Clubs are ace things. The ‘no girls’ sign on the door (or boys, in the
interest of equality;) the ridiculous rules such as no cheese and onion crisps,
or comics which have to be kept in a neat pile, separated into different
publications. ‘A’ are also ace, and exactly like the previous example, being a
fan is like being in a first class, kings-of-the-neighbourhood club.
It’s been a long time since A toured our fair shores, touring with most notably
the Bloodhound Gang, with which they had so much fun they went back and did it
again. Now, with the release of their next album, ‘Hi-fi serious’, ‘A’ decided
it was time to remind everyone just how much they rock. And thus, the stage was
set for the ever enthusiastic band to make the floor shake once again in the
centre of Manchester.
Fresh from a slightly
disorientating morning appearance on cd:uk, ‘A’s front man Jason Perry , still
exhibiting his fluffy coat walked onto centre stage and it all kicked off, with
the band powering through the set with child like optimism. Despite becoming
slightly disgruntled with the amount of people referring to them as such, Jason
ominously exclaimed ‘There’s a lot of talk… and it’s gotta stop… this one’s
called cheeky monkey!’ – bursting into the old classic with a ravenous hunger
for rock; any doubts about whether ‘A’s act had changed due to their recent
chart success was immediately expelled, followed by a fleeting thought of ‘why
did I ever doubt them?’.
Fresh from a slightly disorientating morning appearance on cd:uk, ‘A’s front
man Jason Perry , still exhibiting his fluffy coat walked onto centre stage and
it all kicked off, with the band powering through the set with child like
optimism. Despite becoming slightly disgruntled with the amount of people
referring to them as such, Jason ominously exclaimed ‘There’s a lot of talk…
and it’s gotta stop… this one’s called cheeky monkey!’ – bursting into the old
classic with a ravenous hunger for rock; any doubts about whether ‘A’s act had
changed due to their recent chart success was immediately expelled, followed by
a fleeting thought of ‘why did I ever doubt them?’.
The inevitable appearance of
‘Lake Tahoe’ didn’t feel at all jaded or old, losing absolutely none of it’s
bounce worthy rhythm or solid vocals (with both backing and lead remaining
superb throughout) ‘This is our first sellout gig, thanks it means a lot to us’
Jason reminded us during the interlude, adding – ‘but if you mess this bit up,
I’m gonna take you outside and kill all of you!’ – but, thankfully, the crowd is
perfectly placed and perfectly primed to spring when the music re-enters the
foray – mass genocide was therefore avoided. Next single ‘Starbucks’ is
definitely one song I won’t mind hearing when I next walk into Mcdonald’s (I
hope they have that straw dispenser stocked MIGHTY well), and it’s played to
perfection; especially during the lone clean guitar of Mark Chapman before the
defiant voice of the frontman comes back in ‘don’t want your job in Starbucks!!’
Other favourites ‘Bad Idea’ and ‘Five in the morning’ received a pleasantly
surprising amount of cheers from the crowd; everyone knows the score and
everyone appreciates the classics – which adds greatly to the atmosphere of the
place; especially when you over half
the crowd going absolutely insane
at the masterpiece that is ‘Monkey Kong’. ‘Old Folks’ also got a look in , as
did recent single ‘Nothing’. Despite being not particularly fond of their most
recent release, it was pulled off in style, made all the more humorous by the
bizarre dancing techniques of JP. Credit where credit’s due however, with all
the Perry brothers and the rest of the band making it all blend together oh so
well.
The absence of a few favourites
was rather disappointing however, with the hurrendous omission of ‘No.1’ (we
begged them beforehand to play it, but sorry, to no avail) and ‘Miles Away’ or
the quite frankly ace ‘Down on the Floor’ – both happier than Steve Irwin in a
bare knuckle fight with a king cobra. ‘A’ are coming around to take another shot
in May or so, so I suggest you paint a crosshair on forehead and spend a little
of your hard earned cash on a ticket.
nick