Feeder 28/05/2008

It was nice to return to The Point after all these gigs in the Carling Academy. It's a much nicer feeling venue, even if there isn't a nice cooling breeze... Sadly The Point's neighbours have been complaining about the noise (and apparently they are the new residents, moved in since it's been a gig venue) and so it was threatened with closure, luckily it seems they will just have to sound proof the building properly by a certain time (possibly August...). It would be a real shame if it closes, as it's the best gig venue I've been to in Cardiff, The CIA feels too big and corporate, and the Barfly is possibly too small and skanky!

The support act were the winners of a competition to support Feeder for this tour, there was a different (I believe local) act at each date of this special 'album preview' mini tour, and we got Malpas, although Grant (of Feeder) later updated us that the band have decided to change their name to 'Butterflys With Beards', much better in my opinion! Certainly more memorable... They seemed pretty cool, but didn't quite catch the crowd, and I think I might have been spoilt by support acts recently, cause they just didn't seem up to caliber... Far better than last time I saw Feeder at their own gig - they had Goldie Looking chain for that :S That said they did keep me entertained for their half hour set, and actually had a better light show that Feeder!

Feeder made it on stage at nine, to roars from the crowd (I always forget just how much Feeder fans like Feeder, you just don't seem to get 'meh' fans for them at gigs!), and kicked of their set with 'Feeling a Moment'. It was a little odd to begin with as there were several people (like me) that really wanted to jump around loads, but you can't quite mosh to that song, so we all looked somewhat awkward... That state of affairs was vastly improved by the next song 'Shatter' which got a good number of people pogoing like mad.

The next two or three songs were all new ones, 'Miss You' (which was excellent live) and 'We Are The People' everyone knew as they have been the last two singles, and Grant introduced the next new one by saying 'If any of you are singing along and know all the words to this I'll know you've downloaded it illegally! Not that it matters!' From tonights gig, the new album sounds like it's gonna be a stormer, the rocking songs are getting more rocking, back to their pre 'Comfort in Sound', erm, sound! I'll have to say, much as I like, indeed love, both 'Comfort in Sound' and 'Pushing the Senses' they both felt somewhat lacking in Oomph, and I was glad when I heard 'Shatter' because that was the first new song in a few years from them that sounded 'proper' rocking. While it was only to be expected, there were a lot of new songs, to the point they cut out some classics, which everyone there missed quite a lot, but they said they'd be back for another tour in October, and they'll either put them back in or disappoint a LOT of fans!

That said, they did play a few old classics, such as 'My Perfect Day' (off their first album) and 'Yesterday Went Too Soon' (off their second), although the was noticeably nothing from their first big hit 'Echo Park', not that I missed 'Buck Rodgers' THAT much (it's good live, but they do have MUCH better songs), but 'Seven Days In The Sun' is almost as much of a Feeder institution as 'Just a Day'! Happily though, apparently at every gig there's always at least one person that screams for 'Tangerine', and Grant mentioned they might add that to the set list for the next tour, which would make me a very happy boy, although not quite as happy as if they put 'Sweet 16' in - that would blow my mind!

The band them selves seemed to be enjoying themselves, as usual, and they were even five men strong, which I don't think I've seen before (unless the keyboard player always hides at the back and I've never noticed, because the other gigs I've been to have been at least 3 times the size of tonight!), that's plus two to the official number of band members. They finished the first part of their set with another of their newer rockers, 'Lost and Found', complete with and interlude where Grant, having evidently noticed the similarity in riffs between the tow songs started singing the lyrics to 'All My Life' By the Foo Fighters, to which the crowd responded well, and joined in! Sadly, in some ways, they didn't kick off into a mini cover in the middle of the song, which would have be uber cool, but the audience still loved it, and were jumping around and screaming for more as the band left the stage...

I was slightly disappointed the crowd didn't pick up on the best encore chant for Feeder you can do, which is to sing the (super catchy) guitar riff for 'Just a Day', at the NEC in 2006 we all kept it going for about 5 minutes solid, until the band returned and then 'made' us sing a long to the actual song for another 4 minutes! Still, we were a noisy bunch, and it wasn't too long before the lads were back, for a 2 song encore (the down side of it being a small gig, I guess, previous encores have been 4-5 songs) of 'High' and, of course, 'Just a Day' - there would have been a lynching if they hadn't! By the end of the gig I was knackered, and in desperate need of water, so I was both pleased, and impressed with myself, when I managed to effortlessly catch one of the bottles of water Taka was throwing into the crowd - saved me queuing up at the tiny little bar!

I can't say enough how much fun Feeder are live, This is the third time for me, and I'm already regretting having not bought a ticket to see them at the Thekla in Bristol on Friday as well - apparently that venue is a boat as well! I've heard several people who weren't impressed with them judging by their records who have seen them live and said they were surprised at how good they were - so go see them!! For those in that part of the world, they are playing at Fuji rock in the summer, as well as in Seoul (my big sis is gonna kick herself about hat, two years living there, she moves back and where do Feeder go?!).

(far too few, from too much jumping around and the like) Pictures HERE.

And now there will be a short interlude in glogging, as I wait for NASS - Less than Jake and The Subways (again) to come after 15/06! Although I can;t promise not to find another cool gig to go to in the mean time - two weeks is starting to be a very long time without a gig for me!