The Hold Steady / I Concur

I Concur have labelled this show as their biggest to date, and are busy aiming for a shot at the Leeds festival line up. Their indie style of fuzzy dirtiness is not a common sound these days; layers upon layers of guitar and vocals, plus the thumping rhythms carrying the tunes along with the tricky bass lines.

The band are having fun; joking with the crowd about singer Tim Hann’s hometown of Morley (“Morley Madness”) and saying that they did a lot of travelling to get here. Also with songs about the M62 and a guy called ‘Lucky Jack’, it’s hard to dislike this band.



Each song ends with a “woosh” as the different instruments collide in a dirty but tight mess, with Hann’s and drummer James Brunger’s vocals holding it all together. Lets hope these lads get to play at their local festival, and win over more fans as they do it so easily.

The Hold Steady. What can I say. This whirlwind of shows supporting third album ‘Boys And Girls In America’ first started here six months ago, and all they have done is gain pace. This is the fifth time that I have seen them this year so far, and that is set to double with the amount of festivals they are performing at. It seems you can not go anywhere without the Brooklyn boys playing that American bluesy rock in your face...


Craig Finn looks every inch the cheeky chappy, constantly grinning to the crowd. Franz Nicolay, as the smartly dressed one, gains the biggest cheer as he dances and pogos onstage with his beret and curly moustache. No wonder bassist Galen Polivka playfully makes fun of him regularly; making talking puppet hands over his shoulder in response to Nicolay’s enthusiastic singing routines, and even tinkering with his keyboard. Drummer Bobby Drake and guitarist Tad Kubler are a little less excitable while they hold it all together.

The same set list as usual; starting as the album does with ‘Stuck Between Stations’ and ‘Chips Ahoy’. Playing the two UK singles first is a good move, as many of the sold out crowd do not seem to know much about the band; they have just heard some hype. One misguided girl behind me exclaimed when they came on stage “They’re all old!”. If being in your early thirties is classed as old in today’s society then we’re all doomed.



The crowd is a pleasant mix of old and young; some reminiscing with the nineties sound and others discovering the fun of bare rock and roll. Finn is a funny front man; rarely using his guitar for the full period of a song; more content to swing his arms around to explain his complex and engaging lyrics. The miming to the lyrics directly after he has sung them is the best; making him look a little crazy but in a harmless way.

The majority of the set is full of BAGIA tracks, (‘Massive Nights’, ‘Party Pit’), but there are a few oldies to catch folk out (‘Cattle And The Creeping Things’, ‘Killer Parties’). Many songs are instant sing-a-long tracks, helped by the catchy choruses like on ‘You Can Make Him Like You’ and ‘Southtown Girls’ (though not many people are trying to sing with Finn during the verses; they are a little fast and confusing to master).



The set lasts only an hour and a quarter; just enough time to get their point across. There are some statements from Finn about how rock music does not have all the answers like it makes out, just rumours and innuendos. If you think he looks silly, you can not say that he sounds silly.



For the encore Kubler is on acoustic guitar, Nicoly on accordion, Polivka on xylophone, Drake is still on the drums and Finn’s on the grolsch. ‘Citrus' is a lovely track that shows their broad talent stretches beyond rock and roll riffs. This is followed by ‘First Night’ and fan favourite ‘Everyone’s A Critic But Most People Are DJs’. The plodding bassline and distant guitar sounds of ‘Killer Parties’ finish the set, along with the words “We are The Hold Steady”.

I can not find fault with this band. They are out there touring away like it’s gone out of fashion, and I can only see the fan base increasing over the summer and beyond. For all those who hate new wave, here is your answer.

FUTURE GIGS

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