Reel Big Fish: Liverpool Academy
Posted by jamie on Feb 6, 2012
Reel Big Fish, Orange, the JB Conspiracy
Academy, Liverpool
3rd February, 2012
Rosie
When I moved to Liverpool, the thoughts running through my mind were something like “fantastic! Now I won’t have to travel 60 miles to get to the nearest decent gig”. Of course on arriving, I realised that it’s a rare occurrence that bands actually stop off here on their tours. So I’m usually still stuck with the 35 mile trek to Manchester. Last night, however was a different story entirely with the arrival of Reel Big Fish and support acts Orange and the JB Conspiracy in Scouseland.
My evening didn’t exactly start off as planned: I arrived in the venue and headed to the bar for a nice pint of cider. £4.10! Not so nice. Especially in Liverpool where you know you can walk up the road to a certain club and get the same for a mere 90p!
Arriving half an hour before the JB Conspiracy were due to come on, we had time to chill for a while, which just made me realise how small the venue seems when no one is there…it’s a shame, because anyone who turned up late missed the “brass packed ska punk turbo jazz” as they have described themselves. The band jumped straight in to the thumping, dance worthy Pipe Down, the only really old track that they provide us with tonight. Somehow this was my first time seeing JB Conspiracy, they’re one of those bands that no matter how hard I’ve tried, every time they play anywhere I can’t make it, so I was especially excited tonight. They seem to have a good blend of “new” songs and favourites off debut album This Machine. Three of the four tracks from their new EP The Calm, Start Listening, Going Up In Smoke and Skeleton Key were also presented with great enthusiasm.
There were a few specific things that struck me about their performance: one was how much the vocals have progressed, finding their own style, more melodic and refined than those found on This Machine, which really comes through on their new EP too. The keys parts are also stunning, not the average tunes you’ll get from any other ska-punk band and they really add another level to their orchestrated mix up. Each song has its individual merits but all the distinctive elements of this band just blend together so successfully in a way one could never really imagine, presenting an array of musical textures which you won’t find in your average ska-punk band. The keyboardist’s ability to play keys at the same time as alto sax was another shocking highlight. I was amazed!
There was a pretty decent crowd response during Going Up in Smoke and they called for some audience participant later on. I think they really define themselves from other bands purely by being so soulful without losing their fun, horn driven elements that make their songs so danceable. They’re just so unbelievably tight and together throughout their set. So serious, but so fun.
They finish on Time Machine, which is just as great as the rest of the set. They’re just so consistently enthused and always together. You just can’t fault a performance that’s this tight. I think a lot of people arrived not knowing who the hell they were and will leave intrigued fans, awe inspired and excited to delve in and discover everything the band have to offer.
Second support act Orange certainly make an impression as they walk on stage to The Who’s Baba O’Riley with a collection of silly hats and very silly hair. I’m slightly confused as to whether the front man’s outfit was a joke or not, it was very reminiscent of a Gerard Way style hair/outfit combo, but I’ll let that slide for now.
I’ll admit straight out that they don’t seem to be the kind of band I’d usually enjoy. They seem like a slightly odd choice on the line up, out of place sandwiched between two hyper horn fuelled ska-punk bands, which probably didn’t aid my views on their performance. While there was nothing overly offensive about it, their vocals did not appeal, the deep raspiness of the front man seemed somewhat lazy at times, whilst their backing singer helped them sound like a cross between Green Day and New Found Glory, enough whine to keep it going but rather more tuneful than the other vocalist.
They tried really hard to grab the attention of the audience, and seemingly they did, they seemed to keep everyone fairly captivated however I personally felt there was too much reliance on the theatrical rather than the music.
When they cut out vocal lines for intros and interludes where the bass lines became more interesting, backing up the standard pop punk guitar riffs, their talents started to appear through the haze. They were together but there seemed to me to be a musical element missing which was evident right from opening track Elektron Gun. They progressed through the set as everything got a bit tighter however this was slightly ruined by an awkward rendition of the Beatles’ Help! that they closed with. It’s always a risky move when in Liverpool but I guess they pulled it off as it certainly livened up the end of their set.
It seemed like we were left hanging for a while for the appearance of the Fish, but this left me with time to meet some of the people about, such as the woman who told me that although she’s married, she’s definitely in love with the Fish and has been for 10 years now so didn’t even bring her husband with her. They certainly draw an attentive crowd.
Reel Big Fish are one of those bands that appear in the UK every year, so the chances are you’ve probably managed to catch them before and having seen them even once, you know exactly what to expect. The same can be said from most people who’ve listened to their live album “Our Live Album Is Better than Your Live Album” a good few times. This is by no means an insult. They clearly know what they’re doing and have done for years so they keep churning it out and every time it is a damn good show. When they’re in to their 20th year it almost suggests some kind of timelessness.
