I know some may think it’s a bit of a cop out, and we really should have been there, and yes there are some justifications in that argument, but for whatever reason there were a few of us indulging in a bit of Barhouse TV recently when the Library Suits held their album launch gig, and what a night it was!
The excellent soundman Jon from the venue sorted us all out with a fairly decent picture and sound, and although it wasn’t perfect, it was good enough to enable us to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. What made my first listening/webcam experience so nice was the company, and I can ensure the band now that we were virtually laughing, clapping, and offering feedback throughout.
The night started with sets from the Lemon Kurd Kid, and Never Means Maybe. The Lemon Kurd Kid was joined on-stage by some of his friends, a bongo, mouth organ, and acoustic guitar, to produce a mellow acoustic folk set. It was very percussive, and not entirely my thing, but it set the stage up well for the main event, and the cover of Library Suits song ‘Modern Life’ was an interesting reminder as to why we were all there (or online). He was swiftly followed by Never Means Maybe, out of their hardcore comfort zone, and performing a rare acoustic set. For a band that don’t normally perform acoustic they did really well, and their cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Man In The Mirror’ was well done!
After the support acts there was just enough time to have a breather, grab a drink, and listen to the rather cheeky presenter extrordinaire Andy Poole announce the Library Suits on-stage. It was clear from the start that Rich, Jon, Matt, and Paul had put a lot of effort into this show. From the new stage signs, to arriving on-stage to Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, they had a plan, and for the most part it worked to full effect! I can only judge on my webcam experience, and yes there were a few squeal and squeaks, tuning issues, and variations from the vocal arrangement, but none of these things really took away from the fact that these guys have matured into a fully fledged professional indie/rock act, who now know what it is to put on a show, rather than just play your songs.
The use of the beautiful chorus of ‘It Starts and Ends’ as an intro was a very effective move, and was swiftly followed by their new album ‘Suffer:Recover’ in it’s entirety. There was certainly some energy in their performance, and some first class riffs from lead guitarist Rich, especially in their track ‘October In The Theatre’. Highlights included the chilled out, old school Manic’s style track ‘SOS’, the smooth and catchy ’28 minutes’, and the rocking ‘You Don’t Have To Be A Wizard’. Not forgetting, the rather erm interesting, between song chatter, and Jon’s rather bizarre chav accent that seem to creep into a newish live track ‘Ignore Your Eyes’. Just as we had drunk our fill of album goodness, and thought that was it, more songs came along! The Library Suits ended their show with a set of some of their strongest, and most popular tracks from previous CD ‘Because It’s Somewhere To Be’. These were ‘Heirs To The Atmosphere’, the lively ‘Modern Life Is A Speeding Bullet’, ‘Ten Years’, and a new, shiny version, of their forthcoming single, ‘Christmas Retreat’. The evening ended with Jon’s really nice tribute to his other bandmates, a flurry of balloons, and an even better reprise of ‘It Starts And Ends’. It was a proud moment!
Granted, by not being there we lost some of the atmosphere, meeting the band, and of course the cakes and sweets, but I think we were all glad of the chance to watch the gig online, and throughly enjoyed our web cam/chat experience. All that’s left to say really, is to wish The Library Suits well with their album release, Christmas single, and appearance on The Hollyoaks Music Show. This is one band we’re sure to be seeing a lot more of in the future!
Check out regular live streams from Barhouse at www.barhouse.net
or visit The Library Suits @ www.thelibrarysuits.com