneously imposing yet somehow soulless. Despite the show tonight being sold out  I am surprised at how spacious the standing area appears and how much room is available in the stands. If you listen hard enough you can hear the sound of prawn sandwiches being crunched enthusiastically.

The band hit the stage at the relatively early time of 8 pm to accommodate for their mammoth 3 hours scheduled set. Launching into the opening double whammy of ‘Song Of The Century‘ and ‘21st Century Breakdown‘ it is immediately clear this audience is rabid for its heroes.

Billie Joe Armstrong is punk rocks’ answer to Groucho Marx with the band naturally playing the roles of his famous siblings. Just 3 songs into the set and the affable frontman has already run through the audience and played his guitar round a young kids back for 5 minutes.

Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt are as talented and charismatic as any other rhythm section around today and allow their frontman to focus on his act. It is obvious Billie Joe‘s voice has gone from strength to strength over the years so that not only can he snarl and scream but he can also croon with the best of them.

The fact that the band have a load of material to pick from their back catalogue is not debatable and when Green Day are actually playing they are close to unbeatable. It becomes clear however hat the band have not only been rehearsing their music but also an extensive and goofy stage show. So after the aforementioned walk through the crowd (the first of many) the band tick a few other boxes for safe measures.

In no particular order they lead the audience through long winded ooooohhhh-ahhhh chants, bring two fans on stage to be “exorcised”, shoot toilet paper and t-shirts into the crowd through purpose built cannons, recruit 3 other kids from the crowd to play their instruments (something they have been doing for a while) as well as perform a never ending medley of covers.

Individually each of these actions would be acceptable but coming in quick succession they take on a quasi-pantomine quality. It is perhaps fitting that this venue sometimes hosts NBA and NFL games because this entire performance begins to take on an American extravaganza feel rather than a rock show.

Still, tracks like ‘Welcome To Paradise‘ and ‘Hitchin A Ride‘ are greeted as old friends and I find myself surprised at how current the “old‘ material still sounds. ‘Basketcase‘ has me not so much walking down memory lane as sprinting down like an over excited kid on a sugar rush. The inclusion of ‘She‘ proves the band have a wealth of material to pick from.

Special mention must go to the chosen backdrop which, in contrast with the theatrics, enhances instead of distracting from the show. I appreciate that advances in technology have given new scope for improving the audio-visual experience but it all comes down to how you apply it and today’s setting is nothing short of spectacular.  Visiting a reoccurring city scape motif that morphs into huge speakers and other shapes in accordance to the song being played and it is a true spectacle.

Following a first encore that features ‘American Idiot‘, an epic ‘Jesus Of Suburbia‘ and fan favourite ‘Minority‘ the band return to the stage once more for an acoustic offering. The much awaited ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)‘ is held until the very end for a predictable yet magical finale with Billy Joe Armstrong standing centre stage guitar in hand. It is a somewhat subdued send off to a high-octane night but is pleasing because it demonstrates that Green Day have the tracks to back up the clowning around.

There is a tendency to up the ante when playing stadium shows so as to give the punters perceived value for their money. I strongly believe Green Day don’t have to rely on these gimmicks, tonight’s show could have been trimmed by 45 minutes and still had a similar impact. Fortunately the songs were present in abundance.

TRACKS:

Green Day – Minority

Green Day – When I Come Around

Green Day – Holiday

The previous nights partying has taken its toll and my ears are still ringing loud. I head straight to Scene De La Cascade , the same stage that hosted Bloc Party and Vitalic the previous night, for a very different musical proposition.

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are a curious bunch. Upon scrutiny their dedication to 50s recording equipment and instruments could be perceived as gimmicky or as one fellow blogger commented “why should I listen to them when I could listen to the original material?”

Well, the reason is you wont see many bands at a festival mixing guitar, piano, banjo, lap steel guitar, harmonica, double bass, ukulele, drums, trombone, xylophone (and swapping them around) with such ease. The trio look incredibly focussed and sing brilliantly with the crowd responding by unleashing some old school rock n roll dance moves.

The siblings look the part in their vintage gear with Lewis resembling a black and white pin up with his slicked back hair and slightly oversized suit whilst older sister Daisy is equally glamorous in a vintage dress. The same can be said of sixteen year old Kitty sitting just behind bashing the drums in a similar dress.

I particularly enjoy Daisy‘s expert harmonica parts and the use of a lap steel guitar on ‘Honolulu Rock and Roll‘. Kitty Daisy & Lewis is a band you ought to see live to truly appreciate.

