Franz Ferdinand at Shepherds Bush Empire

It had been a while since I visited Shepherds Bush. Partly due to some unexplained hold ups at a red signal on the tube, I got there a little later than I would have liked, so I wasn't able top get right to the front. Indeed there were a very attractive, but rather tall couple stood in front of me. I say this to explain the slightly poorer photos than I usually manage to get, particularly of Alex Kapranos, the lead singer, who was the far side of stage from me. I could rarely get a good angle not blocked by a tall head....

Anyway, to get on with this, I was a little disappointed there was only one support, so having got there "late" (ie just after doors open, there was a long gap before any action. And the action was disappointing too. The artist was Master Peace. Who was far from a masterpiece. He is a bloke somewhere on the margin of indie and rap. It was just all rather basic, his voice, backed by a basic drummer and basic guitarist

Eventually we got onto Franz Ferdinand, touring to promote their new album. Unfortunately, I can't say there is much that is memorable from the new record, maybe Doctor. Doctor. So the night rather rested on the oldies. What I can say though is that as live act, they are very good. Alex has a lot of personality, does a lot of audience patter in his fine Scottish accent and of course is a very fine singer. 

There was a rather nice spot after "Matinee" which features a line imagining he had made it by being interviewed by Wogan. After the song he said some of us would realise how apposite that song was because The Wogan show used to be recorded at this very theatre. And the younger members of the audience would be thinking, "Who the f*** is Terry Wogan?" Than neatly encapsulated how long the band has been going for.

It says a lot for the quality of the band's back catalogue, that they did not end the main set nor encore with their stand out hit "Take Me Out", but rather finished with This Fire in a suitably burning red light. Another very strong performance. (I also had the neat experience of seeing an excellent covers band - Courtfield 19 - two nights later doing a cover of Take Me Out, and doing an excellent job of it. Its a great song.)

 

Tyntesfield

Tyntesfield is a glorious example of Victorian high gothic architecture built with no expense spared. And all built on shit. Bird shit to be precise. Guano. A much prized Victorian fertilizer. William Gibbs who commissioned the house (previously a small Georgian house) was supposed to be the richest commoner in the land. His family firm acquired a monopoly on the South American guano trade which apparently was bringing in (in today's money) about £8 million a year. So they could afford to go all out on the family home in the most fashionable neo-gothic taste, with the highest standards of craftsmanship, mostly displayed in the quality of the woodwork in the house interiors.

The family were devout Roman Catholics, so unsurprisingly the hose had its own pretty lavish chapel.

Particularly taken by the gentleman's room. It took in, according to the blurb, three fashionable men's activities, billiards (fine table), hunting (lots of stag antlers lining the walls) and wood-turning on the lathe. (What? Never heard of that as a gentleman's pursuit!)

Plenty of paintings line the walls and they have labels like Rubens, Rembrandt and Zurbaran, but they are not genuine. The only big name genuine painting here is the Bellini below, an early Madonna and Child being a fitting work to have in the house of a Roman Catholic family.

Obviously the house comes with an extensive estate and grounds.

A rose garden is not at its best in February but you can tell it would be spectacular in summer...

Of course a house lie this would also have an orangery and extensive glasshouses

Circa Waves at Brixton Academy

Somewhat of a flying visit from Eoin and Niamh, given they had driven down from Nottingham mid afternoon. So straight to Brixton, quick fuel stop at a Subway and into the Academy to find the first act were already started

Openers Corella were new to me but not to Eoin and Niamh who had seen them at Reading Festival last summer and were very keen to see them again. They were very good - I liked them more than one expects for a band that I knew no songs of.

When their set was over, Eoin and Niamh made a dash for the band's merch stall at the back and came back with signed set-list, signed vinyl album and - as you can see below - signed t-shirt being proudly modelled by Eoin. 

Second support were not known to Eoin and Naimh, but were to me. I had seen Peace years ago, supporting Miles Kane. My companions were not so keen but I liked their set. I made the point that they were more a band to see sitting down while Corella were a standing band. A gentler, more sophisticated sound.

After two fairly substantial sets by the supports, on came Scouse headliners Circa Waves. This is a band that have been around for a while now without, excuse the pun, making too much in the way of waves. I had seen them before as a support band and at festivals. It was interesting seeing how much heavier a rock sound they had here when I think of them as producing pleasant enough slightly frothy guitar music, exemplified by their one big hit, T-shirt Weather, with which inevitably they closed the night.