Last night in Vancouver, U2 brought the 2009 leg of the 360 Tour to a close with a pretty impressive, if at times entirely too predictable, gig. The massive stage was a spectacle itself and standing underneath it in the pit was actually pretty cool. Of course, the ridiculous stage is a product of U2 having the unenviable task of making stadium gigs work. And while it is incredibly fashionable to completely dismiss the band these days, no other band has the ability/money/balls to make stadiums gigs work on the level U2 do. The stage, screens, and lights did their job last night. But…

I’ll deal with the negative first: the setlist. 14 of the nights 24 songs came from the last three records. And let’s be honest, U2 have not made a truly great album since 1993 and haven’t made a really interesting album since 1997, so a set that featured so much material from the last three albums was bound to be a little bit underwhelming (although Vertigo, in all its silliness, still deserves a spot in the set). In A Little While and Stuck In A Moment (which was, thankfully, performed acoustically) really have no place in U2′s set when they have so much undeniably amazing material sitting on the bench. Even Walk On, which I have seen performed with some passion in the past, seemed to fall totally flat last night. Time for it to retire.

Having said that, some of the material from this year’s decidedly uneven No Line On The Horizon actually went down pretty well. My favourite was the title track which featured Bono on (audible!) guitar. Unlike a lot of U2 arrangements, the song was really raw as the band didn’t really try to replicate the more ambitious and full studio recording. I wish they treated more of their material with the same bravery on stage.

The other major gripe I have was the final song choice of the night, Moment of Surrender. It’s not good on the album, it’s not good live, and as a final song of the night it was a baffling choice (and yes, I’m aware they’ve closed every gig of the year with it). While U2 are notorious for ending gigs with rather odd songs (Kite, anyone?) the only thing I can figure is that it’s a song they want to play live but Bono seems to shred his vocal chords as he sings it, so maybe he is unable to sing properly after…therefore it has to be last (a la The Beatles and Twist And Shout). It’s also a bad sign when even Bono has to read the lyrics from a monitor for the final song of the night. It was a terrible end to a gig that deserved a much grander finale.

However, the band did play some pretty amazing songs last night. Mysterious Ways and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For were aired early on and featured 60,000 people singing along to every word. While I tend not to attend massive gigs very often, there’s something pretty special about such a huge group of people singing along to every word of a song that gigs in clubs and theatres will never be able to match.

As always, Achtung Baby songs are most welcome with me and Until The End Of The World once again proved to be a live highlight. Bono and Edge stage “bullfights” during this song live and on the 360 Tour this has led to them performing the finale of the song on opposite bridges which then slowly move together as the song climaxes. We were very near the bridges as they met which made Amanda very pleased.

Another highlight was, inevitably, Where The Streets Have No Name, which ended the first encore. This song was simply born to be played in stadiums and I’ll never tire of hearing it live. Despite this favourite, the two clear highlights were performances of two songs which until this year had not been performed in years. First up, The Unforgettable Fire; it’s hard to imagine why this song hasn’t always been at least a semi-regular in U2′s set as it’s upbeat and intelligent (something Elevation is not). Sure, half the crowd didn’t even seem to know the song but it was a pretty amazing moment for those of us that did know it. I wish U2 would challenge their audience a bit more with more song choices like this.

Then in the second encore, the band performed Ultra Violet (Light My Way) from Achtung Baby. Where has this song been since 1993, U2? It was an unbelievable performance of a song that deserved to be single way back when and I think it’s great the band have been giving it its due this year. It was perhaps a tad gimmicky with the whole microphone on a steering wheel thing, but even that couldn’t detract from the performance. With Or Without immediately followed Ultra Violet and, once again, showed itself to be a perfect, evening ending slow dance. If only the gig had actually ended there.

Still, I enjoyed myself more at last night’s gig than any of the Vertigo shows I saw. I’m easily won over by a couple songs and, honestly, being as close to the band as we were last night was very, very cool. I could even see the lifts on Bono’s shoes. All they need is to let me pick their setlists.

