The Smyths, True Order and Billy Blagg at the Electric Ballroom

Many people scoff at the idea of tribute acts. Mostly, I suspect, people who have never seen one. I was one. Once. Now I don't hesitate.

Obviously, like anything else in life, you can come across bad ones. But if you know what you are doing, these can be among the best nights out you can get.

So whenever I have seen the Smyths lately they have been supported by Billy Blagg. This guy  has a better voice than Billy Bragg, although frankly that is not much of a challenge. And although he tried to freshen the act with some anti-Trump stuff much of the interest in this act is how tired all those old left wing politics are. Desperately seeking injustices in centuries gone by because now we see trade unions more in the light of picketing primary schools or vastly overpaid tube drivers holding the general public to ransom with endless strikes as they simply don't need their full pay. 

My young friends Luka and Anna missed Billy, but they had seen him in Bristol earlier in the year so we could compare notes.

What I hadn't seen before was True Order. A very good New Order tribute act. Again their lead vocalist is better than Bernard Sumner (again not difficult in truth), but they played their set with great aplomb and authenticity, building up to Blue Monday and World in Motion (missing a Jamaican winger for the wrapping part, but hey ho...)

This was an hour's set which they said was scaled down from their normal two hour set. I would love to see the full version. 

Honestly I would have gone home happy if I had just seen True Order. But there was still the Smyths to come. I can't say exactly why, but they seem to get just marginally better every time I see them. 

Like Luka and Anna, this was the second time I had seen them this year, but this was a bigger and better venue. The atmosphere has a lot of impact. About 600 people crammed into the Electric Ballroom, big enough to feel, well, electric, but small enough to be intimate too (we were right at the front).

It was lovely to see Luka bellowing along to all the songs, and indeed most of the other young people there. All just very evidently loving every minute. You could pretty much say that half the audience was over 55 like me, and the other half under 25. And everyone is singing along to every word. Graham Sampson has a better voice than Morrissey, (especially listen to him on It's Over) although a little deeper register, better personality, better stage presence, sense of humour. And the Smyths have been doing this for so long that they really "own" the songs. This isn't just copying the originals; they rearrange them, turning, for example, How Soon is Now into a dance number for closing. 

Just superb, and you can see a buzzing crowd at exit of youngsters like my companions, and pensioners, all happily turning out into the streets. (Our happiness slightly dampened by MacDonalds being closed. It was an early start and we were hungry!)

 

Sweet Unrest v ART at Bush Hall

So, two headline bands, one of whom I have seen loads and another a few times, came together with the idea of co-headlining a show under the pretence of being a  battle of the bands concert. On a stage dressed as a boxing ring, built by the dad of the lead singer of ART.

So this was the empty stage

In the very posh Bush Hall. If a venue has chandeliers, I call it posh

As this was based on a battle of the bands format, and they wanted to have supports to the two headline acts, there were also two bands who formed what was described as the undercard. First were a band called The Great Leslie, that I had never heard of before. They were not at all bad. Indie 4 piece, one slight female guitarist, a slightly geeky looking bloke on drums and the other two striking mainly as two blokes who, shall we say, can't have built muscles like that purely strumming a guitar. Both wearing vests to show that off.

One of the advantages of the boxing ring format was that one could change vantage point. I decided to head around to where the lead singer was. In the red corner!

As I say, they were not at all band. Strong vocals.

Following them were a band whose name I had heard, but I had never seen - Tres Kings. A trio (clue in the name I guess) rather less photogenic than their predecessors (especially the bearded heavily tattooed drummer), but with very good vocals and probably the better sound overall. I think winner in the battle on music, although if a genuine fight....

Now interspersing the music, the bands had recruited some jobbing improv actors for some bizarre battles as a sideshow. So below, a fight between two medieval knights in chain mail. The ginger guy was Sir Smegalot. It was all bawdy but very childish fun.

Another comic, even more childish sideshow was a square off between Popcorn Man (not shown) and Hot Dog Man, below, with his sidekick Ketchup Man. I guess this you know the acting career is not going to reach the RSC when you dress up as ketchup at a music gig...

Then up on the end stage the two main protagonists came up for the equivalent of the weigh-in/press conference - Sweet Unrest on the left, ART on the right

First up were Sweet Unrest. A slightly different to normal intro with their drummer coming in first.

Then the other band members - some smart suits!

And finally lead singer Jack in a boxing dressing gown.

Marlon having a chat with a member of the audience. You can do that sort of thing at this level  of gig

And for the last song, a glamorous violinist added to the mix.

Leon looking in the zone

Tom, now minus jacket and cool shades

Marlon, maybe in need of a haircut!

Then ART, who seemed to have the bigger crowd following. They are also more over the top, even than Sweet Unrest, at least Alfie the lead singer is.

From the middle of the Sweet Unrest set a mosh pit had developed. The audience was fun to watch too. And it included members of other bands. I spotted the lead singer of Scarlet Sometimes at the back, chatted to the manager of the Mitchells and below the guy on his manager's shoulders is Luka of the Mitchells.

Having finished on their big song, Milkshake, the two bands then combined for a rather crowded encore, given they are both five piece bands. The final song was that most classic of singalongs, Hey Jude.

A really great fun evening. Very enthusiastic crowd. Uproarious fun