LIVE REVIEW: The Good, The Bad and The Queen
Seeing The Good, The Bad and The Queen live was certainly a gig like no other. Rather than wheeling out some second rate indie band as their support act, the audience instead was treated to a series of vaudeville cabaret acts including Igor the Russian accordionist, a burlesque contortionist and ‘The Great Blondini’, a truly shit magician. At this point the concept behind The Good, The Bad and The Queen and their unusual choice of tour venues (Aylesbury, Warrington, Dudley, Southsea) begins to make more sense. The dubious looking Victorian top-hat that Damon Albarn has insisted on sporting throughout this project, rather than being some rubbish fashion statement as I had assumed, is rather another element of the music hall theatre that they are attempting to evoke.
The second support act of the evening were Indigo Moss, an acoustic folk/skiffle act comprising of guitar, ukelele and banjo players, all related to each other, who are signed to Butterfly Records, the label of Simon Tong - guitar player with The Good, The Bad and The Queen and ex- of the Verve. We liked them so much we bought the album.
The main act of the evening performed their entire album in order and against a backdrop of a filthy grey London cityscape, back-lit at various times in a range of hues. The quality of live experience with any band more often than not hinges on the charisma of its front person. In the case of The Good, The Bad and The Queen they have not one, but two powerful characters in Damon Albarn, who naturally dominated proceedings, and Paul Simonon, whose pounding basslines and energetic performance drove the gig along. Backed-up by Simon Tong, who was virtually anonymous, Tony Allen, a mystery keyboard player and an all female string quartet (also sporting top-hats), these two colossus’ of alternative music mesmerised the audience for the hour or so that they were performing. The live translation of an album that I had certainly liked but hadn’t completely bowled me over, was truly engaging.
Concluding with an encore that included the appearance of a Syrian rapper, who performed in what sounded very much like Arabic, but whose message presumably dealt with peace, love and not bombing his brethren, this really was a thoroughly unique evening of entertainment. If I see another band as compelling this year I’ll be very lucky.
The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Aylesbury Civic Centre