Setlist
Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet)
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet)
Happy Birthday
Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (acoustic)
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Until The End Of The World
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (remix) / Two Tribes (snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
———
One / Amazing Grace (snippet)
Where The Streets Have No Name
———
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Setlist via. I’ve put up some photos here.

Vancouver U2 fans might also be interested to hear that the band are apparently going to be back in the city next month finishing off this Songs of Ascent album they keep talking about. Bryan Adams’ studio maybe?

Fun Fact: It cost me the same price to see U2 in Vancouver as it did to see Wilco in Sydney. Just sayin’.

I’ve been a fan of Mew since 2003′s fantastic Frengers and I seemed to be one of the few people who really loved 2005′s proggy, bombastic …And The Glass Handed Kites. So I guess it’s no surprise that I am also currently really loving their new record, No More Stories… (I refuse to type out the entire Fiona Apple-esque long title).

No More Stories… is a bit more focused than the band have been since 2003; while Kites is a great record, No More Stories just seems to hang together better as a cohesive statement. This is not to say the band have chucked in their ambitiousness (their music certainly remains totally unhinged at times) but they seem to have perfected a way to make the bombast work with more introspective moments.

No More Stories… does start with the bombast, however. The fierce opening quartet includes Introducing Palace Players, a guitar-heavy, angular song that might actually be one of Mew’s catchiest pieces yet. I have a very, very hard time resisting the urge to air-guitar along to this one and looking like a total douche. Repeaterbeater is another one of the album’s more upbeat songs and it features a beautiful soaring chorus which Mew have practically trademarked.

The record then lulls a bit (not in a bad way) with more piano-based songs that, although a bit mellower than the albums opening quartet, still manage to take all the unexpected twists and turns that Mew are known (and often derided) for. The record closes with the penultimate Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy, a song that is nearly an album unto itself, and Reprise which ends in a gentle wash of synths and keyboards. In like a lion, out like a lamb.

No More Stories… likely won’t convert anyone who has previously disliked Mew. But I do think it shows a band that is maturing and improving while still holding on to the aspects of their music that first drew me to them way back in 2003. But come on guys, let’s work on those album covers.

You can stream the entire record at the band’s MySpace.

Watch: Introducing Palace Players

The band have just announced a North American tour which includes a stop here in Vancouver on December 11 at Venue. Tickets are on sale now at the usual places. I’ve never seen the band live before so I am really looking forward to this.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve written endlessly here about how much I love The Drones, in particular their live shows. They are a relentlessly ferocious live act and they are certainly one of the few bands I’m going to miss seeing on a semi-regular basis now that I no longer live in Australia. But to help me cope the band have released a brand new live album recorded last May at the Hi-Fi in Brisbane. That was kind, guys.

Live at the Hi-Fi captures the current incarnation of The Drones at their most ragged and rockin’. The set opens with Nail It Down and The Minotaur from last year’s immensely impressive Havilah before delving deep into their back catalogue for the rest of the disc. While the live staples of Shark Fin Blues and I Don’t Ever Want To Change are present, it’s the inclusion of the less well-known songs such as She Had An Abortion That She Made Me Pay For and The Miller’s Daughter that make this album truly representative of the band live: totally uncompromising.

But perhaps the two highlights are Sixteen Straws (performed acoustically by Gareth Liddiard accompanied by Mike Noga [or is it Dan Luscombe?] on harmonica) and a harrowing version of Kev Carmody’s River Of Tears which closes out the album. It’s one hell of a way to end a live record.

Live at the Hi-Fi is currently available in Australia bundled with Havilah and as a stand-alone download (for those of you already with the album) from iTunes. It’s also available internationally on iTunes. Get on it.

Download
The Drones – Shark Fin Blues (live at the Hi-Fi)

Lightning Dust’s new record, Infinite Light, has kind of taken me by surprise. I remember thinking the last record was alright but nothing amazing but on this one…well it just seems Amber and Josh (both of the mighty Black Mountain) have totally clicked as a unit.

