Photo Credit: James Mirfield
Words: Abi Hawes
Thursday night saw the 90s indie rock band THE BLUETONES return at Derby’s Hairy Dog venue. Having emerged in the Britpop era, the band brought back nostalgia as the crowed were teleported back to the 1990s, while reaffirming their place within the present-day gig landscape. The four-piece band played fan favourites alongside a brilliant support act.
Opening the night was Brighton band CANNED PINEAPPLE, a five-piece band who brought nothing but infectious energy, instantly getting the crowd moving. Opening with songs on their new album to be released next year, they immediately set the tone for the evening. Frontman Sean Drury’s charisma brought the show alive, showing everyone what it means to not only be a singer, but a performer. Not only did he look the part, in a sparkly suit, he engaged well with the audience, encouraging to buy their merchandise in order to “save lives” as they said it blocked the back window of their car. Their top song ‘Jessie Met Jane‘ brought the venue alive, encapsulating modern day indie music. Their recent EP ‘Big Break‘ released early this year captures the essence of this band, it’s hard to see why they haven’t already made it. The band not only blends layered nostalgia with fresh rock to create something new that the audience seemed to enjoy. This set the tone for the headliner.
Next, THE BLUETONES took the stage, bravely opening with ‘Bluetonic‘, which reached number 19 on UK singles chart in 1995. Having started with one of the band’s bigger songs, they managed to keep the crowd going until the end. Rather tactically, the band joked about when the audience should take a toilet break as they planned to play their newer songs in between their iconic music from the 90s. They have recently released a number of EPs, and played songs from these including, ‘Madeline’, ‘The Aristocrats’ and ‘In The Cut’ which were released earlier this year, and blended in well with their outlook.
They kept the excitement going, promising a new album for next year, to be continued by another tour before going into their most known song ‘Slight return’ which reached number two in the UK singles chart in 1996. Clapping echoed around the venue, as the moment was brought to life, defining the importance of music in general. Arguably, this song defined Britpop to some extent and was played as if we were still in the 90s. Only today, a sea of phones shot up to record the moment and keep it forever. Although, as the song reached the second verse, Mark Morriss created an instrumental gap to soak up the audience, which the crowd misinterpreted as singing the words back to the band as the instruments continued. However, this caused him to immediately stop and tell the band that this “wasn’t a Robbie Williams show”. After restarting from verse two, the band got back into the swing of things, eradiating energy and passion.
Other songs that teleported the crowed were, ‘Cut Some Rug’ and ‘Marblehead Johnson’ as the band created an encapsulating scene of energy. In between these songs, the band played a newer track ‘Cheap Hotels’ where Mark Morriss joked that they are the only hotels you find in Derby, causing much laughter.
The band introduced the penultimate song ‘The Last Song But One’, causing the crowd to boo, which Mark Morriss said demonstrated they weren’t as knowledgeable as he had earlier suggested. They followed this with ‘Never Going Nowhere’ from their album Luxembourg as they closed the main set. As this is my favourite song, this was a great way to end the main show.
The crowd was a mix of older fans reliving the soundtrack of their youth and teenagers enjoying past sounds. Although very different, everyone became united, living in the moment as one. No matter the age difference, the fans all seemed to be enjoying all the tunes the band offered over their set.
After a break that Mark Morriss encouraged booing and clapping, the encore began, although it was only short- two songs long- they closed the show with ‘London Weekend Television’ before finishing the show with ‘If…’ allowing themselves to live in the moment as the crowed sang the catchy last lines back to them, which most likely played in everyone’s mind until they got home. THE BLUETONES created a night that would be nearly impossible to forget, alongside their witty comments and jokes that kept the night alive.
Photo Credit: James Mirfield @ Project House, Leeds
Taped Magazine 