Confession Time - First Live Gig & First Record Bought

[Alex_UK]

I saw Tina Dico tonight at the Cadogan Hall in London. My first time seeing her and what an exceptional and engaging artist. I won't say too much, as I know somebody else is going to see her on this tour. Suffice to say you will not be disappointed In fact I cannot believe a couple of hours could fly by so quickly - a very polished performance indeed.

Picked up an EP too which she mentioned during the show, recorded with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Will have to wait till tomorrow now, but I am looking forward to hearing it.

Only 3 more sleeps! We can compare notes on Monday, and the EP looks interesting, I shall make sure I take my piggy bank!

[WAD62]

Saw Mogwai at the Birmingham Institute last night (the main room), superb gig as always, their sound engineer always seems to get it about right...just short of blood coming out of your ears! (but no hissing today, so the quality was obviously good)

Just under 2 hours, played most of their new album, interspersed with older favourites. For a lot their new album they were augmented by a chap on electric violin put (through some evil effects) which further added to the barrage of sound.

One plus point was that the gig was promoted by ATP (All Tomorrows Parties) with whom Mogwai have a close connection, and they'd brought along some new Scottish outfit 'The Twilight Sad' as support. There must be some connection as they gave them the full PA and even let them use their 'Orange' head amps, for a young support band they showed an awful lot of potential.

[Alex_UK]

Well, the day finally came, and after a lovely meal in one of my favourite restaurants (which hasn't changed in the 20 odd years since I've been going there, though not very often in recent years since moving away from Norwich) my wife and I sat down to watch Tina Dico live.

I doubt many if any of you will have ever been to Norwich Arts Centre - a small converted medieval church in the city centre. It is the smallest of the 3 University run venues, and to be honest I was astonished that Tina couldn't fill at least the next one up (the Waterfront.) Both these venues have an emotional attachment for me, but that's for another day - Norwich Arts Centre is a fantastic venue, but holds only around 100 people - around 70 seated in the old naive of the church, and standing room at the back and sides. We arrived early enough to get prime seats, right at the back of the seating area, directly in front of the mixing desk, slap bang in the middle. We were about 40 feet from Tina on stage - which gives you an idea of how small and intimate this venue is.

Enough of the venue - what about the gig itself? Well, I'm sure regular readers won't be surprised to hear that I absolutely loved it - not just one of the best gigs I've ever been to, but one of the best nights of my life. If you've ever seen Tina before, or have her In The Red live DVD, then this is a very different tour. Paired down to just Tina, Helgi Jónsson an Icelandic keyboard/trombone player (who also does backing vocals and duet duties, and was the support act) and a drummer - (I'll call him "Thor" as I can't remember exactly his name, but he is best mates with Helgi and reminded me of Harry Hill!) - this is very much an acoustic show, no doubt promoting the current album Welcome Back Colour which is a 2 CD affair, the 2nd disc being re-workings of some of her well known songs paired down to the bone.

Tina didn't miss a note on her guitar - looked gorgeous, was witty and entertaining - but above all, just sang beautifully. I shan't run through the set list (mainly because I can't remember it reliably!) but highlights for me included Stains, Sacre Coeur, and the Zero7 song Home (my wife's favourite, who incidentally, only came begrudgingly, (mainly for a dinner out!) but was completely bowled over too, and is now Tina's #2 fan! ) Some brave acapella, and very low level mic work was interesting, and only added to the intimacy.

My only criticism would be that Helgi's trombone playing was a bit too improvised for my tastes, (i.e. I thought it was out of time and out of tune, which is basically my problem with a lot of jazz! ) and he had computer problems, which meant that his keyboard kept distorting, but overall it didn't impact on the evening. Oh, and Tina pulls some very strange faces sometimes! I know a lot of singers do, but for some reason I wasn't expecting it of her!

All in all, a fantastic evening, and one that I can't wait to repeat. Unfortunately last night was the last leg of the UK tour (otherwise I would desperately trying to arrange a further evening I can assure you!) - so come back to the UK soon please Tina!