The record sports some pretty disparate sounds; see: the folky acoustic opener Antonia Jane which is immediately followed by the pulsing, upbeat tone of I Knew. I really hope this record isn’t simply labeled as a Black Mountain side-project because it is great record that deserves to stand on its own two feet – much like this year’s Pink Mountaintops album. In fact, if you factor in Face Control and Dragonslayer it has been one hell of a year for Canadian “side-projects.”

Anyway, don’t sleep on Infinite Light. One of the finest records to come out of Vancouver this year (though I have a lot of catching up to do…so by all means, if you’re reading this in Vancouver help me get caught up!). Here are a couple tracks off the album.

Download
Lightning Dust – I Knew
Lightning Dust – Never Seen

Grizzly Bear brought their Veckatimest tour to Vancouver last night, a gig I’d been looking forward to for quite some time. Veckatimest has been one of my most played records this year and I was curious as to how it would come across live. In addition, as the band have yet to tour Australia (soon!) this was my first time seeing the band live and they could not have impressed me more.

The set featured all the highlights from Veckatimest as while as a number of tracks from Yellow House and even a few slightly more obscure songs. The gig opened with Southern Point which immediately gave Daniel Rossen a chance to shine on guitar. The guitar part in that song is so effective but after watching him play it…it seems quite simple. Perhaps deceptively so. Regardless, a perfect start to the evening.

The set continued with Cheerleader before a trio of songs from Yellow House; the crowd cheered particularly loudly to welcome the opening notes of Knife. Two Weeks, one of 2009′s most perfect songs, was a song I’d been looking forward to but was somewhat concerned about. Could the band do it justice with just the four of them (unlike the additional help they had for a shaky [at best] performance on Conan)? The answer was a resounding yes. Again, I was impressed with the song’s simplicity. The band simply do not need to dress up their songs with superfluous instrumentation to make them effective, a fact I only truly became aware of last night.

Perhaps the high point of the gig, however, was the mid-set performances of Colorado and Deep Blue Sea. Colorado was just a massive, psychedelic beast but it was immediately followed by the delicate and mournful Deep Blue Sea. Introduced by Rossen as an old one they don’t play too much these days, Deep Blue Sea was totally enthralling from beginning to end.

The set continued with the closing trio from Veckatimest before concluding with On A Neck, On A Spit, the most upbeat song of the gig. The band then left the stage before returning for a one song encore of The Crystals infamous He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss). Sung by Ed Droste, the Grizzly Bear take on the song just highlights the song’s creepiness, something the Girl Group pop of The Crystals glosses over. It was, perhaps, a slightly odd choice to end the night with, but after such a triumphant main set, I would have been happy with anything at that point.

A note on the Vogue: I’m not sure the band could have played a more fitting venue. The sound was perfect all night and I think the vaulting confines added to the echoey reverb the band is known for. Hell, even the crowd was great – you could have heard a pin drop during the emotional performance of Deep Blue Sea which was just one memorable moment amongst many.

Setlist
Southern Point
Cheerleader
Lullabye
Little Brother
Knife
Fine For Now
Two Weeks
Colorado
Deep Blue Sea
Ready, Able
I Live With You
Foreground
While You Wait For The Others
On A Neck, On A Spit
———
He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)

Photos here. And points to the dude who yelled out to the band, “We want you in us.” I’m not sure the band could have been welcomed to Vancouver any more…warmly.

The opening act was San Francisco’s The Morning Benders. While I wasn’t completely taken with them they were certainly well-received by the audience. At times (probably due to the pretty great harmonizing) I was reminded of Fleet Foxes.

Next week Chad Vangaalen hits Vancouver with a couple shows. In addition to his proper show at the Rio Theatre (all these new venues that have opened while I was living in Sydney are throwing me!) he will be playing an instore gig at Zulu Records on Thursday, October 15. The show is at 7pm but you probably want to get down there early (you may want to follow Zulu on Twitter for any updates).

Chad has also recently released a free EP of b-sides from the fantastic Soft Airplane sessions. All you need to do is click here.

And because I still think this song is amazing…

Download
Chad VanGaalen – Willow Tree

So as I mentioned back in May, The Horrors have surprised the hell out of me in 2009. Primary Colours remains one of my favourite albums of the year so last night I was pretty excited to see them at Venue (ugh, what a terrible name) in Vancouver.

