wow Blog number 1, lets see if I can keep this updated longer than the 7 others I have posted on in the past!Well i suppose i should start by talking about last Tuesdays BBC radio gig that i went to. I won a pair of tickets for the afternoon performance through the giveaway on w.a.s.t.e. Obviously i was pretty excited but coming from Glasgow all the way to London midweek can be a proper hassle so I didn’t have a +1 to take with me what with most of my friends having to work that day.I decided to offer it round Atease as i knew there would be quite a few people on there that would jump at the chance and i was right. The first person that i spoke to, also the guy i chat to most on there, Superdave, was right up for it and so we decided to meet up at 11.00 on Tuesday in the Big Smoke.I spent the night before staying with my parents in Ayr, which is right next to Prestwick airport, as my flight was at 0650 the following morning and I had to be there an hour before. Got up at 5am and text Dave who was just getting up and getting ready to get his bus from Dudley in the west midlands. Flight was pretty uneventful, got to Standstead at 0755 and then had an hour to read my book as the train tickets after 9am came with free underground travel and I figured I would probably need it during the day. I was on the 09.15 train to Liverpool street and in London for 09.59. 4 hours from Ayr to the centre of London and pretty easy.I took a wander through Soho and checked out a couple of vinyl stores where I picked up the Eraser remixes 12” for £5.99, just in case there was an opportunity for autographs. I never did get it signed as although a few people hung about outside to get sig’s I was not that bothered. Dave phoned about this time to say that he was just coming into the city on his bus and would be arriving at Victoria around 11.15. So I headed down that way, after getting confused about where exactly Victoria coach station is, I eventually spotted him and took a couple of Pap shots from across the road and then gave him a wave!We took the underground round to Oxford street and then wandered up to Portland Place where the BBC radio studios are. There was maybe 3 or 4 people sat across the way on the steps of the All Saints Church but no queue at that point so we popped for a quick pint and to get some lunch. We took our food back round to the BBC about 30 mins later and there was a small queue forming so we joined on the back.Near enough 1430 they began to allow us in the building, there were BBC and w.a.s.t.e staff there to check the names off and give us an envelope containing 2 tickets. We passed through a security station where Dave (the genius that he is) got his pocket knife taken off him! Then we went into a large lounge where we milled about and chatted for about an hour. There was a bar in the lounge and probably something like 60 to 70 people, including some of the BBC staff and DJs that were there. We saw Lard from Mark and Lard, a couple of Radio 6 DJs and the incredibly tall Stephen Merchant.Around 1540 they asked us to start making our way through to the radio theatre, where at the door they took our tickets L and we were made to just start filling up the rows from the first row back. This was good for Dave and I as we ended up 4th row centre, right in front of Thom’s mike stand and with a great view of Plank tuning up Johnny’s guitar. (which I am sure has had a few more chunks knocked out of it since the last time I saw it up close).At about 1555 Steve Lamaque did a nice wee introduction, where he made fun of Colin Murray and the BBC health and Safety people and the lights went down.I am sure most people will have listened to the gig so I will not go too much into the songs, just my personal recollections. The band looked good, healthy and like they were enjoying being there.15 Step – great start, got the crowd nodding away (it just did not seem British to stand up!) The outro rocked!Bodysnatchers – wow, what a rock song, and when the lights go out for you, pure delirium. Cant wait to rock out at the live gigs to BS’s.All I need – the beginning drums are pretty tribal and the outro rocks.Then Thom made a comment saying that when they agreed to play this BBC day they were asked to do a mixture of old and new songs (how I wanted to shout out ‘pop is dead’ at this point, but I guess that is an AtEase in joke!) and the launched into one of the best, rock out, versions ofMyxomatosis – Amazing. And I think Thom was enjoying this one immensely as well, he looked it anywayThom: ‘If radiohead were to ever to release a love song this is what it would sound like’…Nude – what a voice. The song is amazing and the timing of the bass/drums with thom is something that reminds you of the chemistry this band have, but thoms voice…… you’ll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking….(audible gasp from audience) oooooohhh ohh oh……Thom jumps back behind the electronic piano forMorning Bell, still holding all the melodies that make this one of those tracks that work well on CD but come alive live.Thom then said something along the lines of ‘here is another one from Kid A, might not be the one the pundits would choose but we like it, its odd, but not too odd’…Optimistic – The drums start early and lead everyone into the song, Thom sounds great but the bass and lead guitar levels sound a bit off, making the lead melody played by Johnny sound like it is in the background. However it still F’in rocked! But you could see the band were trying to catch each other and sort out the hiccups. The highlight of this version was definitely the joint ‘la la la la ‘ bit during the instrumental parts with thom and Ed looking like they wee putting their all into it.Then the piano comes rolling out again and thom sits, one hand placed on top of the keys andVideotape. Johnny doing the drum effects using a different mixer to the one from the webcasts, and using a couple of new samples I had not heard before but I am sure we are all familiar with now that the BBC have released the download. Brilliant.Thom thanks people for coming and we are on our feet cheering and yelling for more. The techs take a bit of time checking the tuning of the guitars and then out come the band again.Thom then says something along the lines of ‘we have really been digging playing Optimistic lately but that time we didn’t really click, so we are going to do it again’ Only at a Radiohead concert does the idea of hearing a song twice in one afternoon lead to the kind of cheer that went up for that one. They playedOptimistic (II) and we rocked out. This time the lead guitar was crisp and clean and the bass was pounding, Thom and Ed were singing away at the same level of intensity as before and if anything the drums sounded louder and more rocking! The finished off the song and we went mental, off out the door they went and it was over. As I was walking out the main door, Colin Murray was coming into back into the theatre and he walked past me quietly singing ‘I’d really like to help you man’ which made me smile.We were let out the side door and back out into the sunlight.Was definitely the most intimate gig I think I will ever see of Radiohead and it was amazing. It has wetted my appetite for my summer holidays, where I am following them around like a crazed stalker (a stalker who has to be back at work 2 days later).See you all out thereKeithaka vodka1
Comments