17 May 2007 (gig)
21 May 2007
Alongside The Great Escape Festival, The T-Mobile Street Gig series swooped in to Brighton last Thursday and landed on Brighton Pier, where The Happy Mondays took over the delightfully tacky Horatios Bar.
I've not seen The Happy Mondays live since they supported Oasis at Wembley Stadium in 2000 and I was more than a little concerned that the years, some minor substance abuse and certain Big Brother appearance would have blunted their talent. Not a bit of it. The rag-tag bunch of wastrels and scoundrels swaggered on to stage looking rather more like an ASBO collective than a band ready to perform in front of an intimate crowd. They promptly blew the roof off the venue with a 45 min set that included all the classics...'Step-on, Loose Fit, Kinky Afro and Holiday' as well as some new material.
The new material was great..although I can't give you any details as other than a 'here's some new shit' from Ryder, there was no other info. Trust me..all the new tracks were mighty. The inclusion of In the name of the Father & Reverend Black Grape, were welcome injections from the Black Grape years and went down a storm with what was, by now, a jumping, sweaty mess of fans (me included). Ryder was fantastic throughout the set and his voice was in incredible form. Bez jumped around with his usual level of enthusiasm, flashing his brand new teeth at the crowd...(still spending that Big Brother money) The 45 mins flew by and all of a sudden a foot stomping rendition of '24 Hour Party People' signalled the end of the show. I was breathless and in no small part hammered by this stage.
If you get the chance to see the 'The Mondays' this year...don't pass it up.
