Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
Inspiral Carpets at the Old Fire Station, on a Bank Holiday weekend – well it would’ve been rude not to attend. And then it got even better, local band South Street secured a support slot which came with a guest list (thanks lads). They were on at 7-15 so I got in early and headed down to the front.
When South Street took to the stage there were probably 50-60 folk inside, but this was to change as the set progressed. They started with “Forget The Lot” and from Findlay’s opening drum solo they sounded great, the sound in the Fire Station was spot on and the afternoon’s sound check had clearly been a success.”Broken Record” followed and was well received by the growing crowd, “Quincy Abbot” then slowed down the pace and really highlighted lead singer Albi’s vocals. “St Swithuns” had folk at the front dancing before an excellent cover of The Specials “Rat Race” had the night’s first singalong. Bass player Phoenix commented that this one ‘always goes down well’ and it certainly did with this crowd. “One Man Mission” continued the Ska theme before they hit us with the outstanding “Busy Body” which saw more movement at the front and the crowd joining in with the chorus.
South Street
They finished with their debut single “Urbanisation” (available to stream now via Spotify, Apple etc). I personally think that this is an excellent choice as a first single, check it out -you won’t be disappointed. This final track received a thunderous ovation from a crowd which had by now grown to a good 300.
The lads clearly loved playing to this sized crowd and took a selfie from the stage with the crowd in the background. I’ve seen a lot of this young band this year and this felt like another step up, their stage presence and song writing seems to increase almost on a daily basis. Chatting to the lads afterwards it was good to hear of the encouragement and advice they had received from the Inspirals when they were setting up/sound-checking in the afternoon. It sounded like they had gone out of their way to help/encourage South Street, class behaviour from a top band.
Following a break I managed to get to the bar, the place was by now rammed and everyone was in place expectantly awaiting the main event. They took to the stage with original frontman Stephen Holt and Clint Boon on keyboards instantly recognisable. Martyn Walsh on bass and Graham lambert on lead guitar with a young lad Kev Clark on drums. They opened with “Commercial Rain” which had a few punters basically raving at the front (I’m fairly confident a few had consumed slightly more than lager!). This was a great opener and instantly reminded us all of their sound/humour. “Generations” followed before “She Comes in the fall” had the whole place bouncing. Then came the excellent “Spitfire” which took me by surprise, what a tune. “Weakness” had the ravers at the front in ecstasy (literally) before they hit us with 2 belters, “This is How it Feels” and “Two Worlds Collide”.
Lead singer Stephen Holt’s vocals sounded great and Clint Boon’s keyboards which really do give this band their unique sound were a joy. I was and still am a massive fan of The Stone Roses, Charlatans, Happy Mondays and the whole Madchester sound of the late 80’s early 90’s. The Inspirals were an important part of this, do they sometimes get overlooked? Possibly? Tonight was a very big reminder of the quality they possess, I’d forgotten how many top tunes they have. The hits kept coming with “Let You Down” with its heavy Hammond Organ sound, “Beast Inside” and “Find Out Why” which has a psychedelic 60’s sound again making full use of the organ.
“Drag The Bag” and “Sackville” continued the party/rave at the front while “You’re so Good For Me” reminded me a bit of Joy Division (the vocals) and then finally the one I had been waiting for, “Move”. This is a proper anthem and at this point the atmosphere was almost euphoric (or was it just me), everyone around me was dancing, bouncing and belting out the words. “Directing Traffic” was followed by “I Want You” which again had about 300 extra lead singers, “Joe” and “Dragging Me Down” were more of the same, they really were excellent. The band departed but were soon coaxed back on, there was one standout which they had not yet played.
They played “Skidoo” which was a bit of an anti climax if I’m being honest before lifting everyone of us back up with “Saturn 5”. This is not just their finest single, its one of THE finest singles full stop. This was the perfect end to a perfect night and they left to a huge ovation. The Inspiral Carpets are a band I like so I was fairly confident that this would be a decent night, it was way better than I expected and with South Street’s triumphant support slot it was the perfect way to kick-off a Bank Holiday weekend.
Video2
Links
https://inspiralcarpets.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557561823510
Article & Pictures by Robert Davro (You ain’t seen me right!!)
