Crud World Domination Enterprises give you
Supergrass
The Great Hall,
Cardiff University,
07/10/05
Reviewed by Guy Salvador:
A gig in the Great Hall @ Cardiff
University is, very much like any other University Hall around the UK. Generally soulless, overfull, not enough
bars, crap beer, students….. I’m sure you all know the deal, which makes it
have to be a pretty good band for me to visit.
With tonight’s band “Supergrass” being a personal favourite & also
with the many times I have seen them over the past 10 years they have never
failed to be a great live band so, tonight didn’t fill me with as much
trepidation as it may have, in fact, I was quite looking forward to it. This
being only the second date, to promote their new “Zeppelinesque” & very
good new album, “Road to Rouen”. This
album being somewhat of a departure for “Supergrass” with no obvious hit
singles & a definite lean towards as I mentioned earlier a Led Zeppelin
feel. A definite move away from the
cheeky chappy image of “Feel Alright” that made them but, has maybe also been a
hindrance to their perceived ability to progress. This really has been just a perception as the
band have produced some great stuff over the years, maybe with last years
“Supergrass are 10” Greatest hits album have put a lid on an era. Unusually the band had chosen to firstly tour
this album as an “acoustic” show around the UK in smaller venues before taking
it out on a full-scale tour. Starting
tonight’s set with the very “Zeppelin” in a “Talkin bout love” way “Tales Of
Endurance”, it was a bit of a shock to see that
“Gaz” has turned into a hairy monster!
His trademark sideburns have finally circumnavigated his whole face to
make a huge full beard, he has also topped of the new look with a hat? Makes him look 30 years older & to be
honest, unfortunately, the band played as if they are that as well. They were not helped tonight by one of the
most atrocious out front sounds I have heard for many years at a decent gig
& if it was anything like that on stage there is no wonder they just didn’t
hit their usual standards. My only
criticisms of “Supergrass” in the past is that they can sometimes seem as if
they are just going through the motions & seem as if they are detached from
the audience. This was very much the
case tonight with this, along with the more pedestrian pace of the majority of
the new songs the gig turned into a huge yawn.
With people all around shouting particularly, for it to be turned up,
which was of course ignored, it obviously wasn’t only me that was feeling short
changed. The band played the majority of
the new album along with a good selection from the last 10 years but, it just
wasn’t happening tonight. With the band
back in Cardiff @ the Millennium stadium, “Noise & Confusion” bash in December
I would hope they will be back to their usual excellent selves, also have a
decent sound crew as well!
More “Grass” than “Super” on this
showing but, we’ll put this down to the one that got away, we’re all entitled
to one of those now & again!
All the best
Guy Salvador