As a fan of the record, I was in luck. The main set featured the band work through the entirety (albeit slightly reordered) of Primary Colours with little in the way of crowd interaction. Instead all energy went into delivering one of the year’s finest records in all its shoegazey glory.

While most of the arrangements stuck to their recorded counterparts, each song was delivered with an unexpected ferocity; the guitar making its crashing entrance after the lengthy prologue of Mirror’s Image was a particularly brilliant moment. The crowd even got into the gig and “danced” along to the more upbeat songs like Primary Colours and Who Can Say.

The main set predictably ended with the epic Sea Within A Sea before the band left the stage. They returned for a raucous three song encore that included a cover of Suicide’s Ghost Rider as well as two tracks off their debut record, Sheena Is A Parasite and Gloves. The encore, by nature of The Horror’s evolving style, was more punk influenced than the shoegaze/80s influence of the main set and while The Horrors delivered the songs with a ton of energy the material itself simply does not stand up to what they are doing now.

Still, a great gig. The Primary Colours set in particular was fantastic. If you had told me in 2007 how much I would have enjoyed a Horrors gig in 2009 I would not have believed you.

Setlist
Mirror’s Image
Three Decades
Primary Colours
Do You Remember
New Ice Age
Scarlet Fields
I Only Think Of You
I Can’t Control Myself
Who Can Say
Sea Within A Sea
———
Ghost Rider (Suicide cover)
Sheena Is A Parasite
Gloves

Photos here.

Costa Mesa’s Japanese Motors opened the show and while they weren’t terrible they weren’t all that memorable either. I spent the first half of their set wondering how the singer could get away with aping Julian Casablancas’ singing style so much while keeping a straight face. Although, as their set progressed they seemed to find their own feet a little bit more.

Now that the excitement of the new songs has died down, it’s time to check out Flea tearing up some Radiohead/Thom Yorke material. Check out these great videos of Radiohead b-side Paperbag Writer and one side of Thom’s new 12″.

Paperbag Writer

Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

Check this YouTuber for more great videos.

Below I’ve posted the four new songs that Thom debuted last night at the Echoplex in LA. The first three are solo performances while Judge, Jury & Executioner is performed with the full band (which if you haven’t been following along includes Flea, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco).

Thom Yorke – Open The Floodgates
Thom Yorke – Lotus Flower
Thom Yorke – Skirting On The Surface
Thom Yorke – Judge, Jury & Executioner (full band)

If those links die or you just want all four in one go, click here.

Judge, Jury & Executioner is the alternative title of Myxomatosis but it is in fact a brand new song. Now, if it’s a Radiohead song I’m not sure how I feel about another band playing it first…but maybe Thom is further along with a solo album than any of us know. The Eraser did come out of nowhere after all. Regardless, it’s great to have so much new material to dig into.

Favourite new lyric so far comes from Open The Floodgates:

Don’t bore us
Get to the chorus

There are tons of videos and other mp3 rips floating around At Ease (check here and here, for example) if you’re keen to hear more. Thanks to all the tapers, uploaders and sharers!

Stereogum also has some video and photos (including the one I stole above).

Thom and his new band played a warm up show in LA tonight at the Echoplex in preparation for the two shows on Sunday and Monday. Thanks to At Ease we have a setlist and a video of a brand new song, Lotus Flower.

01 The Eraser
02 Analyse
03 The Clock
04 Black Swan
05 Skip Divided
06 Atoms for Peace
07 And It Rained All Night
08 Harrowdown Hill
09 Cymbal Rush

—- Encore 1 (Thom solo) —

10 Open The Floodgates
11 Lotus Flower
12 Skirting On The Surface

— Encore 2 (with band) —

13 Judge, Jury, Executioner
14 Paperbag Writer
15 The Hollow Earth
16 Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

At this point it’s not clear if the four songs in Thom’s solo set are new Radiohead songs or “solo” songs but I’d bet they’re new Radiohead material. And here’s the first taste…Lotus Flower.

I really want some video of Flea tearing up the bass on Paperbag Writer!!