Gig Review, The Wildhearts 21/12/2006

[yambabe]

So, we’ve both blagged the afternoon off work and we’re off to see the Wildhearts play a one-off Xmas special in Wolverhampton.

First hurdle to overcome is actually getting to Wolverhampton! On multimap it’s about 70 miles straight down the M6, easy peasy yeah, we’ll be there in an hour and a half no problem…… except that it’s the last Thursday before Xmas, the Midlands are covered in a thick blanket of fog, the airports are stuffed and before we even get on the M6 we are hearing reports of accidents and blockages........ so we go down the A49. Now on a clear warm summers evening out on the bike the A49 is one of my favourite local roads. In the car on a freezing foggy winter afternoon it’s not so hot, thank goodness He is driving not me! Except that he is starting to show the symptoms of his subsequently-diagnosed Bells Palsy, and is finding squinting into the fog with a permanently watering eye that won’t shut somewhat difficult. Bugger, there go my hopes of getting pissed tonight!

So we get to Wolverhampton and find the Wulfrun Hall quite easily. Yay, and get a parking space right opposite it! Lets go get something to eat then. Nearest is Yates’ but it’s full of pre-Christmas office revellers in their smart suits and it’s very loud, crowded and smoky. Don’t fancy eating there! We wander aimlessly round the shopping centre for a bit looking for a foody pub, a café, maybe a Chinese or something, and eventually give up and descend on KFC. Fed and watered we head back to the venue to see if anything is happening yet.

Horror! There are tiny Goths and Emos everywhere! Millions of mini-people in kilts, flat canvas shoes, black hoodys, black eyeliner……….. wtf!!!!! Surely all these kiddies aren’t coming to see the Wildhearts? Phew. Closer inspection reveals that there is an under-21s rock disco night in the venue next door. Lets’s get in and get a drink.

We are there early, so catch all the support bands. First up, no idea who these are, most of the band have the floppy-fringe “scene” look, uh oh I think, shouldn’t these be next door? But the guy in the middle doesn’t have a floppy fringe, in fact he kind of reminds me of someone from ages ago, oh yeah, Jimmy Pursey……. So they start to play and wow! They are actually very very good. The foot is tapping, then the whole leg, eventually I find I have somehow got down to the front and I am bouncing in the mosh pit! (luckily not a very busy one as I am far too old for those kind of shenanigans!) Most excellent, and their sound was good too, I need to find out more about these guys.

Next up are the God Damn Whores, Jon Poole’s (former Wildhearts bassist) new project. They start, and it sounds like a Harley ticking over. Hmmmmmm. Jon has silly makeup, and as a frontman can let his full wacky sense of humour shine much more than in any of the previous bands. Very entertaining, very visual, unfortunately the music was average at best. This despite the “mysterious” bass player complete with shades, hair over face etc. Small tip though Ginger hon, if you don’twant us to know it’s you you need to wear long sleeves cos yer tatts are a bit of a giveaway.............

Next we have a band called Beat Nation who are desperate to be The Jam. Very together, very professional, and boring me to tears cos this just isn’t my kind of music so I go to the loo and on the way back I stop for a browse round the merchandising stand. Here I manage to bump into a couple of members of the first band up so I discover that they are called The Loyalties, I buy their CD and get them to sign it and we have a bit of a chat about how good they are, where they are hoping to go, what their influences are etc. Result!

Finally it’s time for the Wildhearts to come on. They blast in with TV Tan, and it’s all pretty much uphill from there! The set is pretty much a greatest hits affair, with Shitsville, Vanilla Radio, Suckerpunch, Caffeine Bomb, Nina Nitro, Everlone all putting in an appearance, interspersed with Ginger’s usual wry humour and banter. The new bass player fits in very well, and plays well too – he is obviously enjoying himself. CJ is looking great and his playing is on top form. Can’t see Rich but I can sure hear him! And Ginger himself is just, well, Ginger really. He looks like he’s enjoying himself (although not as much as with the Sonic Circus I have to say), he tells us the Wildhearts is like an itch you can’t help scraching, you want to leave it alone but you just have to keep coming back again, he tells us that a new Wildhearts album will be out around April of next year, the crowd love it, the band love it, it’s all good.

They go off, and the usual strains of Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me start to float around the hall. So Ginger comes back on with his guitar and plays along, and it’s doing so well we do a couple of other numbers as well. Just Ginger, a guitar and the crowd, Goerdie In Wonderland and 29 Times The Pain are seen off in considerable style. Ginge seems to be in some emotional difficulty, “I can’t believe you know all the words” he says, shaking his head, well Duh! ‘course we do, that’s why we’re here...............

A single new song is aired, a tribute to lost friends and a song about the bleakness of suicide and death. The crowd is awed. Then of course I Wanna Go Where The People Go is ripped through with enthusiasm and it’s all over, time to go and sit in the car waiting to get out of the parking space and talking about how good it was.

Welcome back Wildhearts, it’s been a blast.
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[Trixie]

Would have loved to have been there.

The Wildhearts rule...! https://www.untitledmagazine.co.uk/smiley.gif
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Dead nobodies in company cars...

[Kiss_My_Rs]

Seen them 3 times now. Was best the first time when danny was in the band..

My baby is a head fuck haha what a class title.
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Http://www.manchesterbikers.net