The Killers at Wembley

The Killers have, deservedly, just got bigger and bigger. And you have to be big to play Wembley, not the Arena, but the stadium.

Only a certain kind of act can really pull that off. The Killers can pull off just about anything at the moment.

Lets start by saying going to Wembley always feels a bit special. Just because it is so big really. Having eyed the weather forecast for a week luckily rain had turned to just occasional drizzle so we couldn't complain. And this would be the closest I will come to being on Wembley's hallowed turf (well they do cover the pitch, but it was beneath my feet somewhere).

I went with a colleague and his cousin, and we arrived in time for a drink and to catch some of the opening  act, James. I have seen James a few times now, unsurprisingly as they play lots of festivals. My problem with them is that they do think they are rather more important band that they are. A handful of decent tunes with only "Sit Down" as a truly great song.

Next on were Gaslight Anthem, a new act to me. Lead singer has a great rock voice, but there was a lack of great songs to match. A poor man's Kings of Leon.

So to the main act. We had got ourselves into a decent position about the edge of the penalty area when a woman just behind us decided to collapse in a pool of her own vomit. I say "decide" but of course it wasn't a conscious decision, not least as she wasn't conscious. But clearly she had just drunk herself into a stupor. Why does someone spend £50 on a ticket to see something and then get so pissed they see nothing at all? Stay at home with a bottle love - cheaper for you and less annoying for the rest of us. Needless to say you can hardly call for a mop in the middle of a crowd of thousands. But the space that unsurprisingly opened up behind us was soon filled, someone improvising with pizza boxes to cover the offending mess.


Then on came the Killers and for another unfathomable reason someone decided to chuck a pint of beer in the air (well sort of understandable in that it is Carling, probably the worst lager in the world with the best marketing strategy which they can only sell at gigs like this because they don't allow any other beers. But if you are going to spend a fiver on what is essentially piss, please at least take your nasty medicine internally). In any event, most of the contents seemed to end up on my bald patch. But, even though drenched in lager, still this was a night not be missed.

Even though Battle Born, their latest album, is comfortably their weakest, they have now such a truly great back catalogue of songs that the new stuff didn't grate. When you put on a gig as big as this you can afford to put on the pyrotechnics, and as a visual spectacle they didn't disappoint. But one also has to love Brandon Flowers as a front man. He has everything, good looks, energy, personality and a powerful voice that soars easily above the rock music. Faultless. But they are not a one-man band - the drummer is tremendous, and the guitars are brilliant too - the Killers just rock!

  

It used to be lighters swaying in the crowd, now its mobile phones. Much safer and more hygenic

Knee-deep

As I said in an earlier entry, this was a week of going out every night, so after two plays, a music gig and a night out drinking with friends from the office, Friday night was circus night. But this contemporary circus stuff is really more acrobatics with feats of strength than anything else. All very impressive, and it only cost a tenner - a real bargain. Of course London has lots of quite cheap entertainment if you know where to look, and are prepared to experiment a bit.

Casus are a foursome, three guys and a very sturdy young lady who put on a very simple but awesome show. This show called Knee Deep starts with the girl walking on eggs in egg-boxes - an interesting feat, and the rest just carried on in that vain, with bits of trapeze and lots of strength holds, human pyramids, all that just doesn't do it justice. You just need to see this stuff. And take the kids as it really is family entertainment. No bad language, indeed no language at all.

The Cripple of Inishmaan

There is a good reason for branding. Once you are safe with the brand you know if you buy it you will get quality, without needing to check out every item. So with the Michael Brandage season at the Noel Coward theatre. A dark comedy about an orphaned cripple in the West of Ireland doesn't sound promising, but just trust the brand.

The other selling point of this production is the starring role for Daniel Radcliffe as the cripple. I can't deny that one of the reasons I went was to see how well the young man can act. Its rather like seeing a live band. You can't hide behind pre-recording.

But the thing is that Daniel doesn't really have the biggest role. Indeed this is a very even piece across a number of characters in the play. None of this is meant as criticism, but rather to say that there are many more reasons to go and see this piece. Its not just to turn up to see a "name" perform. Its to see a whole performance, and a play which is both sad and hilarious. Set in a Godforsaken island off the coast of Ireland where the only thing to do is gossip, our hero is  a crippled lad who wants to have a shot at stardom when he hears that some Americans are filming on a neighbouring island. We see none of that - this is a very domestic piece, mostly set in the village shop run by the two elderly ladies who have brought up the boy after his parents died in mysterious circumstances. In many ways the play is about insularity and the smallness of their lives. Their is a storyline, and the ending is both happy (by gets pretty girl) and sad (he has probably contracted TB), which somehow suits the play. Not a simple drama, nor a slapstick comedy.

And yes Daniel can act fine, as can the rest of the cast. His Irish accent doesn't grate at all. Perhaps the only oddity is to cast Daniel, a handsome young man by any standards, in a role where his guardians describe his unfortunate ugliness.