They launch right in to Everything Sucks and I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend Too, dating all the way back to 1995 and 1996 respectively. They seem to start off slightly slow but that doesn’t last for long. Tonight there’s definitely a focus on their older 90s tracks, only a few songs from We’re Not Happy ’til You’re Not Happy and Monkeys for Nothin’ and the Chimps for Free sneak in. It wouldn’t be a Reel Big Fish show without some hyped up ska cover versions, this time Brown Eyed Girl was chosen, and proved to be a real crowd pleaser: there’s not a person in sight not dancing, a good thing too after Aaron stated “you better all know this song and if you don’t, we don’t care”. They consistently expose this air of not caring about anything or anyone, reflecting how they are entirely self assured in their performances. They don’t need to prove themselves to anyone.
Highlights were definitely the inclusion of 241 which is always a good dance along horn fuelled (what isn’t when it comes to Reel Big Fish?) affair, the many versions of Suburban Rhythm including the country one allowing everyone to swing around their partners Cotton Eye Joe style. Where Have You Been? adds a contrasting tone to the set with its emotional lyrics and more sombre character moving in to the bass interlude. With the brass playing in unison, the sound grows to huge proportions, almost bursting our ear drums before throwing us in to Beer. Half way through Aaron decides to play his guitar part behind his head rather impressively, as usual. They disappear briefly and return for the obvious two song encore of Sellout and Take On Me.
The whole of their set seems like a massive party, as always…aided by Aaron Barratt’s Hawaiian shirts, as always. Everyone’s out of breath by the end of the show from dancing so much and I barely have a voice left. With Reel Big Fish, you always know what you’re going to get but you also know that it’s going to be a good time because their enthusiasm is so contagious. It seems in recent years they may have had to rely on support bands to help pull in the people that have seen them over and over to make it worth it, but that just means the night is all the more enjoyable. It was a kind of gig you can’t help but leaving on a high note: Reel Big Fish just ooze that kind of positive energy.
Reel Big Fish: 2012 UK dates
Posted by jamie on Nov 2, 2011
Reel Big Fish will tour the UK in January and February of 2012. Tickets are on sale here now.
Support comes from Orange and our boys the JB Conspiracy.
JANUARY 2012
25 - Waterfront – Norwich
26 - Pyramid Centre – Portsmouth
27 – O2 Academy 2 – Birmingham
28 – Rock City – Nottingham
29 – Corporation – Sheffield
30 – University – Newcastle
31 – Garage – Glasgow
FEBRUARY 2012
1 – Academy – Leeds
2 – Academy 2 – Manchester
3 – Academy – Liverpool
4 – Sub 89 – Reading
5 – Cardiff Uni Solus – Cardiff
6 – Pavilion – Falmouth
7 – Westlands – Yeovil
8 – Hippodrome - Kingston Upon Thames
9 – Shepherds Bush – London
Get tickets here.
Slam Dunk 2011: line-up released
Posted by jamie on Feb 16, 2011
News just in from Slam Dunk HQ. They’ve announced the line-up for their 2011 festival. Tickets go on sale on Friday. We’ll have them for you here.
Here’s what Slam Dunk told us..
Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish playing together in the UK for the first time ever!
The massive 3oh!3 will also be bringing the party by stopping by as part of their UK tour and following on Slam Dunk’s tradition of reunions after Farse in 2009 and Capdown in 2010, 2011 will see the UK exclusive reunion shows from fan favourites, US pop punk legends The Starting Line!
Skints: off on tour
Posted by jamie on Feb 7, 2011
The Skints head off on tour on Friday, and will be on the road for a month. On some of the dates Reel Big Fish will play afterwards. See all the dates here.
Scott Klopfenstein leaves Reel Big Fish.
Posted by jamie on Jan 14, 2011
Scott Klopfenstein has announced he will be leaving Reel Big Fish to build a family home “brick by loving brick”, as he and his wife are expecting their first child.
Reel Big Fish will continue their 20th Anniversary world tour. Dates and tickets are posted here.
Scott’s statement appears in full on Reel Big Fish’s official site.
2011: RBF/New Riot UK/European dates
Posted by jamie on Jan 9, 2011
New Riot will play first on Reel Big Fish’s UK and European jaunt with Suburban Legends next month. Tickets are here.
Aquabats / RBF tour
Posted by jamie on Aug 12, 2010
The Aquabats will be main support to Reel Big Fish on their November tour. At present this is only for the USA, but here’s hoping. They haven’t toured together in ten years..
The Aquabats will release their new album independently on 9th November. No title announced yet.
