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Tonight’s gig was being hailed as the great Glaswegian comeback with Simple Minds, Scotland most successful band ever, headlining Wembley Arena. The arena tour which they are currently doing is to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. The gigs so far have seemingly been a success however their hordes of fans are only really interested in hearing their hit singles and the arena had a melancholy feeling of nostalgia. Despite selling records by the truckload in the 1980’s and 1990’s by the end of the decade their success had waned to the point that they were dropped by Virgin Records, the label which shaped their musical career. This was followed by a period of introspection and for a long time after wards the band appeared directionless. By the mid 1990’s the pomposity of their earlier records sounded ridiculous and they failed to change and connect with the record buyers who were then buying Nirvana and Pearl Jam records.

In support was the fellow Glasgow band Deacon Blue, who for a short few years in the late 80’s and early 90’s filled Simple Minds shoes as one of the UK’s most popular bands. I knew Deacon Blue quite well in the late 80’s and saw them playing to audiences of around 80,000 in Glasgow Green in 1992 as well as the massive exhibition complex on the Clyde, the SECC, which until recently they held the record for the fastest selling concert. The last time I saw Deacon Blue they were doing their last ever farewell concert, so I guess tonight must have been their reunion which however was anything but a joyous affair. Watching Deacon Blue playing second fiddle to a half empty auditorium was pretty depressing site and  despite Rick Ross’s best effort they looked like their were going through the motions.

Not surprisingly Simple Minds performance was completely different, their stage show was as elaborate as any of their others that I have seen in the past and they were certainly pulling out all the stops for what will probably be their last arena tour. The band kicked off their set with their 1982 hit single “Waterfront” which along with “Don’t you forget about me” are some of their most memorable singles. Jim Kerr was quick to let the audience that this was a greatest hits gig so you could forget about hearing some of the obscure Kraftwerkesque records which they recorded in the early part of this decade.

After leaving the show I wondered if it was fair to feel sorry for a band who over 15 years had massive world wide success. During their peak they were on equal footing to U2 however had failed to consistently come up with the goods after the glory years of the 80’s. That said Simple Minds did put Scotland on map and were the first act North of the border to break the coveted American market. I wonder what sort of legacy Scottish bands like The Fratellis, Biffy Clyro or Franz Ferdinand will leave. I guess if you are a song writer you live and die by your art and few bands, even those as big as Simple Minds can stay at the top for 30 years.

Written by John Rahim

Regular readers of my blog will know that hard rock or indeed heavy metal is not really my thing. However I asked by Gibson Guitars to take some pictures of the Aussie heavy metal band Airbourne to be used as PR photographs as well as for Metal Hammer, my favourite music magazine! Most of the shoots at Gibson are fairly sedate affairs with camera shy artists who are more interested in indulging in the many rare and vintage guitars in the showroom rather than having their picture taken. I knew that the Airbourne session was going to be quite fun however didn’t expect the two brothers Joel and Ryan who sing and play guitar in the band to be quite as energetic. That said they were nice guys and evidently enjoyed their session. Those interested can see a selection of the pictures taken by clicking here

After the session I decided to stick around and watch them play their second of two sold out nights at the Astoria. Even though the Astoria is still there in all of it’s glory I have to say I feel sad to think that in a couple of months the venue will be pulled down to make way for the cross rail.

Friday night at the Astoria is a serious rock night and I arrived early enough to watch the main support act Stone Gods who are formed from the former members of The Darkness. The Stone Gods are much heavier than their previous band and lack all of the pretension, campness and poodle like qualities of Justin Hawkins. Their set was enjoyable and whilst hard heavy metal is not really my thing could see that they were all brilliant musicians.

Airbourne who earlier in the year played at the Boardwalk have had a monumental year. Riding high on the recent renaissance revival of heavy metal Airbourne are ready to take over from ACDC and Metallica as the new guns on the scene. In a genre dominated my men in their 50’s it was refreshing to see a bunch of young guys singing and performing their hearts out. Their debut album “Running out Wild” has done very well across Europe, Australia and the USA. They are signed to Roadrunner, the leading independent rock label so I am sure that they will continue with their success in 2009.

Written by John Rahim

It’s not often that you go to a gig and enjoy the support band more than the headlining act. What’s even better is when you have never heard of the performer before and are subsequently blown away by their performance and breadth of material.

After looking at VV Brown’s MySpace page I have to say that I feel rather guilty that I have not seen her before. She is managed by the same team who look after The Sugarbabes and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and is signed to Island records, the same label who “look” after Amy Winehouse.

Musically VV Brown is really difficult to pin down, during her short set I heard songs which reminded me of Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and my personal favorite Galdys Knight. That said all of her songs sounded funky and commercial enough to appeal to a broad range of the music buying public. In the past few years a number of excellent English female Rap singers such as Estelle have hit the big time however I think the time may be right for a 50’s inspired funk soul singer such as VV Brown to break through. She’s playing a number of small show in December in London and I am sure if you don’t catch her then you’ll be watching her playing somewhere a lot bigger next year. Certainly one to watch in 2009. In however you can’t wait for her next gig here’s a clip from her Jools Holland performance earlier in the year.

Written by John Rahim

It’s difficult to know if the Ida Maria bubble has burst. This is the third time I have seen her perform this year and tonight’s set seemed less exciting than the previous performances that I watched. Her  appearance tonight was a lot less grungy, dare I say almost clean cut compared to her performance at Glastonbury back in June.

That said she seems to have crossed over to a slightly more conservative mainstream audience who perhaps would have not got “Stella”, her screeching debut single about an aging Copenhagen prostitute which came out earlier in the year. Her debut album “Fortress around my heart” has done well and has generated five singles including the top 20 hit “I like you so much better when you are naked”. The night was somewhat ruined by the lack of photographers pit (again) and the rude bouncers who forget that you like them are trying to do a job!

So would I see Ida Maria again, probably not however I will give her album another listen as I got board of it after the first couple of plays when I originally bought it. That said she is playing at XFM’s Winter Wonderland gig next week so watch this space.

Written by John Rahim

Obscure Artrockers, Vipersuzas played a rare low key rehearsal/gig this Tuesday, when Jim and Biff stepped up to the breach  filling in a cancellation slot ,at the Freebutt ,Brighton ,so they could showcase for a benelux art dealer. (They are veterans of every down and dirty pub  and gallery venue you can imagine, gaining credibility that has made them the darlings of the outsider art world.) I was lucky enough to be tipped off by an insider and managed to get there half way through a rabble rousing set.

“Even the Gods”hits you like a steam train the second these boys furiously tear into the opening bars. “Tongue and Groove”, a sexy slow rock rumba that climaxes all over your…well whatever you let get near enough really!  A two piece  that generate one hell of a sound. You have to be there ,if you know what I mean….!

Written by Mark Baker