Live From Abbey Road (Show 5, Series 2 - 25/07/2008)

Looking at the line-up for this weeks Live From Abbey Road show, I wasn't hopeful. The Hoosiers are one of my least favourite bands of the moment and I have only heard a few Manu Chao songs and I didn't like any of them. The Black Keys however are incredible. But you have to take the rough with the smooth and unfortunately the warning signs proved correct yet again.




The set:

The Hoosiers

• Goodbye Mr. A
• Run Rabbit Run
• We Didn't Start The Fire

The Black Keys

• I Got Mine
• Here I Am, I Always Am
• Same Old Thing

Manu Chao

• Bongo Bong / Mr. Bobby
• Bienvenida A Tijuana
• Politik Kills / Rainin In Paradize

The Hoosiers talked about the origin of their name and how they formed, and how their natural sound often gets mistaken for chirpy pop. After a confusing intro attempting to explain the song, they performed their biggest hit Goodbye Mr. A - a decent enough chirpy pop (sorry) song. Then, after another explanation it was Run Rabbit Run, a well meaning song about women how always fall for the wrong men. The meaning was lost under horrible falsetto vocals and then wailing at the end. But the biggest let down of all was the third song choice - a cover of Billy Joel's We Didn't Light The Fire. Lead singer Sparkes tried to ease us into the song gently by reminding us that when dealing with cover versions, always give the song what it needs, which in most cases doesn't mean an eight minute guitar solo. So instead they add a huge over the top brass section to the end of what starts off as a decent cover. It promises to be a great reinterpretation with softer vocals but lacking the urgency of the original. And then it quickly goes wrong. Even a clever attempt to get political by changing the word 'Russians' to 'we are' in 'Russians in Afghanistan' doesn't help. Overall a dull and pointless set.

The Black Keys on the other hand were astonishing. Like Ray Lamontagne merged with The White Stripes, the duo pump out guitars and drums like no one else (except The White Stripes of course). Starting with the blistering I Got Mine and then the Captain Beefheart cover Here I Am I Always Am, given a striped down treatment. Same Old Thing was just as good - brimming with energy and showing the dynamic between the two musicians. There is a great interview conducted in the Abbey Road echo chamber. Dan Auerbach tells us that it is where The Beatles came to smoke joints. Patrick Carney, unsure if they can say that, corrects it and says it is where they came to east ham sandwiches because the sound of chewing was much better. An incite into a band's mentality if every there was one.



French-Spanish singer and activist Manu Chao is an acquired taste but a legend in world music. He thinks that bars are the best place to try new songs and doesn't like the concept of rehearsal because his memory has been destroyed by cigarettes . Improvisation is the key. THat would explain the mistimed ending of the horrible Bongo Bong / Mr. Bobby - sounding like Jack Johnson rapping. Bienvenida A Tijuana is much better - a more traditional Spanish song, but still a bit dull. The big political number was the nauseating Politik Kills / Rainin In Paradize. You cannot deny that his heart is in the right place but it is an awful song, badly arranged with obvious heavy lyrics. Shame.

So The Black Keys were great. Maybe the show's producers are running out of bands. After the Suzanne Vega disappointment last week, Live From Abbey Road still has a lot to prove. Come on this the most famous studio in the world. Get some world class talent to perform world class songs.