25th & 29th January: Sonic Boom Six, Big D and Reel Big Fish
Posted by jamie on Feb 2, 2010
Sonic Boom Six / Big D & the Kids Table
w/ Reel Big Fish
Birmingham Academy (25th) & Camden KoKo (29th) January, 2010
Jamie
Ok, let’s get something straight here: The truth is, really, we were here for the Sonic Boom Six (again). Be that as it may, though, Reel Big Fish’s ability to draw big crowds, take other established headline bands as support, along with their huge catalogue of brilliant good-time party songs, make this show a must see. Even at £20 (thanks to ticketmaster), who’d turn their nose up at Big D and the SB6 as supports?
Not many. Birmingham’s new Carling Academy was packed on a Monday, and it’s a lot bigger than Islington’s. The KoKo shows were capacity on both nights. We did the Birmingham show on a lads’ night out and it could scarcely have gone better. Friday, with the full posse, girls included, was ace too. KoKo could do with sorting its stairs out – and its only gents, right at the top, caused some amusing traffic jams where the unfortunate among us got blocked in at the urinals (but no one weed on us). They also had a club night on afterwards which meant that the Sonic Boom Six were originally scheduled on stage at the ridiculous hour of 18:15. Lines of us were still snaked around the building at nearer to 7, so it wasn’t all bad, but we were turfed out at 22:30 so that the Florence and the Machine brigade could have their tepid, spineless indie club night afterwards. Good luck with that one: it’s £5 a beer in there and it’s not even on draught.
The indestructible Sonic Boom Six (Laila’s words, not mine), opened on both nights and on both nights they were the best band on show. Minus Ben C on vocals and guitar, it was a strange and interesting experience to see his verses shared by Barney and Laila. Ben’s words “Went and bought the tape the next day” and “Spit with every word that they say”, etc, just sound different, of course, but the band have coped admirably. Obviously not all of their songs are ready for the new line up, so the shorter opening set might have been a bonus there. Not that it was something that any of us wanted to end. Everyone was down on time for this and the place went OFF. It was insane down there and awesome to be a part of. A big slice of City of Thieves is still the focus of the guys’ set, with the opener, Back 2 Skool and The Concrete We’re Trapped Within (It’s Yours) opening the show. Sound of a Revolution is in afterwards, and Through the Eyes of a Child
Oh, and the set. The SB6 were incredible. Hung over (on Friday), without Ben and, on Friday, without Matt, and on first they still had a sell out crowd flying all over the place. It’s a short, sharp set and they get on with it without bantering us. It puts meaning to the phrase “all killer, no filler”. This, I guess, is what the Reading/Leeds festival crowds got, but, the last RBF tour aside, I haven’t seen SB6 not headline since 2003 (with Whitmore). When Barney said they know how to start a party, we now know what he meant. Those rooms went from flat to all out super fast. Laila introduces Sound of a Revolution as a homage to Rage Against the Machine, which is greeted with a huge cheer for Killing in the Name’s climb to Christmas number 1 here in the UK. The song, with the Big D lads on horns, is a particular highlight, along with Through the Eyes of a Child. Strange Transformations, another gem from the band’s most recent record City of Thieves, which, for me, is one of the band’s very best tracks, is also a real crowd pleaser. The focus is very much on the band’s newer material, much of it from City of Thieves and the last track, Piggy in the Middle, is the first to come from 2006’s Ruff Guide to Genre Terrorism album. The new songs are excellent and SB6 deliver them with a real hunger. It’s testament to this that so many other great songs aren’t picked tonight and both shows are still frantic, those of us on the barrier getting squished in rhythm as the bit behind gets bigger and bigger and rocks giddily back and forth, mashing us all in the process. This could, and perhaps should, be a headline set. Sonic Boom Six have got everything and kick the night off with a bang. The lights are lifted on a blinking, breathless pack of gasping, delighted bodies. That so much of the night is still to come is, frankly, a little bit daunting, but we’re all still hungry for it.
A real surprise on this tour is just how good Big D and the Kids Table have got. If that sounds like some sort of obvious non-statement, then perhaps you haven’t been to this tour. Because we at Bananatown are already huge fans. It’s just that I’ve not really seen the Fluent in Stroll material toured before. On both nights, Big D were absolutely superb, even by their own standards. Steady Riot, Noise Complaint and then Fluent in Stroll open the set and it’s immediately clear that, without losing anything that made them them in the first place, they’ve really added a lot to their sound. The obvious example is that they’re touring the UK with a group of backing singers: two in Birmingham, and three in London after one flew in especially for the last show of this tour. I don’t know how far Boston is, and I could google it, but you get my point: it was well worth it, whatever. Something about their sound has become slightly more old-school. I was dubious when the grapevine told me about what they were doing here, not from a lack of trust, just that there wasn’t anything that needed changing, and the difference was so striking. They’ve totally pulled it off, though, and it makes for a really stunning set. Think about exactly how the Fluent in Stroll material should be performed live and that’s basically exactly what they’ve done. And they’ve nailed it. All the backing vocalists are female, by the way. Matching dresses, for the last show, in London, were a nice touch and the classic synchronized sways and clicks that choirs and backing vocal groups have been doing for 50 years made the ladies look as smooth as a very smooth thing. And they can really, really sing: it definitely adds to the set and really enhances all the songs on show. Hayley sings a tune to herself for good measure, too.
