howard
Sniffling Indie Kid
Posts: 172
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Post by howard on May 23, 2009 6:57:25 GMT -5
Damm you Hold Steady for being so utterly fantastic in Cambridge that there was little option than to take an American style road trip to Falmouth. Its fair to say, not many bands to make the effort to travel sdown there, but i think we were all struck by the sheer beauty of the place and the mellow vibe.
The venue - an old style Pavilion. The only time I've known the boys play a venue with its own bandstand. It would have been great for them to play on the bandstand, but I guess one amazing acoustic gig in a week at Leeds was enough.
The hall had approx 300 people, many of whom did not know words or all the songs, but who were well up for it (the last few bands to paly the venue were a tribute to Queen and the like). There's no doubt there were loads of converts by the end.
Of course they stormed it.
And as ever, the generosity of spirit and kindness of the band and crew is simply exemplary. They can't be thanked enough.
Failed to get a setlist, but loads of gems ,including (in no order) stay positive as opener, citrus, most people are djs, and many others. Wealdstone will no doubt have other points to raise.
A couple of particular memories :-
Franz taking a seat at the side of the stage to let Uncle Gales' free reign to play the keyboards - and the look on Galen's face when he realised the keyboard sudenly looked, metaphorically, 10 miles long long (or as someone said later, "Galen's one finger playing did not really equip him to deal with the snarling cobras on that keyboard").
Finn - "...this song is about the same subject as the last one.." (introducing "you can make him like you" straght after girls go for status)
As Ben said earlier in the week - "I can't go to the Mojo gig for work and money reasons (put me down as a maybe)". It was that spirit which persuaded me to go. I got back at 7am this morning.
As someone once said, it hurts but its worth it.
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Post by lilhan on May 23, 2009 7:08:38 GMT -5
i am eternally jealous of all the people that were there. you got to hang with one of the most fantastic men i've ever met (yes, howard roberts). i can't believe you got DJs ARGH. JEALOUS FACE. i am glad it was tonnes of fun. get some sleep howard  |
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john k
Midnight Hauler
Posts: 2,035
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Post by john k on May 23, 2009 7:43:06 GMT -5
Good to see you back on the board HSR.
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Post by ilockyer on May 23, 2009 8:23:26 GMT -5
Great night, first time I've seen them and well worth the trip from Exeter. Bumped into a few lads from Grimsby who'd made the trip down especially - what better reason to have a weekend in Cornwall than a Hold Steady gig?
Got a setlist, and my Stay Positive LP signed too... think they enjoyed the gig so hopefully we'll see them back in the West Country before too long:
Setlist: Positive Jam, Chips Ahoy!, Chicago, Sequestered, Navy Sheets, Bangin' Camp, Massive Nights, Explode, Jamaica, Stevie Nix, Multitude, Adderall, Magazines, Party Pit, Massive Nights, Hornets, Status, You Can, Discouraged, Stay Positive, DJ's - Citrus, Stations, Slapped Actress.
Massive Nights listed twice, can't remember if it was played twice or not though!
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Post by lilhan on May 23, 2009 8:25:35 GMT -5
DJs, status, explode and adderall?! damn you all.
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Post by mashablues on May 23, 2009 8:56:37 GMT -5
Special things always happen in Cornwall! It sounds like an awesome night. Glad a good time was had by all.
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TIGER
Sniffling Indie Kid
Only the girls know the whole truth
Posts: 170
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Post by TIGER on May 23, 2009 9:31:28 GMT -5
Wow pity I had to work on Friday. Simon did you make up your mind and go?
Indeed Cambridge was awesome but no one stormed the stage and they didnt play Citrus ... oh well maybe next time .
Howard are you reffering to my brother Ben if so he couldnt stop talking about the Cambridge gig .... one of us!!!
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Post by jaked275 on May 24, 2009 4:18:53 GMT -5
Stevie Nix, Adderall and Citrus just made me cry a little bit. Awesome set list, very, VERY jealous!
