Mostly Autumn

Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

15 May 2004

I'm writing this review a couple of days late, so instead of giving an emotional response I've had time to dissect it and reflect on the imperfections.

There were imperfections. I have seen Mostly Autumn do much better shows.

The sound was fairly good where I sat but started out with a bit of a dodgy mix. And the string quartet was mixed pretty low throughout. And there was a huge hiss from the stage (maybe only noticable because I was in the front row).

The light show was lost on me because it went — literally — over my head. I'm sure it was appreciated more by people further back but from my position it was inferior to the Newcastle gig the night before.

And they couldn't use the full back projections because (I think) there wasn't enough space on the stage to lower the screen.

Setwise, nothing was different from the Astoria and Newcastle gigs. Musically, everybody was playing well, though occasionally I thought the song arrangement was going to fall apart.

Guest musician Troy Donockley wasn't present at the Newcastle gig so they rearranged the songs to cover for his contribution. Last night, he was present and the songs were back to their "proper" arrangement — and to be honest, I don't think they are as good! He's a great musician and his contributions really work on the album but I don't think they need him on stage.

Ok, it sounds like I'm focussing too much on negatives. There were plenty of positive things. Heather (sigh) sang beautifully and visually dominated the stage. (You don't really need a laser show when you've got Heather Findlay.) The Divine Angela was on top form on flute and from where I sat her voice came through loud and clear. Andy and Brian were charging around and posing at the front of the stage, and even Liam managed to wake up and take a gentle stroll around at one point

Overall, they looked really happy to be playing a big stage. And proud — and, dammit, they deseve to be proud. They've worked really hard to get here. I was proud for them. I'm very happy the hall was so full (and it's a BIG hall!)

The more I hear the Passengers material live, the more I like it. But I still think it's their weakest album, so the "classics" in the second part of the set were the best part of the show.

Um, no I change my mind. The end part of Simple Ways is the best part of the show. Wibble.

As for the infamous standing controversy... I'm on the fence on that one. A lot of people say they need to stand to get the right atmosphere. And the band certainly seem to believe that (Bryan was desperate to get people on their feet). But a lot of people prefer to sit, some people can't stand, and others are too short to see even when standing. And as soon as Bryan invites the audience up and forward, those people lose out. In a sloped hall, it wouldn't have been so bad. In a flat hall like the Wulfrun, it's not so clever.

Ok, I admit I was first to the stage when the move started. But that's only because I wasn't going to give up the view I had paid so much money for. I would have prefered that everybody remained seated. It's not worth the crush and the nuisance just for the opportunity to shake Andy's hand and look up Heather's skirt. (Kidding!)

But, oh well.

I had a great time, despite the imperfections.

And so did my Mom