Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Pretty self-explanatory
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verbal gymnastics
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Man out of Time wrote:Funniest thing was seeing drops of sweat falling from the points of Elvis' black waistcoat, then seeing Davey walk off at the end in a suit that could have been fresh from the Dry Cleaners.

MOOT
:lol: That could be the funniest thing I've ever seen you post. Brilliant.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by docinwestchester »

Ulster Boy wrote:Pretty sure the Imposters did Moods for Moderns as fill in music during the Spinning Songbook tours
They definitely played the riff, but that doesn't count, does it?
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by Arbogast »

I just noticed---no "Alison" or "Pump It Up." No offense, but that's awesome.

I've seen video of "Big Tears"; is there anything else? PLEASE tell me someone captured "Moods for Moderns"!!!

PS: Just to reiterate--NYC needs an EC & Imposters gig like this!!!!!!
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by sheeptotheslaughter »

I have to say I am really surprised at the negative reviews of the night copied here from Twitter. Just shows you cant please everyone.

For me it was one of the best Elvis shows in a long while. A great set list and great company.

Thanks everyone for a great night
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by Goon Squad »

sheeptotheslaughter wrote:I have to say I am really surprised at the negative reviews of the night copied here from Twitter. Just shows you cant please everyone.

For me it was one of the best Elvis shows in a long while. A great set list and great company.

Thanks everyone for a great night

..........they probably wanted him to sing She as it was the only song of his that they knew ! :wink:
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by sulky lad »

Definitely in my top 5 EC shows - just little additions, the grind from all the Imposters came at the end of Green Shirt when Steve playing the ascending cadences. My guess is that he wasn't sure he could fit it in, the keyboard looked like a very small melodica and I wondered if he had had troubles in rehearsals with it. They were f*****g awesome to be blunt, I think Davey hit a bum note in Shipbuilding and the look on Steve's face when Elvis ditched his guitar at the start of Bedlam to play grand piano was priceless . His didn't play the big old Gibson semi acoustic but played a SG instead. Elvis definitely made eye contact with us stalwarts on the front row, and Goon Squad's dance moves have to be seen to be believed !!
Ps any paper reviews, John ?
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by FrankieJ »

Oh, I only just saw Verbal's private message to say about ten of you were at the front opposite EC's mic. I'm gutted because I was at the front barrier opposite his mic too, so we must have been centimetres away from each other! I was just a little to the right of the mic standing in between a tall bald guy and an American couple and I had my Spinning Songbook t-shirt on.

Was the person with the unique dance moves at the front Goon Squad, then? Hahahaha. Caught a lot of people's attention.

What a show though! I was the first to turn up way before people were allowed upstairs to queue for the doors. I could hear them practice Big Tears and couldn't quite believe it. Then I went up to buy a t-shirt and by the time I finished there was quite a few people waiting ahead, but luckily I still managed to squeeze to the front.

Sunday's Best and A Face in The Crowd highlights for me. Both sounded brilliant! And EC smiling at me all night was nice. I think he recognised me because I was literally in the same position right at the front for three of his Palladium shows.

That setlist sheet shows he could have played Alibi. Oh God, I would have died and gone to heaven if he played that. That's my FAVOURITE. But oh well, I am determined to hear him play that live one day.

I've missed him playing with The Imposters so it would be great to see them play together in London or SE again in the next year or so, though fingers crossed for some extra dates added on to the rescheduled ones in March for Detour. :D
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by Goon Squad »

Can I just clarify, I was NOT the guy with the long fuzzy hair ! :lol:
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by johnfoyle »

Ps any paper reviews, John ?
Not that I've spotted.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

FrankieJ wrote:Was the person with the unique dance moves at the front Goon Squad, then? Hahahaha. Caught a lot of people's attention.
:lol: Funnily enough, I was standing next to Unique Dance Moves guy and goon squad was next to me.
FrankieJ wrote:I was the first to turn up way before people were allowed upstairs to queue for the doors.
I might have walked past you - were you sitting on the step outside the door? I also asked a lady on the front barrier if she was you. Unfortunately she wasn't.
FrankieJ wrote:And EC smiling at me all night was nice. I think he recognised me because I was literally in the same position right at the front for three of his Palladium shows.
His reference to seeing the familiar faces from the Palladium was directed at those who didn't miss the Saturday night show because of Eurovision! :lol:

Make sure you come along to the meet up on 23rd July where we will be swapping tales of the UK tour 8)
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

I was there too, but sorry I didn't get to see you VG and Sulky. I picked up my tickets at.6.30 and there were already a few diehards queuing at the door. I met up with my London-resident son and went to a rather busy La Porchetta just along the road for a nice bit of pizza, but they were so busy I was desperately trying to get them to take my money off me at 7.50, rather worried Elvis right be overly punctual.

