SPECTOR – 10/11/12 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
Spector first
appeared on the music radar around May of last year and since the release of their
debut single ‘Never Fade Away’, their witty and melancholic lyrics paired with
a somewhat raucous edge have been making many a person such as me crave to see
them live. The subsequent release of their album ‘Enjoy it while it lasts’
including tracks such as ‘Chevy Thunder’, ‘Celestine’ and the lesser known
‘Grim Reefer’ along with ‘Upset Boulevard’ merely added fuel to the fire. The
time finally came. They did not disappoint. At Shepherds Bush Empire – quite a
big venue but it still managed to retain a sense of intimacy -the first
balcony, right at the front, in the very centre was where we stood. Good a place
as any. As the support acts played (LULS, Splashh, and Swim Deep – all great at
hyping the crowd with their own music) we spotted Fred Macpherson (Spector’s
lead singer) watching to our right. We naturally popped over to say hello, and
what a cool guy (and yes those glasses are genuine) but he had a live show to
perform so we didn’t want to keep him. They opened with ‘Twenty Nothing’ and
you could tell from the first song that it was going to be an incredible night.
They tore up the stage and the atmosphere was the definition of electric. Their
12 track repertoire went ridiculously fast and it felt like no time had passed
before they headed off stage and it was the crowds’ job to coax them back on
with our acapella version of ‘Never Fade Away’. They returned for said one last
song and it was an appropriate end to a great gig. One will definitely be
booking tickets to see them live when they tour their next album whenever that
may be. In short, we certainly did enjoy
it whilst it lasted. 
Lucy Rose – 20/11/12
The Boileroom, Guildford
Renowned for
her captivatingly honest lyrics and delicate yet incredibly resonating voice
Lucy Rose had attained a strong and vast fan base before her debut album ‘Like
I Used To’ was even released. Touring her
first album which includes tracks such as ‘Night Bus’, ‘Bikes’ and ‘Middle of
the Bed’ to name but a few I knew it was going to be a magical performance.
After her support act (Pete Roe – he’s worth a listen) finished it was only a
short wait until she and her band came on. She began her set mere feet from me
and my friend (just so happens to be the same one as the Spector gig, it was my
birthday gift this time) and in fact she was so close that we had a little
conversation with her in between songs – she even offered us her water when she
overheard us saying we were thirsty. Lucy Rose is ridiculously lovely and as
cliché as it sounds, has the voice of an angel, or perhaps better. Her standout
tracks of the evening were ‘Place’, ‘Lines’, ‘Middle of the Bed’... If I’m
being honest every single song she sang, she sang to perfection and I look
forward to seeing her live again soon. After the gig she could be found at the
little merch’ stand at the back selling her signature jam and tea (she is just
the cutest) which she had previously plugged on her set so needless to say the
queue was long. Did I have any money? No. Did I queue anyway just to tell her
how great her set was? You bet I did. What was really charming was how much she
appreciated us coming and how she offered to have a photo with us. I’d
recommend seeing her live to anyone and I just hope she returns to the
Boileroom soon (she did say it was one of the best gigs of the tour).
When I got
invited to see Patrick Wolf do an acoustic live session for NME I was of course
not going to pass on the offer. After
waiting in the lobby with about 15 other people, we were directed into the lift
and up into the NME office where right at the back nestled in front of a couch
sat Patrick Wolf and his two accomplices. Dressed in chain-mail and armed with
a harp I wasn’t sure what to expect, but that’s the thing with Patrick Wolf,
you’re not supposed to. The intimate setting didn’t prevent him from executing
his signature eccentric dancing whilst he played his ukulele and harp as he
treated us to 4 acoustic tracks. These included an inventive cover of
‘Universal Soldier’ (originally by Buffy Saint Marie who he mentioned he’d
recently been working with) and the aptly named ‘Wolf Song’ which he finished
with. One got the impression that he preferred the more traditional set up of a
stage with dramatic lighting and a crowd separate from the band, but towards
the end he definitely became more comfortable with the fact that onlookers were
watching from quite literally a foot away – for most of the session I was
sitting cross legged at his feet, looking up at his performance (I had to hand
him his pick when he dropped it). Though
it was only a session, his quirky and individual style came across in abundance
as he acoustically executed his electric pop/folk songs, and it was fascinating
to see how much he’s evolved and changed since songs such as ‘Magic Position’
from 2007. I would be intrigued to see him live again in a more traditional gig
environment but frankly, I’d struggle to think of a better way to spend a
Tuesday December evening. 
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