[kj] OT: The `Glers take New York City

[Alexander Smith]

Hey all...

Okay, gotta say ... in advance of this gig, I was having my doubts.  
But in the end, I'm quite glad I went.

For a start, the venue: Highline Ballroom is a relative newcomer to  
NYC, and it feels a bit slick and antiseptic. This is the first time  
there's ever been a band I've given a fuck about playing at this  
venue. Most of the time it seems to play host to corporate events,  
acid jazz parties and cover bands. Also, the floor is ringed by  
exclusive cushioned booths. Tear those fucking things out and let  
people move around, I say. Still, I suppose, if you're normally  
hosting bullshit karaoke events, I suppose that doesn't matter. I will  
say this: the bars are easy to access.

Opening act: Ersatz honky-tonkster with cloying lap pedal-steel player  
name Luba Dvorzak. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I  
witnessed an opening act who was so poorly matched with the headliner.  
I'm sure he's a nice guy, but his strenuously earnest Dwight Yoakam- 
meets-Bruce-Springsteen posturing really grated after a while. Kept  
hoping someone was going to throw something at him. Astonishingly, no  
one did.

The crowd: A odd mix, honestly. Lots of portly, "dodgy prostate punks"  
with silver in their hair (like, er, me), lots of folks who clearly  
only came to hear "Grip," "No More Heroes" and/or "Always the  
Sun" (and who stood staring blankly when the band ripped into "Nuclear  
Device" or "Straighten Out" etc.). Not many young'uns, which is fine  
with me.

For a while, i was stood behind a woman who insisted on taking  
pictures with her phone literally every other minute. Conversely, I  
took three (3) photos of the performance...and even felt that was  
excessive. Whatever happened to simply enjoying the moment instead of  
feverishly trying to document the moment?

The show: For all the talk of the band phoning it in in recent years,  
I can't honestly say. They were certainly in very high spirits on the  
comparatively cramped stage. Some fresh-faced young man who looked  
from my vantage point like Conan O'Brien sat in for the understandably  
absent but still sorely missed Jet "Fucking" Black. Baz on vocals/ 
guitar is actually a funny, charming, chatty motherfucker (taking an  
audience member jokingly to task for yelling "you suck" and trying out  
his best "Noo Yawk" accent). JJ doesn't seem to attack the crowd as he  
once did, but still does the crouched duck walk. Looking less like the  
leather-clad thug of yore and more like a resigned elder statesman of  
yore, he did indeed seem to be enjoying himself.

Dave on keyboards looking a bit older, but still a fucking wiz on the  
organ (and doing silly things like drinking a pint of beer with one  
hand while playing the solo on "Walk on By" with the other).

Set list was pretty impressive. It really is remarkable how many  
great, great songs they have in their oeuvre. They opened with "Toiler  
on the Sea," which I like -- but never thought of it as a momentum- 
builder. "Goodbye Toulose" followed. Some pleasant surprises (for me)  
included airings of "Nuclear Device," "Bring on the Nubiles" (I was  
leaping about for this one, prompting many an agitated glance from  
people around me), "Who Wants the World?," "Straighten Out" (honestly,  
can you name a better song?) and fucking "Tank."  Indeed, they dusted  
off the obligatory renditions of "Golden Brown," "Skin Deep,"  
"Duchess," "Always the Sun," and only a few ones from GIANTS (the new  
one) and maybe one track from SUITE XVI. The only song from the Paul  
Roberts era was a rousing bash through "Norfolk Coast."  Leery  
renditions of "Five Minutes," "Hanging Around," "Peaches" and "Nice  
'N' Sleazy" brought the house down.

Notable omissions from the hits-heavy set: "Something Better Change,"  
"The Raven," Mean to Me," "Go Buddy Go," "Strange Little Girl,"  
"London Lady." They played nothing off of MENINBLACK (I was hoping  
against hope for "Just Like Nothing on Earth") and only "Skin Deep"  
off of AURAL SCULPTURE. Still, it was a beefy set that I can't  
complain about.

Though he's been gone for over twenty years, the specter of Hugh  
Cornwell still looms over this band, largely due to the fact that a  
good 80% of the songs they played were either originally written or  
sang by the man. In what could only be a bit of calculated irony. the  
room itself was peppered with flyers advertising an upcoming (well,  
December) gig by Hugh Cornwell. Wonder if the band could see those  
flyers from the stage. That must have been a bit weird.

That said, I have newfound respect for Baz Warne. He's a more-than- 
capable performer and is a charismatic frontman, and his enthusiasm  
was infectious.

There you have it. There are a couple of pics on my Istagram page, if  
fucks be given:   http://instagram.com/alexinnewyorkcity

Alex in NYC