We were at the front, but to the right, always a good option for arriving late on but getting a near vantage point from which my diminutive wife could see something other than oversized blokes' arses, and I could see Pete properly (at times I have to remember to watch Elvis rather than him, I just love studying his every detail).

Sulky, very glad to see you say it was in your top 5 - out of how many? Hundreds, I'm sure. I totted up 16 on the train home and this was certainly up there due to a genuinely unexpected setlist in many places, and the sheer gusto with which all four of them carried it off.

I'm laughing at the tone of Black Country Rock's sniffy review (blog link above), as if the only point of the evening was to deliver flawless sound and perfectly pitched vocal renditions, i.e. repeating the recordings. As a tinnitus sufferer with earplugs an essential element at any band concert, I'm beyond caring about such niceties, as long as it feels right. And it did in spades. And clearly it wasn't that bad, though like a lot of venues, it can spend a lot where you are.

Two firsts for me that I don't believe have been mentioned: 1. No hat. 2. Pete's electronic pad.

Well the hat isn't a first, but when was the last time he played without one? I can't recall. This seemed symbolic with regard to a man, as UM&DI showed, at ease with himself and his history. No need to pretend or hide, though he still seems to have as much hair as the last time he was without a hat.

The pad was a real surprise. So many drummers use these now for effects or as an additional drum track. Pete only seemed to use it for the latter, e.g. for the clicks on Pills and Soap, and I think Moods for Moderns had one too, Bedlam and maybe one other song. There was a very touching moment, probably in P&S, where he seemed concerned about what it was doing and had to lean over to his right to pick up his reading glasses and then lean over to the pad on the left to inspect.

I only saw Detour in Cambridge, but it seemed very much like he was enjoying the contrast with very little speech after all the anecdotes, and similarly the lack of breaks between many songs. i was hoping he['d mention it being 20 years to the day since he played the first of two gigs there, and presumably the last visit he made to what he described as 'the old tramshed'.

Another thing I loved about this show was the use of grand piano, e.g. on Oliver's Army, which (in opposition to the shite review by BCR reffed above) was stately, quite slow and just glorious. I wish I'd taken notes, but there were three or four other songs maybe where Steve was at the grand. Interesting that the seemingly impromptu Bedlam Elvis on grand opening was repeated at Henley.

Four songs each from TYM and AF! I just couldn't believe it when Moods For Moderns struck up, and I could see some surprised people nearby too with this and the sublime Night Rally. And wasn't Little Triggers just perfect?

Agreed re what a shame Alibi wasn't played, and what a shame too the Hi Fidelity and I Want You encore wasn't played, so it felt like a relatively short set from Elvis, but it's good to be left wanting more, and also it meant we made the 22.44 back to Cambridge, which I really wasn't expecting, I can't wait till the next opportunity...

Finally, two of my favourites of his entire output, New Lace Sleeves and Man Out of Time, were just unimprovable. Something slightly restrained in the pace and the feel, maybe a sign of being in your 60s, but both delivered with intensity and, well, respect for the incredible crafting that went into those songs. Actually it was good to end on MOOT as how could you top that? They opened it as per the record, though didn't end with the same. Interesting jazzy reworking of the melody of the last chorus of New Lace Sleeves - anyone struck by that? Diana' influence rubbing off...

I couldn't have asked for more, really.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Great stuff Otis and it was a shame we didn't meet up. It seemed to me that the intro to Bedlam was impromptu because of the look on Steve's face and Elvis had broken a string.

I also loved it when Pete put his glasses on - I didn't think anyone else noticed!

Blackcountryrock is entitled to an opinion. I can't comment on the sound because it was great at the front. I've seen a few other bands at the Roundhouse where the sound has been ok.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by sulky lad »

With regard to ending with MOOT, I didn't think it was the last song as the guitar tech walked back on stage with a cup and placed it on Elvis' little table and I (wrongly) thought it must be refreshment before the final encore. I know Elvis doesn't want to repeat the same sort of show over and over and that playing solo gives him enormous flexibility but the performance with The Imposters was pretty magnificent and, freed from the constraints of The Wheel, I though they seemed more relaxed.
I thought the sound was really weird, I could barely hear Steve's keyboard for long passages and certainly didn't pick up on the riffs during Chelsea and there seemed to be some very peculiar sounds as though Elvis hadn't switched off an effects pedal during Oliver's Army. A recording I might have listened to doesn't show these to the same extent . It's inevitable that somewhere like the Roundhouse will sound exactly like that other biscuit barrel, the RAH but it's a standing venue with a rocking band - I'm 100% satisfied - and I didn't need any water to wash any gob out of my hair unlike in 1978 !! :shock:
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Regarding the lack of a second encore, I think Elvis is being particularly mindful about his voice given what happened in May.

