Post by harembee on Jun 27, 2010 18:00:50 GMT -5
I met up with a group of friends from this forum in the afternoon and together we walked then relaxed in the sunshine on Hampstead Heath. We then made our way together to Hoxton Square for a bite to eat before the gig. I excused myself just after 6pm and headed for the Hoxton Bar and Grill where I had arranged to meet my brother and other FP friends. Nikki and the Fictionaires were already at the bar so I chatted with them until they went through to the live room to watch the first support act, Trail, perform. I however stayed in the outer bar a while longer chatting to another friend and her sister until my brother and those I had been in the company of earlier that day arrived.
We made our way through to the live room in time for the second support group, the Memphis Maniacs, to take to the stage. I joined Fictionaire friends at the front as promised whilst the others chose viewpoints in the rows close behind us. Both of the support acts were known to many of the FP fans as each had opened for the guys before: at The Monto Water Rats in London and Paradiso in Amsterdam, but there was a slight difference in the line up of the Maniacs this night. The bassist was different yet strangely familiar. Soon smiles of recognition lit up the room. The stand-in bassist behind yellow-tinted shades and wearing a false moustache was FP Joe! Though I hadn't particularly taken to the Maniacs in Amsterdam I did enjoy them this time. On a smaller stage and a little less flamboyant in their performance than that for the cameras at the Paradiso, I was able to appreciate their playing skills much more and enjoyed the performance. Having Joe on stage for the extra time was a welcome bonus of course!
By the time FP took the stage to headline the fans were more than ready. A quick glance around showed that I was surrounded by folks I knew and loved: members of the FP Harem, Fictionaires, Team .info, Sting.com plus many individuals that I had spent time with at previous gigs, spanning many years. All were in good spirits and united in their love of Fiction Plane. Together we were seriously ready to rock our socks off in support of this band!
The guys delighted us with most of the tracks from Sparks and though this was the first London gig since the release of the album, most present were familiar with the beats and lyrics. There were some newer fans and one or two who had just popped in out of curiosity but it the main this was a gig for loyal FP Old Timers like me!! No offence meant of course! Tommy had been one of my least favourite album tracks. I had listened to it many times on CD but just didn't take to it. Yet suddenly I found myself really into it; understanding it at last. I guess it's just one of those tracks I need to hear live to appreciate. Less predictable perhaps was how much I loved hearing Humanoid, Zero and oh my, time to seriously rock to my favourite: Russian LSD. There could have been no doubt by then that my friends and I were all up there where we lived to be: on the fictionplane! Death Machine, Sadr City Blues and Two Sisters ensured that we continued to fly and a perfect evening drew to a perfect end when Joe returned to the stage after a second encore to delight us with Drink. For me this was one of the most enjoyable ever FP gigs. What an incredible night!
Sending a huge hug to everyone who rocked with me. I loved meeting up with you all and hope to do so again soon.
I hardly used my camera. I was enjoying the gig too much. But here's an experimental action shot of Joe that I am quite fond of.
We made our way through to the live room in time for the second support group, the Memphis Maniacs, to take to the stage. I joined Fictionaire friends at the front as promised whilst the others chose viewpoints in the rows close behind us. Both of the support acts were known to many of the FP fans as each had opened for the guys before: at The Monto Water Rats in London and Paradiso in Amsterdam, but there was a slight difference in the line up of the Maniacs this night. The bassist was different yet strangely familiar. Soon smiles of recognition lit up the room. The stand-in bassist behind yellow-tinted shades and wearing a false moustache was FP Joe! Though I hadn't particularly taken to the Maniacs in Amsterdam I did enjoy them this time. On a smaller stage and a little less flamboyant in their performance than that for the cameras at the Paradiso, I was able to appreciate their playing skills much more and enjoyed the performance. Having Joe on stage for the extra time was a welcome bonus of course!
By the time FP took the stage to headline the fans were more than ready. A quick glance around showed that I was surrounded by folks I knew and loved: members of the FP Harem, Fictionaires, Team .info, Sting.com plus many individuals that I had spent time with at previous gigs, spanning many years. All were in good spirits and united in their love of Fiction Plane. Together we were seriously ready to rock our socks off in support of this band!
The guys delighted us with most of the tracks from Sparks and though this was the first London gig since the release of the album, most present were familiar with the beats and lyrics. There were some newer fans and one or two who had just popped in out of curiosity but it the main this was a gig for loyal FP Old Timers like me!! No offence meant of course! Tommy had been one of my least favourite album tracks. I had listened to it many times on CD but just didn't take to it. Yet suddenly I found myself really into it; understanding it at last. I guess it's just one of those tracks I need to hear live to appreciate. Less predictable perhaps was how much I loved hearing Humanoid, Zero and oh my, time to seriously rock to my favourite: Russian LSD. There could have been no doubt by then that my friends and I were all up there where we lived to be: on the fictionplane! Death Machine, Sadr City Blues and Two Sisters ensured that we continued to fly and a perfect evening drew to a perfect end when Joe returned to the stage after a second encore to delight us with Drink. For me this was one of the most enjoyable ever FP gigs. What an incredible night!
Sending a huge hug to everyone who rocked with me. I loved meeting up with you all and hope to do so again soon.
I hardly used my camera. I was enjoying the gig too much. But here's an experimental action shot of Joe that I am quite fond of.
Will do my best to share! There will be some familiar faces!! The first is of the mystery bass player with the Manics - it did take a moment for everyone to realise who it was and he kept a straight face throughout - brilliant!!
