SLEEPER – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 17.11.18
I set off to the Concorde 2 on a cold Saturday night having not seen Sleeper play live for 22 years, the last time being at Brixton Academy. I was slightly nervous and wondered whether it would it be like catching up with an old school friend where it all clicked, or would we be like strangers in passing having lost all that we used to have in common? Surely none of us had aged and it would be just like 1996 all over again.
Back in the day Louise Wener would undoubtedly have been emblazoned on a poster in my bedroom wall had it not been for the fact that they released their first, and in my opinion best, album on my 31st birthday and I was already married, contemplating starting a family! I don’t think my wife would have been amused with that over our ‘bedhead’ and she would probably think I was a bit ‘twisted.’
The current Sleeper lineup is Louise Wener – vocals, rhythm guitar (1993–1998, 2017–present), her husband Andy MacLure – drums (1993–1998, 2017–present), Jon Stewart – lead guitar (1993–1998, 2017–present) and Kieron Pepper – bass guitar (2017–present).
Opening with ‘Nice Guy Eddie’, the band then set the crowd alight as they went into ‘Pyrotechnician’, but in truth it was more a Mush (affectionate) Pit rather than Mosh Pit, with a mix of all age groups that were intent on having a good time without any flailing elbows.
‘Delicious’ took the performance to the next level as everybody surrounding me sung along. A timing hiccup at the beginning of ‘What Do I Do Now?’ was laughed off by all and sundry, as they proved that they are still human. All that makes a live show feel more genuine. They continued through their back catalogue and included their live show favourite, which is a cover of the Blondie disco classic, ‘Atomic’, which was on the ‘Trainspotting’ soundtrack, combined with the chorus from Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ just for good measure.
The crowd were lapping it up, as if they could do no wrong. As usual one of the highlights was their breakthrough Top Twenty single, ‘Inbetweener’, which peaked at number 16. The video is fondly remembered for sadly departed Dale Winton’s finest ever piece of work on camera. The encore finished off with rousing renditions of ‘Vegas’ and ‘Sale of the Century’ to leave the crowd more than contented.
A 19 year break, in which Louise turned her talents to being a successful novelist, has worked wonders for the band, as they have come back with a new verve and passion for playing live. Louise had the artistic genius to make every word sung feel like it was targeted at each individual member of the sell-out crowd.
Louise, who now lives in Brighton, talked fondly about their first reunion gig last year at The Haunt, stressing about how “we were sh**ting ourselves”, but that it had been unnecessary, as they were gratefully received by a passionate audience and now they are back to stay. Good news for all Brit-popsters, though she did seem a bit embarrassed by the Britpop label when she mentioned it after performing ‘Atomic’.
With an album on the horizon (via a Pledge campaign), new songs ‘And The Sun Also Rises For You’, ‘Blue Like You’ and ‘Look At You Now’ got a great reception from the crowd. Hopefully this will be the shape of thing to come after their 3rd studio album ‘Pleased to Meet You’ was unfairly panned by the critics, but was reflected in the anonymity of any songs in tonight’s set from said album.
They will be embarking on a tour to promote the new album early next year, though sadly Brighton is not listed, but I and I’m sure many others, will make a point of catching them elsewhere in the south east after their triumphant return to the gigging circuit.
Having seen The Lovely Eggs go down a storm at The Haunt last month, there is obviously a lot to be said about working with your spouse, as tonight was another great celebration of marriage as Louise Wener and Andy MacLure renewed their musical vows in Brighton. The onstage chemistry works a treat with the other musicians in the band. The advantage of playing in Brighton was that they were even able to invite friends to play along with them and they appeared to be one big happy onstage family.
I spoke with some of the more mature people in the crowd, who were stood towards the middle and their only gripe was that the sound system wasn’t loud enough. Maybe a fair comment, as I was next to the speakers and my ears aren’t ringing half as bad as usual, but that probably isn’t a bad thing. Bring your hearing aids next time boys!
On Saturday night, I revived an old friendship and we bonded over some upbeat tunes with an Indie twist and a couple of pints of Guinness. This morning I woke up with no hangover, all the worries of life having been erased in 75 minutes and feeling 31 once again.
Support came from Aylesbury’s The Boy Least Likely To. Their first tune had a hint of The Bluebells to it but thereafter they lost me. A George Michael cover didn’t go any further towards giving me ‘faith’ in their music.
More info on Sleeper’s Pledge album campaign details HERE.
More on Sleeper HERE.
