Inspiral Carpets Live Review @ Shepherds Bush Empire (London) - 15 Mar 2008

Inspiral Carpets Live Review @ Shepherds Bush Empire (London) - 15 Mar 2008

Inspiral Carpets

Live Review

The Inspiral Carpets were never particularly cool, despite the strongly worded t-shirts proclaiming otherwise. In fact, anybody who makes a claim to be cool is clearly struggling with the definition of the word. In fairness to Inspiral Carpets, any band that emerged at the same time as Stone Roses were always going to be left somewhat wanting in that department. So, how has the passage of time treated them? Inevitably, the midriffs have expanded, Tom Hingley’s more than most and (thankfully) the bowl haircuts could never be recreated without the help of wigs but life has been relatively kind to them. If only the same could be said for Happy Mondays.

It’s easy to forget how many hit singles Inspiral Carpets have had and we hear them all tonight. Clint Boon’s keyboard is at the fore throughout and it is fitting that the familiar keyboard intro to ‘Dragging Me Down’ gets the party started. Boon is as much of a front man in the band as Hingley and it’s right that his keyboard is placed as far forward as safety allows. He has a couple of digs at Noel Gallagher throughout the night and it’s clear that things are not all sweetness and light between the band and their former roadie. Hingley re-asserts his position as the main man by spending most of the show almost in the front row of the audience. He leads us in a mass-singalong through a sublime ‘Two Worlds Collide’, the rousing ‘Joe’, and a storming run-through of ‘Generations’.

Martyn Walsh doesn’t wear his bass guitar quite as low as Peter Hook but he holds the low-end together on the under-rated ‘Uniform’ as well as the bearded New Order one ever did. Military style drumming heralds ‘She Comes In The Fall’ and what was a heaving moshpit becomes a dance floor for three minutes. Boon asks if Kate Nash or Jack Penate are in attendance before cheekily declaring that “this song is the best song written by anybody ever” and you know that it can only be ‘This Is How It Feels’. In this company, you wouldn’t argue with him either. ‘Bitches Brew’ is as gorgeous as it was the first time I heard it, some fifteen year ago and when the band finally bring matters to a close with ‘Saturn 5’, it is clear that we have just witnessed something very special.

I suppose the biggest disappointment is that the latest reunion hasn’t resulted in any new material whereas their contemporaries (notably James and Happy Mondays) have written new albums. You can’t blame the Inspiral Carpets for cashing in and whilst they’ll never be as cool as their peers, this is probably why they have outlasted the majority of them.

Mike Nuttall

You may be interested in

Gigs for Shepherds Bush Empire

Adverts - Advertise here

© 2001 - 2008 AllGigs Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site is subject to our Terms and Conditions.

Site Meter