HERE YOU CAN SEE MY GIG REVIEWS BOTH FOR RGM ONLINE & SELF PUBLISHED (IN ORDER OF NEWEST TO OLDEST).
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DAVID KITT @ HARE & HOUNDS, BIRMINGHAM - 02/04/2023:
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON RGM ONLINE:
I’m ashamed to say that I have led a blinkered music life in my 41 years on this planet and I am coming to realise that there are artists that have been around for many years that I am only just hearing about, and tonight’s performer is one of them.
Hailing from the fair city of Dublin comes David Kitt. Releasing his first self-recorded & mixed 8 track release “Small Moments” back in 2000 and going on to release the follow up “The Big Romance” the following year which gained a very respectable double platinum status in Ireland alone.
23 years and many additions to his discography later comes his latest release “Idiot Check”, an album once again recorded and produced by himself in-between 2016 and 2022, and the tour to promote that, with tonight’s stop at The Hare & Hounds in Birmingham.
The one thing that drew me to this gig was the phrase used in the promo from his PR company “Genre-Bending”! to me that really peaked my interest, I have always been a sucker for music that defies being pigeonholed into one genre, variety is the spice of life they say, and it can be a recipe for success (or disaster) when it comes to music but in this case from what I have heard pre gig it’s most certainly the former.
Walking into the room the first thing that struck me was the chairs, been a while since I attended a sit down gig, and from past experiences it usually doesn’t bode well for what’s to come, but this was different, it was a welcome situation for what was about to happen, the reasons for why will become apparent shortly.
It was certainly a small, intimate gig, with only about 30 people in the room, I should imagine the large majority were existing fans, and I should hope I was not the only first timer there because my experience tonight was one that should be shared by other new fans.
Things kicked off with a track called balances from the new album, a simple but pleasing acoustic riff backed by a mellow but pronounced rhythm track and ghostly female vocals emanating from his sampler, almost hypnotic, certainly making heads in the room nod in time.
Considering there was only around 30 people in the room the reception was energetic and loud, pure appreciation for Davids opening performance, a theme that would carry on throughout the night.
It seems like so far the tour has had a few hiccups for David to deal with, last night in Cardiff he parked his car in perhaps the only Car Park that shuts overnight, meaning he had to hire a car to get to us in Birmingham and tonight there were Gremlins in the works as his Electric Guitars had somehow decided not to play ball after a successful sound check, meaning tonight the songs which he usually would play on his electrics would have to be done with the acoustics, which could have gone either way, but I honestly never thought that a nylon string acoustic guitar could sound so good using distortion, and if he hadn’t have told us what had happened I don’t think any of us would have known it wasn’t how it should have been. Pure Magic.
Because of the afore mentioned guitar issues it meant that a lot of tuning had to go on between songs, which in some cases I have experienced before meant long, awkward silences, but not in this case. David effortlessly filled the quiet spaces with little anecdotes and stories, really coming across as down to earth and the crowd laughed along with him, there wasn’t a second where he lost the crowd.
The set was filled with songs from his back catalogue as well as others from the new album, at times I found myself closing my eyes and bobbing my head, this is why I mentioned about the chairs being a welcome situation because it was easy to get lost in the music, at times it’s ethereal, dreamy, and as I mentioned before, almost hypnotic. It’s certainly going to be added to my playlist, can imagine it playing in my ears as I’m out doing Landscape Photography, adding to the serenity.
About midway through his set there was his wonderful take on Thin Lizzy’s “Dancing In The Moonlight” which he really made his own and was quite apt given that Lynott was born nearby in West Brom but grew up in Dublin. Not often I find cover versions appealing but this is up there with the best.
The song of the night for me though was the closing number on both the new Album and for tonights set, “Wave Of Peace”, a song that certainly lives up to its name for me, along with everyone else in the room. This was followed by a well-deserved standing ovation for a top-notch performance.
Davids UK Tour continues until the 7th April before heading back to Ireland, so get out to see him if you can, it’s a very pleasant way to spend an evening.
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SPACE @ BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY - 24/02/2023:
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON RGM ONLINE:
The 90s was full of bands churning out catchy, memorable numbers, but
one stood out more than the others for their deliciously dark humour.
one stood out more than the others for their deliciously dark humour.
