So I was quite literally back in Liverpool (see what I did there?) after my two week visit home to Ireland, and I was already getting a bus into town to go to the O2.
The last I saw of The Wombats was last January at the Magnet, and that had been my first time ever (unlike my companion who has seen them 13 times). Not that I didn't listen to them before, but I did, it's just a nightmare trying to get to a gig in Ireland.
From my experience at the Magnet I gathered two things:
1/ This was an amazing band live, and well worth seeing again
2/ I was never going to go to the Magnet again.
The band had been amazing and electric, with a great connection to the audience, but the venue was too small and where we were standing, a light on the wall was broken, my friend was pushed through a door, I was constantly being shoved, and I nearly died of panic as I had just gotten my first tattoo and it was still raw and sore, but this girl in the itchy jumper in front was making it worse by constantly pushing against me, making me worry the ink would fuck up. I saw a photographer near the front, directly under an amp, standing at around maybe 4'3, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears because she couldn't take a picture.
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| Ended up with a good view in the end |
But apart from the venue, the rest had been amazing, from waiting DJ music in the beginning to the last encore at the end. It took two days for my ears to go back to normal, until I finely relented and had to consult Google on how to fix it.
But anyway, I'm writing about the Academy, not the Magnet.
I had never been to the Academy in Liverpool before. The only one I had ever been to was Manchester for Courtney Love and Kate Nash.
Because I had just gotten off a plane and had to drop off bags, we were late. So we missed the support band, only barely catching the end of the set. Finding somewhere to stand was tricky. I'm a tiny 5'2 Irish girl, not a 5'10 model. And with the place already filled, we ended up standing on the stairs which led to an upstairs balcony of some sort.
I have to admit that I was at home in Ireland when the new album came out, so I never got to have a proper listen, I only went into this knowing three of the new songs and all the old stuff. But these guys are so good live, that it doesn't matter, by the end of it, you'll probably be able recite a chorus of one of the new songs, and the crowd always go mental enough to have a good time, with drink flying all over the place.
A good blend of new and old was played, adding to the high that the crowd was on because nothing says good time like screaming 'Kill the Director', right? Some say that pets reflect their owners? Well I think that the greatness of a crowd is a reflection of the greatness of the band, and with the energy of this crowd, it is obvious that these lads will definitely wind up going places. I get excited when their music is featured on the Vampire Diaries, its only time before they wind up on a blockbuster soundtrack.
Again, there was great crowd interaction, from just talking to the crowd, to getting into the crowd. The nights performance was met with great reception by the crowd. I bet a lot of people are already counting down the days for the next Liverpool gig.
The new album 'Glitterbug' can be found in shops, on iTunes or Spotify now, and will probably wind up becoming part of the summer playlist for people.
Oh and a quick word of advice, if you have epilipsy, there is a lot of flashing lights, fair warning.
All pictures are mine, for once, and as usual, all comments are welcome.
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