RE: First Impressions

["Paul Dalzell" <PaulD@jr...co.uk>]

I just find it all really depressing.

I first saw the mighty Aeroplanes supporting REM in 1988 at Newcastle
City Hall - a great set & a stage that their presence was deserving of.
I'll never forget the first time I heard the coolest introduction to a
song ever - "Pick a Card, Any Card - WRONG!" It was from this that
started a love affair with a band that should have had the world, but
the world turned away......

I saw them several times over the years Leeds Uni,Poly of Wales,Belfast
Limelight and one of the greatest gigs I have seen - at the Town &
Country in London's  Kentish Town. The Aeroplanes soared that night &
assaulted the audience with a toxic mix of whirling guitars and in your
face poetry. The future was so bright you had to wear (Gerald's) shades.

And then - nothing.

Where is the justice? - the music biz is incapable of bringing music to
the masses as it sits justwaiting to jump on any third rate trend -
milking it to death - once again putting money where the music is not.

The Aeroplanes playing in front of 75 people?  FUCK OFF!

I still love the attitude though - 5 albums this year????    ABSOLUTELY
CLASSIC.

If there is any justice in the world this time next year they will be
playing the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff supported by the Manics, Oasis
& Rolling Stones - and Gerard will be able to afford a believable wig &
a nice little tuck job.

OK LINE UP & PLACE YOUR BETS!!


PAUL DALZELL
 
CARDIFF






        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Huw Dylan Owen [SMTP:huwdylan@gl...screaming.net]
        Sent:   Friday, January 21, 2000 8:55 AM
        To:     Blueplanes@Sthomas. Net
        Subject:        First Impressions

        So, what was it really like?  Ahem, yes, I was at the Lomax club
in
        Liverpool last night.

        The Lomax club is a rock venue of the most wonderful sort.  Down
a dodgy
        looking side alley with a bar in basement, venue upstairs and a
locked
        gallery.  It's small (capacity about 150 I would guess), dingy
(dark, loud
        music, bricked, very rock and roll), hot and sweaty.  "Ill have
a pint of
        bitter please."  "Oh we only have Carling or Guinness, is that
ok?".....

        Anyway, first on were Disney Porn.  Lilting tunes from a
musically
        impressive band who just could not get their act together.  The
lead singer
        apologised ("I'm sorry about this next song, I know it's pretty
crap") to
        the audience about 7 times.  Not very impressive.  They bungled
their way
        through a short sharp shit set.  Penultimate song bounced, but
that was it.

        Second band : World is my Oyster.  Fucking brilliant.  Best new
band I have
        ever seen, me reckons.  Loads of theatre and some of the
tightest best rocky
        ballads that you have ever heard.  No mistakes on this one,
every song flew
        and I was terrified.  How on earth could the Blue Aeroplanes
follow this.
        World is my Oyster kept everyone's attention for the whole set.
Every song
        was given with a hefty dose of arty semi-spoken drama.  When
singing about
        Christmas the singer (heavily dressed in frilly shirt, leather
jacket, cool
        hat and shades along with spandex!) opened a wrapped gift on
stage; then he
        sang about Marjorie and turned his guitar into an ironing board.
This was a
        group attempt.  Synchronised movements in the best sense
chugging along with
        incredibly powerful music.  Get to see these.......

        Suddenly there were more people on stage than in the audience
(about 75-100
        in attendance).  The Blue Aeroplanes at last were setting up.
Les Avion
        Bleu are my best band of all time.  They are a synopsis of my
college
        memories, arty music with very wordy frontman.  God, I shiver
when Gerard
        says "The sound of violins" and "holding a book and a skull"
etc.  You know,
        I've got all their records and love every one to the last
second.  They
        really mean a lot to me.  This was a great way to see them, I
mean, I was
        stood about 2 yards away from Gerard with a stage about one foot
high!

