Broken Records – Live, Edinburgh Liquid Room, August 17th 2008
I volunteered to write this review for a few reasons.
Firstly, this was my first taste of the full Broken Records experience, my only other encounter with the band in a live environment being the Toad Session a few months back. Secondly, Matthew is currently up to his hips in a flood of digital media which he’s trying to collate into variously: the Meursault Toad Session, the Sparrow & the Workshop Toad Session and his personal take on the great American road movie after his adventures stateside. And lastly if I write this; I get to blame him for leaving my Zoom H4 digital recorder at his house, which we we’d planned to plug in to the sound desk and record the gig with. (If Matthew were to write this, I’d get the blame, don’t you worry!)
So, on to business. This gig was unofficially Broken Records’ triumphant homecoming after a summer of record label schmoozing in London and slaying the unwashed hordes in fields and farms across the land. As Jamie put it approvingly before he took to the stage: “Festivals, man!”
The Liquid Room had closed the venue’s balcony level for the show, but that didn’t stop Matthew and I sneaking up anyway after we decided the balcony offered the best angle for filming and taking photos. We were also far too hungover to stand in the middle of a sweaty crowd after Sparrow & The Workshop had kept us up drinking til 4am the night before.
It has to be said it was an impressively large and receptive sweaty crowd, too. Broken Records seem to building a properly devoted fanbase, judging by the number of people singing along that we could see from our elevated vantage point. During the more intimate moments, there were even a few dozen couples doing the official boy-and-girl-at-gig-together romantic dance thing. (You know; where the guy stands behind with the girl in front, kind of holding her around the shoulders and copping a crafty feel while they both sway in time to the music.)
And a properly devoted fanbase is no more than Broken Records deserve judging by the quality of this evening’s performance. Jamie’s voice seems to have matured after the band’s busy summer. Somehow he sounds even more assured in front of the mic than on the records and the Toad Session day – and that’s not to suggest there was anything shabby to be heard before.
The band are as tight and adventurous as one of Beth Ditto’s lycra catsuits, swapping instruments around with gay abandon, and with each change every member showing a confidence and proficiency to match the instrument that went before. I think five different people sat at the piano during the evening, at least three picked up the big Fender Precision bass, and they were each completely at home during their respective turns.
This is a band ticking all the boxes. The fans packing the Liquid Rooms were entranced, the tunes are spot on, the guys in the band seem to be delighted with the progress they’ve made this year. You can feel a palpable buzz around them. They say they’re struggling to find a single, but I heard a clutch of strong candidates for singles on Sunday night. There were a number of tracks where the crowd couldn’t help but dance and sing along – arms aloft and ecstatic. Perhaps Broken Records should use that as a guide.
I don’t know if any of the video we caught of the show will make it online, depends on the sound quality I suppose. (If only Matthew hadn’t forgotten that digital recorder!)
But don’t wait for that. Go see these guys the very next chance you get.
Buy their current singles here: Slow Parade & If the News Makes You Sad, Don’t Watch It.
Broken Records – Lies (Demo Version) This is also coming out on single in the next month or so – one of my favourite of their songs.
Broken Records – Wolves (BBC 6Music Session)
Just to add my own thoughts to this, it really was an excellent gig. The fear when you latch onto a band with only a few songs to their name would be that subsequent efforts don’t quite live up to the stuff that got you all excited in the first place, leaving you to fall into an embarrassed silence about a group you’d been raving about only a short while ago.
Broken Records have never really seemed in danger of doing that. When they played Wolves and They All Fell Into the Sea at the Toad Session I was little nervous because I didn’t know the songs, but they were blinding. The b-side to If the News… is at least as good as the a-side if not, in my mind, slightly better.
The newer songs they played tonight like the poor un-named Ukulele Song and Albino Rhino were just superb as well, which puts me in the odd position of being both relieved for myself and really pleased for them, almost in a paternal way – it actually makes me really proud to see them doing so well, which has a lot to do with the fact that they have become good pals over the last year or so.
Really, the confidence and cohesion of this performance was impressive, from my point of view. As Dylan said, they are a band that very much feel ready. I have no idea if they will take off and crack the big wide world open, but they have the confidence and the, erm, I don’t know what the word is. Basically, there’s something firm, solid and believeable about their ambitions – they feel like the real deal these days, rather than a talented band with aspirations.
As long as Jamie can just stop telling the crowd off if they don’t dance.
Either way, it was a superb show, the crowd were delighted and I was really fucking pleased for the band. Warmed the cockles of my heart, so it did.
All that cider I was drinking at the after-show warmed the cockles of my liver.
I’ve only started to pee again today.
I can’t believe how boozy it got actually, considering I only had my first pint once the gig was over.
Apart from a couple of beers beforehand. Oh and a few at the session. Come to think of it, no wonder it got so fucking boozy. Mrs. Toad was not impressed when I staggered in at 3am.
Thankyouthankyouthankyou for putting up that version of Wolves! It’s such a staggeringly beautiful piece of music, it really is. I would have given a lot to have been at that gig, both because BR are so good and because Matthew is very entertaining when he’s wasted…
I was only wasted after the gig, and there may well be video evidence, I am ashamed to confess. Nevertheless, it was brilliant.
You were quite wasted Matthew, it was rather embarassing.
I, of course, was an image of sobrierty, as ever.
[...] the live review on Song, By Toad, and have a wee listen to Broken Records on their [...]