All the way from Liverpool to our neighbourhood comes Space, with their twisted songs of Love, Serial Killers and Strange Neighbourhoods.
Far from the decade of Indie Classics they remain one of the hardest working/touring bands with a devout following, almost like a very close family. Every gig you go to you always bump into familiar faces who travel far and wide to come see them play, and for good reason, the antics of frontman Tommy.
This isn’t my first outing to see space, Tommy & the lads give 110% at every single show and tonight was no exception.
What makes tonight (well, the whole of this tour) different is the usual current line-up of Tommy, Fran, Phil and Allan are joined, for the first time in 13 years, by original guitarist Jamie for a 25th Anniversary celebration of the first 2 albums, “Spiders” & “Tin Planet”, which meant, of course, that all the firm fan favourites were on the set list tonight along with some others not heard for a long time.
The background music fades, and we are treated to a new opening package, a video plays on the projector as the soundtrack bellows through the venue and as they grace the stage the room erupts with cheers.
The set started with a track from Tin Planet- “A Liddle Biddy Help From Elvis”, the massive wall of sound hitting everyone with force.
Whoops and hollers are coming thick and fast as the number ends, Tommy greeting the crowd like he always does, with a massive smile on his face before breaking into “No One Understands”, one of their best darker bouncy tunes, the crowd reacting by jumping up and down and singing along in unison.
Throughout the evening there was plenty of banter between long-time friends Tommy and Jamie, and you could tell that Jamie was loving being up there with his guitar, in the spotlight once again, sharing lead vocal duties with Tommy. And I can’t fail to mention the rhythm section of Drummer Allan and Bassist Phil, providing the deep, solid
groove that packs a proper punch. The songs kept coming thick and fast as there was a lot to get through, 22 songs and a 2 song encore.
groove that packs a proper punch. The songs kept coming thick and fast as there was a lot to get through, 22 songs and a 2 song encore.
“Begin Again” was next, followed by “Money”, which is a regular on the Space set list and sounded fantastic tonight. Then the one I have waited for a long time to hear – “Kill Me”, and it was certainly worth the wait to hear it live in all it’s glory, and from the crowd
reaction I wasn’t the only one who thought that.
reaction I wasn’t the only one who thought that.
There was the usual sing-alongs of Avenging Angels, Tom Jones (As always with Tommy singing to Cerys of Catatonia via the beauty of sampling) and Female Of The Species to which Tommy dedicated to Emily, a long-time fan who had first seen them many years ago in Wolverhampton.
There were a few hiccups, trips and slips and forgotten lyrics (It has been 13 years for Jamie in all fairness) but this is live music.
If you have ever been to see Space before you know how things go, when Tommy is without guitar he loves getting deep in the crowd (his poor stage manager following his every move making sure the microphone lead doesn’t get tangled around anyone’s neck and to round up Tommy back to the stage), giving the fans the up close and personal treatment – and tonight was no exception.
The dynamics were different tonight though, it may have been the venue, it may have been the fact that this was the first night of the tour, but it wasn’t a bad different, just slightly unusual for the regular Space fan.
After many more Space classics we were treated by a medley of some of the more electronic based numbers as the band took a bit of a breather. Fran is a keyboard/technical wizard, The Rick Wakeman of, well, it’s hard to put Space in a genre, their style is theirs, taking inspiration from a lot of things, I’d go as far as saying they are
unique, quirky, unmistakably themselves and boy do the fans love them for it.
unique, quirky, unmistakably themselves and boy do the fans love them for it.
I don’t want to ruin it for anyone by going too deep into the setlist (even though if you know both albums you know what will be on it) but there is still the element of surprise in how they mix things up but the song of the night for me, which I thought would be the
aforementioned Kill Me, was Disco Dolly, one that hasn’t been on the set for years, but boy was it a proper treat and the crowd absolutely loved it.
aforementioned Kill Me, was Disco Dolly, one that hasn’t been on the set for years, but boy was it a proper treat and the crowd absolutely loved it.
They are one of the bands that always has time for their fans, popping out to chat after the show, remembering faces, and thanking them for their support, and I for one shall be continuing that support for as long as they continue to provide us with fantastic music and, as this gig has proved once again, fantastic fun filled nights.
The tour continues in Sheffield on 25th Feb, check the official Space Facebook Page for further dates.