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rogggo
Cityscape Skin
Posts: 44
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Post by rogggo on May 25, 2009 9:50:36 GMT -5
My first THS gig after being infatuated for the best part of a year - words cannot describe it, everything I expected and more, I just felt like melting with every song. Falmouth - what a fantastic location for this, 8 hour drive down on thursday was worth every second, it was a beautiful little town. The Princess Pavilion was the ideal setting, as said above, the beer garden would've been raging if they'd taken to the bandstand - the weather was PERFECT all weekend. An insane set list, so pleased to have DJs and Stevie Nix in there, I feel privileged! Was right up at the front with my pals, such a tiny crowd - was soo intimate! Apologies if you were the small girl next to me whom I kept knocking! I was a bit excited. Probably about 6 or 7 people around us how knew every single word, including some absolute nutter who came up the front and had a bit of a rage with me and my mate and then disappeared! Hello if you're on here! An utterly amazing moment made even more brilliant by the place, the people and the weather - but truly made magical by the unrelenting enthusiasm by this band. I can safely consider this the greatest gig of my life by a long stretch. Cannot wait for the next one, hopefully at a venue as complementing as this, with a crowd who share the same amount of joy! Hopefully this pic gives a good impression:  Have plenty more of those, will get them on the flikr when my mate sends me them! Peace x |
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rogggo
Cityscape Skin
Posts: 44
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Post by rogggo on May 25, 2009 9:52:59 GMT -5
ilockyer - just read your post, that was us from Grimsby! Were you the guy we spoke to at the bar?
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Post by mashablues on May 27, 2009 14:45:12 GMT -5
Just found this review on thisiscornwall.co.uk. There's also a slide show! www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/music/Hold-Steady-Falmouth/article-1023249-detail/article.htmlHold Steady in FalmouthTuesday, May 26, 2009, 12:55 The Hold Steady Princess Pavilion, Falmouth Review by Lee Trewhela IT’S NOT often that I make the effort to get to a gig embarrassingly early but having heard Patrick James Pearson’s debut EP on Myspace it was essential. The first thing that grabs you about the Launceston lad is that voice – a weird alien vibrato thing that brings to mind Hunky Dory-era Bowie and matey out of MGMT; the second is his ability to play the piano and drums at the same time. Quite some talent that, as his ability to turn the raging, atonal rock of At The Drive-In into a keening (definitely not Keane-ing) keyboard call to arms. With tunes of the extraordinary breadth of vision as Tequila Equals Tears and A Song For Teenage Love and a way of turning the well-worn man-at-the-piano schtick completely on its head I doubt he will be opening at a ridiculously early time for much longer. It was certainly a coup for local promoters SW1 Productions to get Brooklyn via Minnesota’s The Hold Steady into the intimate surrounds of the Pavilion, mere days after supporting Counting Crows in enormodomes. It seemed like an occasion – diagonal-haired indie kids nestled into balding solicitors – to catch a bit of the band’s Husker Du meets E Street Band, hardcore meets classic rock sound. From the off it was incendiary, frontman Craig Finn is a bespectacled whirlwind of teenage angst 20 years too late; like Woody Allen in the body of Alan Carr – while moustachioed keyboard player Franz Nicolay entertained with his crazy faces and piano flourishes in an animated Ron Mael kid of way. The first 30 minutes were thrilling, featuring highlights from their last two albums – Boys and Girls In America and Stay Positive – plus older anthems. But then, as good as the band is, it started to get samey, Finn’s hectoring style started to irritate – the main problem being that his rights of passage, stream of consciousness lyrics need to be digested and you couldn’t make them out; it felt like their sound was too big for the venue. After extended workouts of some lesser known songs, a crowd-pleaser like Stay Positive was frustratingly curtailed. However, we were treated to the visceral joy of Chips Ahoy, the mighty Slapped Actress and the nearest thing to a hit the band has enjoyed, Sequestered In Memphis. It was a great gig and one that Cornish music fans should be grateful for, but the band over-egged it. With Shearwater the week before and Eagles of Death Metal in June, Falmouth is turning into rock city. |
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Post by wealdstone on May 27, 2009 15:33:46 GMT -5
Came across this while walking around Falmouth before the gig last Friday, remind you of anyone?  |
