The Arches- 02.03.11
I wanted to love it. Really I did. But alas, it was not to be.
Being 5”1 at a gig is always awkwardly difficult at the best of time, but the flat floor and long tunnel of the gig set up in The Arches meant that I spent most of the gig looking at the checked shirt of the man on front of me. And it wasn’t just me; the crowd echoed with mumbles of “Can you see?” As they opened with the quietly beautiful Dead Leg, Louis lyrics were drowned out by mumbles of “shhhhhh” and “I can’t see shit!”
I think this had a lot to do with why I didn’t love the gig.
Now don’t get me wrong, Admiral Fallow are a spectacular band. Louis’s vocals and lyrics combined are just mesmerising. My friend once described his tones as a rich ale, and I think that describes it perfectly; warming, soothing but at the same time, beautifully dark and slightly chilling. And with Sarah’s hauntingly eerie backing vocals, they compliment each other beautifully.
Their music is so well thought out; the seemingly effortless harmonising acapella moments, the brilliantly dramatic crescendos with so many instruments it’s sometimes hard to know where one sound ends and the other begins. They are all clearly incredibly talented musicians and work so well together as a band to create truly beautiful music.
Admiral Fallow’s performance was perfect; especially as their lead singer Louis hadn’t been feeling well. If he hadn’t of mentioned it, you wouldn’t have known as his vocals were flawless.
But the audience, they just didn’t… wouldn’t give the band the attention that they deserved. And I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that they couldn’t actually see the band. I especially, even with my fan status, really struggled to concentrate. This was again emphasised by the incredibly long pauses between songs. It became very easy to chat to friends or make that lengthy and troublesome trek to the bar.
To be fair, there was prominently more head bopping during their new songs The Paper Trench and The Way you were raised, with the upbeat rhythm and fluttering flute, but there wasn’t a strong crowd reaction until the last song of their set, and the most famous- Squealing Pigs.
Oddly though, despite the audiences seemingly nonchalant attitude throughout the gig, when the band left the stage the cramped tunnel of the Arches was filled with the chant of “one more tune!”
And Louis did not fail to provide the audience with what they wanted.
He came on and did an unexpected cover of Elbow’s Switching Off, followed by a audience lead rendition of “Happy Birthday” for his girlfriend, Kirsty.
Finishing on Old Ballons, the band and the audience gave it their all for the final number. I just really wish the audience had that enthusiasm at the start, rather than at the final hurdle.
On the whole, I would have loved the gig if it had been in a room full of short fans like myself, who would be willing to give the band the support and admiration that they deserve. But alas, that was not the case, and so I left disappointed and with a crick in my neck.
Sorry about the exceptionally blurry pictures!
I, my camera and even my back up I-phone camera struggled to see!
