Killers, Elbow and Tears for Fears in Hyde Park

A great gig this, part of the BST summertime series in Hyde Park, and the first one to sell out. But also an endurance test for me. Having already been up late at my local comedy night in Southgate (which was a particularly good evening) and then come home for a last drink with my lodger before he moved out, and then getting up early to help him leave, I was already a bit sleep deprived. But then I had also bought priority tickets which allowed holders to enter an hour early to bag the best spot - a temptation that I could not resist. 

But of course to really get a good spot, you need to be in the queue early for the priority entrance itself. So I was there at 11;15 for gates open at 12, with first act not even on until 1:30. Security was airport style so we had to put everything in our pockets into a plastic bag. I had been wearing a jacket precisely so I didn't need to have a bag searched, so I had heaps to put in, including mobiles cameras etc. Belts were to be removed too, and needless to say the plastic bags they supplied were tiny. And having finally made it through and charging to the arena, clutching my bag full of bits and bobs to sort out later, they then want to repossess their plastic bags. Grr!

But that wasn't really what made it an endurance test. It was the heat. A very hot day indeed. But thankfully I got a spot on the barrier as it curved away from the stage to make a corridor between us plebs and the premium area to the right of the stage. And spent the first hour before anything happened just sat against the barrier reading, like most other early arrivals.

First act up in a long day were the Strypes a young Irish indie guitar band. Very passable performance, and ridiculously energetic one given the heat and the fact they were all wearing jackets, although at least the singer had the sense to dispense with his red-checked one to avoid heatstroke.

This guy was particularly energetic bouncing around like a puppy and twice as keen.

 Following them rattling through a 30 minute set were the Mystery Jets. Haven't seen this outfit for a few years, and while I can't say I am a fan, their songs were a step up in sophistication.

 Lead vocalist is Blaine Harrison above who is disabled - having been born with spina bifida.  bit of a setback for a frontman who you normally expect to be bouncing around stage where he is rooted to his keyboard. However he has a very fine voice. Not sure about the seventies porn star moustache he has gone for.

 Third act was a band I hadn't seen before - US out fit Cold War Kids. I would say not as sophisticated musically as Mystery Jets but with stronger songs. Lead singer Nathan Willett does move about a bit more than Blaine, but is trying to hide a beer gut. Bit chunky for a quite aggressive sounding indie band.

Then we got onto the Big Three who were what this bill was old on. (Well really it was a Big Four, but sadly they chose White Lies to headline a minor stage and I wasn't moving from this one having bagged my spot at the front!)

First up Tears for Fears. Now they were a big band in the Eighties, several big hits until the band, which is essentially just the two guys, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith had an acrimonious falling in the Nineties. Now I don't know the current state of their relationship, but can only go by what one observed on stage. And in the whole of their set I don't think they as much as acknowledged the existence of each other. Don't think they eve looked at each other once. Luckily its a big stage. However, for all that they sounded tight, Roland did all he talking and they went down well with what was, although a mixed age audience, nevertheless one where 40 somethings were very well represented, if not the main demographic.

They finished on the iconic "Shout" and did all the rest including Mad World which had an outing as Christmas hit as cover version a few years back. But I couldn't help feeling that the stand out song was the cover version they did, of Radiohead's Creep. Popular band, but rather lightweight compared to Radiohead. although one might also say that compared to Radiohead, who isn't?

Curt Smith 

Roland Ozrabal (no he never traded on his good looks)

 There should be a rule, broken here by Roland, that you can't complain about how hot it is on stage if you are in your mid-fifties and wearing a jacket and leather trousers.

And so onto Elbow. I won't say too much about Elbow as I have seen them more than any band and there are several reviews of them on this blog. Suffice to say it was their usual warm performance, but a slightly truncated set as they weren't headlining. Nevertheless they unhurriedly went through a lot of their most well known songs, evenly scattered across their numerous albums, such as Magnificent, Grounds for Divorce, Birds, Lippy Kids and the inevitable One Day like This, which the audience wants to sing a long too forever, and which almost happens as Guy Garvey orchestrates the crowd.

Guy Garvey with his trademark arm action. somehow encouraging the audience at all times to join in

Mark Potter

Pete Turner

And so onto the headliners, the Killers. "It's been 4 years since we have been last in London"said Brandon Flowers" so we need to get reacquainted." We did. very satisfactorily.

Now a few introductory remarks about the Killers. Firstly, they are very much a band, not just one or two individuals and some session musicians. BUT on stage they are all about Brandon Flowers who is a textbook front man. Secondly, Brandon is defying the laws of physics. Although now 36 he seems younger every time I see him - appearance and the boundless energy on stage. Thirdly, they now have so many great songs behind them that they can play a set like this and the audience knows every song and almost every one has been a big hit.

Being Pride weekend and Brandon being gay, it seemed utterly fitting that Brandon would come on in a pink leather jacket to a massive burst of pink confetti. No quite into this - the performance positively exploded from the start.

This is a photo of the front of the crowd. Not the real crowd, but those who had paid for the premium area, giving them better bars and loos, at a large mark-up. My mate Mark was in this and he gave me a call, jokingly wanting a refund as I had a better position, at the real front, than he in this enclosure to the right, at right angles to the stage.

The pink confetti intro got a less monochrome repeat later..

Encore really finished with a bang with When we Were Young and Mr Brightside. Audience went out on an adrenaline high, a necessary drug for the long trudge through exits, the Park and overcrowded tube.