The Bull & Gate is crap these days so I went to the Southampton Arms up the road instead - much better for ales! More like a proper pub too.
Suitably refreshed I headed down the road to The Forum. For many fans The Wildhearts and Backyard Babies together is a dream bill. In fact I think it nearly happened a few years ago and a poster even appeared, but it all seemed to fall through for some reason before tickets actually went on sale. But now it really is happening and a lot of people including me are very excited. I think the show is sold out.
Backyard Babies used to be one of my favourite live bands about 20 years ago, but like Supersuckers and Danko Jones who also used to be fantastic live acts back then they seemed to lose their edge and started to seem 'tired'. I think Backyard Babies realised this and went on hiatus for a few years. They have put out two new albums since their return - one good, and one less so, but I haven't been able to catch them live again. Until now.
After hearing one or two good reports since the band's comeback I had been looking forward to seeing them again. However...
I was distinctly underwhelmed by their set tonight. The band played OK, although I've seen them better and with a lot more energy - although to be fair they are a lot older than when I first saw them back around 1998.
The problem for me wasn't so much the band's performance - it was the setlist. Most Backyard Babies fans would agree that their finest album was one of their earliest - 'Total 13' is regarded as a classic. It was hearing 'Bombed (out of my mind)' from this album on the radio that convinced me (rightly) that this was a band I had to go and see play live. But I don't think they played a single song from 'Total 13' at this show! If this was their own headline show I would have asked for my money back - and not playing 'Bombed...' was for me like the Stones not playing 'Satisfaction'.
However, I am glad to report that The Wildhearts didn't let me down. With their latest album with Danny McCormack back on bass duties they have been in fine and ferocious form both on record and as as live act.
The recent and aptly titled 'Renaissance Men' album has two or three new songs that instantly became fan singalong favourites, and the band themselves are playing better than ever.
The Wildhearts are just as relevant in 2020 as they ever were, and their lyrics and the anger contained in the new songs is now more topical than ever before. Ginger writes his best songs when he's been going through a bad time and is pissed off with the world - and there is a lot to be pissed off with in the world at the moment. However, that has resulted in some new Wildhearts songs like 'Let 'Em Go', 'Diagnosis', and 'Dislocated' that I think are future classics - every cloud has a silver lining. Of course we still get a load of the old favourites, but not quite as many as before - partly as the band don't want some songs to get too tired even if they are still popular crowd pleasers, but also because they need to make room for some of the new songs - which are really good and already popular with the fans. So now we don't get the hugely popular '29 x The Pain', and one or two others which have been in nearly every Wildhearts set for many years. I expect those songs will return at some point and others will fall by the wayside, but who want's to hear (or play) exactly the same songs at every gig for thirty years? Oh yeah - Rolling Stones fans - and make that fifty years. Even with one or two old favourites missing I doubt anyone goes home disappointed - virtually every stage of the band's career was covered. The Wildhearts seem to be on a roll right now, but all too soon the show was over and it was time to go home.
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