Big D’s set is basically one big, shaking, joyous singalong. Although it’s a shoutalong for two types who wriggled in in front of us at KoKo. That’s annoying at the best of times, but the girl was wearing leopard print and one the boy took his backpack in to the pit. Please, if you’re reading and you do that, never do it again. It just takes up everybody’s room. To stop a squashed girl from having angry words, I butted in and put it over the barrier for him with our coats and that. Hugs all around: it was that kind of night. In Birmingham, where there’s a lot more space, doors were a bit later and it’s not hotter than a pasty oven, we can move around a bit more. At KoKo it was just a big, baking hot squash in to the rail. All good fun, mind.
And so to Reel Big Fish. More recently there have been a few line-up changes, but, like them or loathe them, you know what you’re going to get, and neither of these shows are any different. Reel Big Fish come to the UK once a year and play the songs they’ve been playing for years. The reason this works is that they’ve got a huge back catalogue of really good party songs and they play them very well in concert. They do, as usual, have two excellent support acts: for SB6 and Big D read Suburban Legends and Random Hand last year, and SB6 and the Streetlight Manifesto the year before.
I saw them last year in Leeds, and, to tell the truth, by their standards they were a bit disappointing. After that, and, without a new record out since last time, and no original songs since 2007 I admit I was weary of this tour. Were it not for Big D and Sonic Boom Six on the bill I’d never have done two dates, and might’ve missed it out completely.
It’s testament to the pulling power that Reel Big Fish have, though, that, even though any of those could headline a venue of this size, they’re up for supporting. It also guarantees an excellent night’s skanking for all concerned.
Yes, Reel Big Fish have been playing these songs for ages. And I do mean ages: Trendy, I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend, Snoop Dog, Baby and Beer are all on Everything Sucks, which was released in 1995. But the reason that Reel Big Fish can keep touring this material is that it is that good, and brilliant for getting down to. That and the fact that they’re very, very good at playing live.
A packed out room waits for what feels like an age, only seeing the odd guitar-tech come out and say “one, two” in to a row of microphones before the headline act finally show. And this time they’re awesome. Everything is almost exactly as you’d expect, the usual set, with Sell Out first, The Set-Up (You Need This), Ban the Tube Top and Down in Flames. Those two, by the way, are probably my favourite RBF songs, but anyway. Laila K guests as the girl on She Has a Girlfriend Now and has an absolute riot with it. Especially on Friday, she’s hilarious, all jigging, skanking feet while she’s singing and just bouncing and milking the applause while Aaron and Scott sing the guy’s part. Everything Sucks, Your Guts (I Hate ‘em), and Snoop Doggy Dogg are all huge hits before You Don’t Know, with an epic drum solo by their new drummer The Rabbit which makes the whole room gasp on Monday night, and even needs an extra drummer for a little bit, before the band finish with Take on Me. They’ve surely played that song more times than A-ha by now. An encore is inevitable, and the songs really pick themselves from what hasn’t been played before. I’m sure we’ve all been here a million times before, but, while they can still pull this off, it’s daft not to like Reel Big Fish in concert. It’s just good fun. Another F.U Song, Suburban Rhythm, with all its many versions, and the “Masters of all musical styles” bit, etc, etc, and then Kiss Me Deadly. Whoah, that’s the three song encore. And they haven’t played Beer. Oh, there it is. Woot woot. Entirely predictable, but, if we’re honest, that’s part of the fun. They’ve got great songs, and they play them very well. It goes down a storm, needless to say.
Sonic Boom Six: stage times.
Posted by chips on Jan 21, 2010
The Sonic Boom Six have some scarily early stage times during their tour with Big D and Reel Big Fish.
“Norwich and Manchester are the one’s to watch”, says Barney, “with doors at half past 7 and us on at quarter to 8 and the second London show, with the unholy door time of 6pm and the Boom on at quarter past 6. As long as the indie kids get their NME night afterwards, that’s the main thing!”. Pah. NME. Pah, pah, pah.
SB6/Big D/RBF dates now up.
Posted by jamie on Nov 28, 2009
Sonic Boom Six’s dates with Reel Big Fish and Big D, meanwhile, are up on the RBF myspace.