I return to the mainstage to catch a part of Ebony Bones‘ mid afternoon performance. While things start off well enough with the band members hitting the stage and setting the scene for her two livewire dancers to execute a well rehearsed routine before Ebony Bones herself joins them in a flamboyant costume.

From here on it all goes a little wrong. While she appears to be able to hold a note on record today she resorts to screaming half of her vocals tunelessly. Also the sax leads that set off most of the songs come across like a left over from a bad acid house album.

Drummer issues temper the show but crucially the ensemble are struggling to find enough material to fill a set and the songs all sound a little alike. While the band look great in their exuberant wardrobe and unified party look today this is a triumph of style over substance.

A quick refreshment break means i miss most of Billy Talent‘s performance though i suspect frontman Benjamin Kowalewicz‘s howl can be heard all the way back to his native Canada. Despite the fact that I am a good distance away from the stage I can still clearly make out his trademark scream and familiar riffs of the likes of ‘Try Honestly’ and ‘The Ex‘. What is even more impressive is that the crowds appreciative applause is coming across just as loud and clear.

Next up come The Offspring. I had seen the Californians live on the respective tours for breakthrough album ‘Smash’, the brilliant ‘Ixnay On The Hombre’, the hit filled ‘Americana‘ and the slightly average ‘Conspiracy Of One’ but it must be 6 years since the last time. I was now curious to know how the 2009 proposition differs from the 1995 version. The answer: not a whole lot.

Ignore the aged features on the gentlemen on stage (something we had to do as they were the sole band to request no photographers) and you may mistakingly think its the 90s again. All the obligatory hits are wheeled out and played perfectly eliciting mass sing-alongs from the large crowd but how does this show differ to any other show? For example, I can not quite believe that the band are still pulling the exact same intermission routine they have been peddling since 97′s Ixnay tour.

That The Offspring are just going through the motions is reinforced when Dexter Holland rolls out a piano to perform a solo version of ‘Gone Away’. This leads one reveller to jokingly ask a friend if they were attending an Elton John concert. This statement hits the nail on the head: The Offspring now rub shoulders with other superstar relics of a bygone era who rely on a strong back catalogue and a professional stage show to play a series of greatest hits shows. Up the punx!

I went back to Scene De La Cascade to catch a piece of Calvin Harris expecting him to be performing a DJ set so I was surprised to see him on stage with a full band. Admittedly a bit of research would have revealed this in advance but I was still impress with the effort.

Though he is apologetic about his poor French the 6.4″ Scot actually endears himself with his merci attempts and stage demeanour. Leading six very accomplished musicians he bounces around stage commanding the audiences attention and playing hits from his two albums.

Faith No More were one of the acts that I was most looking forward to before this weekend and I know that with Mike Patton on stage things will at the very least be interesting.  As they hit the stage playing a cheesy version of ‘Reunited’ by Peaches & Herbs I know i am going to enjoy this.

Looking like mob henchmen from a Martin Scorcese movie in their pastel suits the band are clearly enjoying themselves on stage without the tension that characterised performances in their first spell. That is not to say they have gone soft as is demonstrated by the ferocity with which they launch themselves into fan favourite after fan favourite.

Drummer Mike Bordin‘s pounding is still thunderous and Roddy Bottum is still comically headbanging away behind his keyboard but I would be lying if I said the real focus wasn’t on Patton himself.  I remember seeing the band in the past and being literally in awe of his performance and vocal range and tonight is no different. Judging by the amount of photos I took I have a proper man crush on him and how could you not, he is in a league of his own.

The frontman can croon as well as any pop star but can also growl and scream with true ferocity. He oozes cool and his witticisms are worth the admission price on their own. First he asks “you guys watch English soap operas” prompting the band to break into the theme from Eastenders. Next he quips “I cant speak French but check out my Italian” before singing Evidence in a language that few would understand. The audience looks bemused but this give-a-fuck attitude is brilliant.

I am usually quite cynical about reunions but tonight I am delighted to have witnessed version 2.0 of Faith No More. The band still have the energy of past days and the songs are classics. Younger bands could learn a thing or two.

With no other acts scheduled everybody squeezes in to clatch a glimpse of Birdy Nam Nam. The French crew are a worthy act to end the night on and one of the true revelations of the festival. With 4 DJs on stage interweaving tracks and a crazy light show there really is a lot to take in.

Live their beats are even more bass-heavy than on record and their set literally turns into a huge open air rave with people shouting, dancing and going crazy.  This isn’t just another DJ scratching or mixing, this is a crew of  4 people each providing their own distinctive instrumentation and musical sensibilities. I wish it could last all night.

TRACKS:

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – Honolulu Rock-A-Roll-A

The Offspring – Bad Habit