"...I thought it was over, but it's not..." Not just lyrics to a hit song but also a suitable statement regarding The Feeling's career. Success came quickly for The Feeling with debut album 'Twelve Stops And Home' hitting number two and a series of hit singles putting the band on the musical map. Their second album 'Join With Us' then confirmed the bands musical presence by topping the albums chart.
From then on however things haven't been plain sailing for the pop rock quintet. A lacklustre third album ('Together We Were Made') coincided with the fall of guitar music from our charts and the band were left seemingly disappointed with their treatment by the music industry. A singles collection was duly released in 2011 and nobody could have blamed the band for calling it quits. They didn't do that though, instead taking their time with their fourth studio effort and making the record they wanted to make. That album is 'Boy Cried Wolf' which represents the best work the band have done since their 2006 debut, and it's that album which brings us to the Waterfront in Norwich tonight.
Following a run of dates last October, The Feeling are back for another stretch taking 'Boy Cried Wolf' to the rest of the country. Opening on this tour are Sheffield four-piece The Gentlemen, and the venue is already heaving as they take to the stage. Smartly dressed and with their best dance moves on show the band plough a set of their happy, bouncy electro-pop meets indie sounds.
The band clearly love their time on stage and the packed Waterfront clearly enjoy it too. As they continue to push through their performance I can't help but image these as the perfect afternoon festival band with the sun shining and a pint in hand. The Gentlemen have been a great opening act tonight and performances like this can only go to enhance their reputation.
It's now time for The Feeling to strut their stuff on the Waterfront stage and there is a clear sense of anticipation in the air for their performance. The venue is crammed full and as they hit the stage the crowd goes wild. Opening duo 'Blue Murder' and 'Fill My Little World' set up the rest of the evening perfectly as the band mix new and old in their set list.
It's telling that the set list is made up almost entirely of tracks from debut 'Twelve Stops And Home' and new album 'Boy Cried Wolf'. This perhaps shows how the band feel about their career, with only single 'I Thought It Was Over' airing from their middle two albums. This is again probably because these were the two times in their career they have truly felt able to make the music they really wanted to make.
'Boy Cried Wolf' is certainly a return to form for a band who have had their ups and downs. Things though seem to be on the up now and hopefully the band can continue to make the music they want to make because when played as passionately as it is tonight it makes for a great evening of entertainment. It's a good sign for the band that new tracks such as 'Fall Like Rain', 'Anchor' and 'Rescue' get just as good a reaction as the hits like 'Never Be Lonely', 'Sewn' and 'Love It When You Call'.
Throughout their career The Feeling have always treated fans to their favourite cover versions and fans on this tour are treated to a fantastic medley as part of the encore. 'Day Tripper' by The Beatles, 'You Really Got Me' by The Kinks, 'Pinball Wizard' by The Who, 'Under Pressure' by Queen, 'Another Brick In The Wall' by Pink Floyd and 'Parklife' by Blur all get The Feeling treatment and make for a fantastic end to the evening. The Feeling may not be the coolest band around, I'd even describe them as a guilty pleasure of mine, but they are a fantastically talented bunch and deserve every success.
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.