        So, how did they fare?  Well not very well at the start.  They
stumbled on
        stage with no background noises, no dimmed lights.  They just
walked on.
        The visual backdrops were exactly the same ones as they had some
9 years ago
        and very tacky cut out aeroplanes were everywhere.   The crowd
(mainly
        consisting of schoolteachers of about 27-27 age group - probably
in college
        when Swagger arrived) didn't cheer.  An embarrassed silence
dominated.
        Gerard stood there looking at us.  He looks old.  A serious
receding
        hairline, a beer gut, and an awkward tallness which I hadn't
noticed before.
        Even Rodney Allen looks about 30!  How can this be?  They aren't
meant to go
        old.  However the shades are there along with seriously arty
rainbow
        coloured cobble of trousers (very boring black top).  No Wotjec.
No room
        for him, but a real empty space pervades the band.

        They begin.  "Hi, how are you?  How's it going?  You look....."
The guitars
        ROCK.  A compliment of 4 guitars, 1 bass and drums.  Layers of
guitars are a
        BA speciality and this is good.  Gerard sways his head in that
controlled
        fashion and tingles go down my spine and then it all goes wrong
somehow.  We
        can't really hear, the crowd don't react as they should
(probably still
        thinking about World is My Oyster!), and a guitar amp starts to
go haywire.
        They fly through about 4 songs (3 trance atmospheric blues
numbers of which
        I had never heard).  Gerard says nothing between songs and their
is a
        distinct lack of showmanship here.  When he does move it looks
uncomfortable
        for him.  Rodney sings "I've been there and I came back" in
tuneful mode as
        usual.  Jacket Hangs with Rodney taking centre with that guitar
show.
        Things go seriously wrong.  One of the guitarists is having real
problems
        now and he insists on trying his stuff out in the middle of THE
song.
        Gerard and Rodney look unhappy (as does the very tall strange
business
        suited bass player).  They decide to play an acoustic number.
Mandolins and
        acoustic guitars come out and they surprise us with a wonderful
rendition of
        Jack Leaves, Back Spring, really very good and moving.  The
guitarist goes
        berserk and throws one of the cardboard planes away with real
anger and
        suddenly his guitar is ok.  They roll on to an astonishingly
good version of
        Cowardice and Caprice.  Tuneful, melodic and wordy.  This is the
way I like
        them.  Guitar goes wrong again.  Guitarist goes crazy.  Walks
off and comes
        back on with a new amp.  All is well.

        Suddenly they play Weightlessness and it all comes together.
Gerard is
        confident.  The guitars layer thick and everything looks up.
They even
        start a sing along.  A banjo rushes in and you all know the
wonderful guitar
        run from this one to "and Stones", it is done in such a fashion
on the banjo
        that the crowd now go crazy and cheer.  A young man gets up to
dance (he
        looks remarkably like Wojtec and dances like him - offspring?).
I feel
        dizzy with it all.  The rainbow colours light up and the Blue
Aeroplanes are
        their former selves.

        They are flying now and glorious.  It all comes to a slow
magnificent ending
        and I'm in love with them again.  I guess that this setting
suits them.  You
        can actually focus on the music rather than the dancing etc.
Gerard sings
        ART STAR which he says is about a visit to an art exhibition in
Bristol
        where Damien Hirst etc were there and how "fucking shite" they
all were.
        Gerard actually sing on a few numbers (must be getting old!) and
then tells
        us that this is an important year for them with 5 albums on the
way!  5
        Albums!?!  Crazy.

        They finish.  Encore.  They play Colour Me which is spiritual
and the
        highlight of the gig easily.  They finish as ever with the multi
guitar
        attack of Breaking in my Heart.  No surrender eh lads?

        We make our excuses and leave.  Two hours drive back to West
Wales.

        Impressed?  Very.

        Les Avion Bleu need a marketing manager!  5 albums?!  They had
no
        merchandise on sale.  No T-shirts, no new singles, nothing.  A
shame as I
        guess everyone there would have got a T-shirt.

        Anyway, see you next time Gerry.

        Huw Dylan Owen



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