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Post by motörben on May 27, 2009 15:58:42 GMT -5
Just found this review on thisiscornwall.co.uk. There's also a slide show! www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/music/Hold-Steady-Falmouth/article-1023249-detail/article.htmlHold Steady in FalmouthTuesday, May 26, 2009, 12:55 The Hold Steady Princess Pavilion, Falmouth Review by Lee Trewhela IT’S NOT often that I make the effort to get to a gig embarrassingly early but having heard Patrick James Pearson’s debut EP on Myspace it was essential. The first thing that grabs you about the Launceston lad is that voice – a weird alien vibrato thing that brings to mind Hunky Dory-era Bowie and matey out of MGMT; the second is his ability to play the piano and drums at the same time. Quite some talent that, as his ability to turn the raging, atonal rock of At The Drive-In into a keening (definitely not Keane-ing) keyboard call to arms. With tunes of the extraordinary breadth of vision as Tequila Equals Tears and A Song For Teenage Love and a way of turning the well-worn man-at-the-piano schtick completely on its head I doubt he will be opening at a ridiculously early time for much longer. It was certainly a coup for local promoters SW1 Productions to get Brooklyn via Minnesota’s The Hold Steady into the intimate surrounds of the Pavilion, mere days after supporting Counting Crows in enormodomes. It seemed like an occasion – diagonal-haired indie kids nestled into balding solicitors – to catch a bit of the band’s Husker Du meets E Street Band, hardcore meets classic rock sound. From the off it was incendiary, frontman Craig Finn is a bespectacled whirlwind of teenage angst 20 years too late; like Woody Allen in the body of Alan Carr – while moustachioed keyboard player Franz Nicolay entertained with his crazy faces and piano flourishes in an animated Ron Mael kid of way. The first 30 minutes were thrilling, featuring highlights from their last two albums – Boys and Girls In America and Stay Positive – plus older anthems. But then, as good as the band is, it started to get samey, Finn’s hectoring style started to irritate – the main problem being that his rights of passage, stream of consciousness lyrics need to be digested and you couldn’t make them out; it felt like their sound was too big for the venue. After extended workouts of some lesser known songs, a crowd-pleaser like Stay Positive was frustratingly curtailed. However, we were treated to the visceral joy of Chips Ahoy, the mighty Slapped Actress and the nearest thing to a hit the band has enjoyed, Sequestered In Memphis. It was a great gig and one that Cornish music fans should be grateful for, but the band over-egged it. With Shearwater the week before and Eagles of Death Metal in June, Falmouth is turning into rock city. I am so glad I live in Manchester. |
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Post by mike on May 28, 2009 4:41:21 GMT -5
that's a bloody awful piece of writing. edit: the review, that is. howard's show report was lovely.  |
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Post by ilockyer on May 29, 2009 16:08:10 GMT -5
ilockyer - just read your post, that was us from Grimsby! Were you the guy we spoke to at the bar? Yeah, that was me! Looking forward to the next tour already. Just wish I'd been able to get leave from work for the 6-10 June 'cause NYC for 4 nights in a row would've been awesome! |
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stringer
Has Status
Seein' my duty clear.
Posts: 2,702
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Post by stringer on Jun 4, 2009 19:21:45 GMT -5
Shiiit, I was gonna go to this, too!
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Post by newportandy on Aug 31, 2009 10:26:40 GMT -5
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Post by delboydrums on Aug 31, 2009 12:08:19 GMT -5
Guys go for looks.......thank God girls go for status.
Nice one Andy. Was tempted to trek down to Falmouth from Swansea myself, but managed to fit the Cambridge gig in around work.
Can't wait for Sept 10th.
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Post by ilockyer on Aug 31, 2009 14:30:23 GMT -5
Great photos, another reminder of an amazing night! I was very lucky that this was my first Hold Steady show I think.
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Post by heidivandernice, nice on Sept 1, 2009 23:32:50 GMT -5
From the off it was incendiary, frontman Craig Finn is a bespectacled whirlwind of teenage angst 20 years too late; like Woody Allen in the body of Alan Carr – while moustachioed keyboard player Franz Nicolay entertained with his crazy faces and piano flourishes in an animated Ron Mael kid of way. "hey, don't stop! i'm incendiary too, man!!!" |
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Post by sactochris on Sept 6, 2009 10:54:43 GMT -5
I dig the Ron Mael line. That's pretty good.
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