[Tim]

Thanks for the review Alex, that sounds a different show to the one in London at the Cadogan Hall - no bass/lead guitar with you then. I guess the size of the venue was a consideration? I have to be honest, the best bits of the show for me were the acoustic sections. The band left her alone on stage in the middle and that was one of the best bits of the gig, together with her coming to the front and singing with the band without mic's. We were in the 3rd row centre, so she was really close at that point.

You picked out my favourite tracks there too, especially Home. I took my ex-girlfriend along and she had never heard Tina's music before, live or otherwise, but she is a Zero7 fan. She's now a confirmed Tina fan and wanted to know what CD's to get first. She cannot wait for her to return to the UK.

She is a wonderful entertainer and as you say, makes the whole experience very intimate. I was talking about it in the office today and said it was like going round to a friends and having them perform for you as a friend - she just conveys such warmth on stage. I also thought it was the best gig I have been to since I saw John Mayer in Wolverhampton last year and that was a very special night..... since then I have been to 43 other gigs, so that shows you how highly I rated her as well (I go to too many gigs!).

Bravo Tina and come back soon from me as well.

. . . and that Helgi, what a nutter, but also thoroughly lovable and I can see why she likes him. Did he start the show on his own?

[MartinT]

Nice reviews both and I shall look out for TD the next time she tours. I too love Home by Zero 7, from my favourite album of theirs When It Falls (but Somersault is my fave track).

Now then, when will Sia tour again? I am not going to miss her this time

[Alex_UK]

Hi Tim, yes, it does sound like the band was paired down to suit the venue. And yes, Helgi did start off on his own, doing a handful of tracks with guitar or keyboard - not really my cup of tea to be honest on his own - a bit too depressing and weird for my tastes!

[Tim]

Hi Tim, yes, it does sound like the band was paired down to suit the venue. And yes, Helgi did start off on his own, doing a handful of tracks with guitar or keyboard - not really my cup of tea to be honest on his own - a bit too depressing and weird for my tastes!

He was totally mad to start with and I thought 'what is this!' As for SIA Martin, I would love to see her too. I did have tickets for last October, but her short tour was cancelled. I see she is touring in Aus, so maybe back to full health... lets hope so?

[Neil McCauley]

Gwyneth Herbert. Unclassifiable and very enjoyable.

[DanJennings]

I went to see the Levellers supported by The Wonder Stuff last night at the 02 academy in Birmingham....

I love both those bands, especially the Wonder Stuff, but someone at the o2 academy needs a slap, because they oversold the gig so badly that it was unbearable. There was no space, it was ridiculously hot, there were times when my feet didn't touch the ground, and it was like this from the front to the very back, even all the way to the bar, merch stall and exits.

The Wonder Stuff were great, but it's hard to really enjoy yourself in conditions like that, and we watched some of the Levellers, but it got so bad that we decided to leave.

[Tim]

Well I have been to quite a few concerts since Tina Dico, but in the last 2 weeks I have seen The Decemberists twice, so have to give them a special mention, as they give one of the best live performances out there IMO and are one of my favourite bands.

I saw them last week at the Bristol O2 and this week at the Hammersmith Apollo, but at Bristol I was right on the barrier at the front I can be a bit of a handful at concerts, as I do tend to be the bloke who shouts out stuff a lot, but at a Decemberists gig, it's kind of expected. I think The Decemberists are a bit of a 'marmite' band, but I love marmite. The lead member and creative genius behind them is Colin Meloy, again his voice is the cause of much debate too.... but I'm a fan of that as well...!

They have an eclectic style, running from rock, indie, country and folk, but they are always original and uniquely always sound like The Decemberists. But its their live performances that really stand out, as Colin likes maximum audience participation and thrives on banter. During the Bristol show he got down off the stage and into the crowd, handing over his guitar. There's lot's more that goes on at their gigs and it's always a full on hoot... I love them to death

A signature encore for them is The Mariner's Revenge Song, which also requires audience involvement in the form of screaming, as if you are being eaten by a whale. It's quirky, a lot of fun and I guess you have to be there, but here you go....... stick with it and don't treat it too seriously