Elvis was playing 3 gigs in a row so he has to be careful - nobody wants to see a recurrence of his throat problem.

The lack of between song chatter could also be the reason for this - it may be unnecessary talking when some of the songs speak for themselves.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by johnfoyle »

https://tfw5.com/2016/07/09/massive-att ... july-2016/

Massive Attack and Elvis Costello live, July 2016

Posted on July 9, 2016 by John Sills


Not together, but two of my all-time favourite artists played in London this month. Massive Attack opened the British Summer Time series of live concerts in Hyde Park on Friday 1 July. Elvis Costello and the Imposters played the Roundhouse on Wednesday 6 July.

I was there!

Two very different artists, but they had something in common at these two shows: they were both trying to find ways of addressing the self-destructive craziness that has overwhelmed Briatin – or should I say England? – these last few weeks. With more to come, sadly.

I saw Massive Attack earlier this year at Brixton Academy. It was an awesome show: atmospheric, bass reverberating, the beauty of the songs vying with the sometimes rather gauche, but powerful sloganeering. An event. You can read my scattergun review here.

I expected more of the same at Hyde Park, but maybe even more spectacular lighting to compensate for the inevitable loss of atmosphere playing in the open air, on a rather damp and chilly English summer evening. That didn’t really happen, and while the show was good, I was left slightly underwhelmed. The slogans were there, with more focus on Europe and the implications of the British vote to leave the EU. But they were all a bit obvious. And the lights were unambitious by today’s big show standards.


And the music? Again, a bit of a lost opportunity. They dug out an old song, “Eurochild” from the excellent “Protection” album, which they hadn’t played for over 20 years. A lament for the vote. And the emphasis throughout was on peace and harmony. And old colleague, Tricky, was brought back for one song. Reggae singer Horace Andy, who has embellished so many of Massive Attack’s great tunes, was literally wheeled out – in a wheelchair, as he has a broken leg – for one song, the mighty “Angel”. The band missed his fragile tones, which are such a lovely counterpoint to the power and darkness of the music. There were great versions of “Risingson”, “Inertia Creeps”, “Safe from Harm”, and a magisterial “Unfinished Sympathy” for the encore. But momentum was lost in the middle when they gave their good friends, Young Fathers, the stage for four songs. Now I like Young Fathers and they know how to put on a good show, but this interlude just didn’t work. Not for me, anyway.

So, yeah, of course it was good. My friends Jon and Shane were pretty enthusiastic about it. But I guess I hoped for a bit more from one of the great bands.

And then we had Elvis. And the Imposters, which was actually two thirds Attractions,
with the inimitable Steve Nieve on any number of keyboards and Pete Thomas, ever-reliable on the drums.


Elvis back with a band, after all the solo shows and the talk. And back to a version of his early self – intense, visceral, biting, angry. A man of few words, but an uncompromising stare through the shades. And rocking like I’ve never seen him before. On a rocket-powered version of “Beyond Belief” he played a lengthy solo that Neil Young or Robin Trower would have been proud of. “I Don’t Want to go to Chelsea” got similar treatment.

The setlist drew heavily on the 70s and early 80s catalogue. The best era, though he has never stopped doing interesting things. The era when he had something to say about the state of the world. And it wasn’t pretty viewing through Elvis’s eyes. What he had to say was often brutal, vicious, but the tunes were so good, the music ever-mutating. And tonight, back with his greatest foil, Steve Nieve, he told us what he was thinking about the state of Britain and the world. Through his songs. “Sunday’s Best” (which segued into The Beatles’ “Polythene Pam”), “Oliver’s Army”, “What’s so Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding?”, “Green Shirt”, “Night Rally” (with blazing searchlights), “Pills and Soap” and, of course, the ever poignant “Shipbuilding”. Elvis sang the latter with just a restrained piano accompaniment from Steve Nieve. It really was a cry for help, a plea for change. He remarked that he’d hoped that he wouldn’t still be feeling he had to play it. But he probably always will.

Yes, this was what the media love to call a return to form. A delve back into the classics, but with a purpose. Entertainment, but not just that. A howl of anger at what is happening, from the man who dissected the crumbling 70s and brutal 80s better than anyone. Much more allusive, subtle, than Massive Attack. And more effective for that. I love ’em both, but Elvis won hands down this time around.

Music speaks volumes.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by migdd »

Many thanks to sulky, verbal, otis, FrankieJ and the others for your accounts of this show. Here's hoping he makes many stops in the U.S. aside from the announced Pittsburgh date!
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play The Roundhouse, London July 6 2016

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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