Scratch

Here you will find older scratches, musings and other detritus that once were located on the front pages, but have now faded.

Filed away here to collect dust and cobwwwebs in perpetuity, links may break, facts may change and data may corrupt.

On occasion I may come down here to tidy, but for the most, I prefer to leave the past where it lies.

 

Avril Lavigne

On Saturday we went to see the petite and well formed Canadian singer that is Avril Lavigne at the Carling Apollo Hammersmith.

Before the gig, we sat about in a pub discussing life in general, eating, catching up, amusing ourselves watching some of her younger fans trying to get served. A couple of times we noted that we might be older than the majority of her fans, but once inside this was proved wrong with a wide range of ages disappearing into the blackness that was the stalls. A barmaid pointed out that we were not allowed bottle tops in to prevent artists being pelted with them, but I would have felt the onus is on the artists not to warrant being pelted, Green Day even went as far as to ban ice.

With regard to the gig, the set list was good, playing the single releases and a couple of better album tracks, in addition to a good rendition of American Idiot by Green Day. Sound quality was very good, much better than last time I was at the Apollo. There were pauses in between some of the songs for set changes, guitar swaps and notably a piano being wheeled on, but these were momentary. She started the encore on the drums with Song 2 by Blur, then performed a good version of Complicated before thanking us and bidding us goodnight.

Any doubts I had before hand about her abilities were unfounded. She has a strong voice with a good range, sticking to her strengths and what she knows, keeping conversation to a basic, almost perfunctory level. With no choreographed routines that have become the norm with young female singers of late, I found the enthusiasm, spontaneity and vibrancy a refreshing change and a joy to watch, and for such a petite person she controls the stage well. I wouldn't go as far as to say I was completely enthralled/captivated, although others probably would've said I was, but not once did I find my mind wandering. It has to be mentioned her piercing eyes, flowing hair and slender figure with guitar slung loosely at the hip does nothing to hinder her stage presence.

After the buzz of the gig it was round to a friend's place for beer and poker until the early morning.

23 May 2005 8:10 | (2) comments | Music

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