Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Pretty self-explanatory
Post Reply
User avatar
Man out of Time
Posts: 1827
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:15 am
Location: just off the coast of Europe
Contact:

Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Man out of Time »

Elvis and the Imposters with Charlie Sexton, play the Forum in Bath on Friday June 17th. The venue is an old cinema, that opened in 1934 and retains a lot of the original art deco splendour and fittings. The first floor foyer is particularly fine. The Forum is Bath’s biggest venue and the third largest seated auditorium in the south west of England.

According to the venue website "Audience members may be encouraged to stand up and dance, please be aware when booking seats."

A few single seats are still available in the stalls and more seats in the Circle, but this show has sold better than many others on this tour.

Who's going?

MOOT
User avatar
Psc
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:04 am

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Psc »

Yep I’m going with the Mrs! It’s a beautiful venue for those who haven’t been before. Old Art Deco cinema looks a bit like Hammersmith Odeon inside. If you’re driving parking in the Southgate Centre is £2.50 all night after 6pm. Cheapest option by far in Bath!
We’ve booked the first 2 seats in Row G so hopefully lots of room to dance in the aisle if instructed to do so... :wink:
It's not a matter of life or death. But what is, what is?
sulky lad
Posts: 2425
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:21 pm
Location: Out of the kitchen,she's gone with the wind

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by sulky lad »

Thanks for the info and the guide to parking - heading back to Devon immediately after the show so hopefully won't encounter the usual Bath traffic snarl ups ! Cheers, hopefully see you there !
User avatar
Psc
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:04 am

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Psc »

No worries! Very excited for this one, my first Elvis show since The Roundhouse in 2016. Had tickets for the Oxford show which was the first casualty of Covid Lockdown... :(
It's not a matter of life or death. But what is, what is?
sweetest punch
Posts: 5963
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:49 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

Who’s going?
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
User avatar
Psc
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:04 am

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Psc »

I went! On the whole I enjoyed the show, despite the rather muddy sound mix which spoilt some songs. The Clockface songs sound great played by the Imposters, they were a highlight for me, as was a clearly unrehearsed and spontaneous Radio Radio which took everyone by surprise including the band I think!
Nice to hear Let Me Roll it played as a birthday tribute to Macca too. Elvis seemed in good spirits throughout. Personally I’m not sure what Charlie Sexton adds to the band and may even contribute to the muddy sound mix, too many instruments at once? To be fair I couldn’t see him from my vantage point on the far right as you look at the stage, so that probably didn’t help.
Yet again our experience was almost ruined by a loud talking couple sat behind us. They were clearly bored so decided the spoil it for everyone. What did they think they were buying tickets for?! A guy sat in the row behind them asked them to shut up and they got very aggressive, calling him all sorts of names. Lovely people. Thankfully they fucked off about half way through the set, clearly money well spent there.. :shock:
Oh and I must mention we both loved Ian Prowse and I bought his new LP in the interval. Great to meet him and got it autographed. I also bought the Spanish Model shirt, for those of you interested in Merch!
It's not a matter of life or death. But what is, what is?
User avatar
verbal gymnastics
Posts: 13637
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2003 6:44 am
Location: Magic lantern land

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Thanks Psc.

Somebody tweeted about Elvis’ vocal mic. I’m interested to hear what people say about the mix.

I think Charlie brings a great deal to the show and have really enjoyed his contributions.

Sulky told me that Elvis sang the first verse of Radio Radio in Spanish (if it was English then that will make it clear why the vocals were dodgy!).

He also told me the set list was more varied.

Look forward to hearing other reports and seeing the setlist.

A few of the shows have been spoilt by people talking. It’s difficult to approach them to have consideration for others. If they had any class they would simply leave. I’d love to see how they’d react if the tables were turned and people were spoiling a show they were enjoying.
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
User avatar
Psc
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:04 am

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Psc »

Yes that is a fair point about the vocal mic. It was noticeable that when Elvis switched to the 2nd (distorting) mic, which he did quite a lot, you could hear his voice much better. My partner was just a bit disappointed that she couldn’t hear Steve very clearly in the mix, as she’s a big fan. Maybe it didn’t help that we were sat on the far right of the auditorium, perhaps the mix was clearer in the middle. Still had a great time though! Nice to see Elvis again after 6 long years (thanks, Covid..).
It's not a matter of life or death. But what is, what is?
Hawksmoor
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2003 2:51 pm

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

Duplicate post (below), sorry.
Last edited by Hawksmoor on Sat Jun 18, 2022 4:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hawksmoor
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2003 2:51 pm

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

verbal gymnastics wrote:Somebody tweeted about Elvis’ vocal mic. I’m interested to hear what people say about the mix.
I wasn't at Bath, but from other dates on the tour I would agree about the sound mix in general. OK, Liverpool was a special case due to a particular technical cock-up. But other than that, I just think (from 45 years of attending pop/rock gigs) that a five-piece band including two lead guitars, is a bloody difficult thing to mix in a medium-sized concert hall without it sounding muddy, and without the keyboards getting lost in the mix. And without the bass/drums just swamping everything, to be honest.

One person with a guitar in a tiny club? Easy. Bruce Springsteen and an eight-piece E-Street band in a massive stadium? Sure. But a five-piece in a medium-sized venue? I'd guess that's the real challenge. My best guess...turn the bass down as low as you dare, whack up the keyboards, particularly the Vox Continental, tell Elvis to actually touch the guitar as little as possible and let Charlie handle 90% of the lead guitar stuff. But hey, I'm not actually a trained sound engineer!
sulky lad
Posts: 2425
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:21 pm
Location: Out of the kitchen,she's gone with the wind

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by sulky lad »

I love that idea Hawks - just can’t see them doing it . As a very amateur guitarist I watch Charlie closely when possible and you cannot underestimate what he brings, honestly! He’s playing fills when Elvis drops out of playing, chords when Elvis does riffs as in Chelsea and Detectives and his solos in Hetty, Indoor Fireworks
and Alison are sublime . I would love him to become a permanent member but I guess he loves his freelance stuff. This is the best incarnation of the band, no doubt helped by their joy of being out playing live that I’ve seen . Mind you Pete couldn’t wait to get off stage last night trying to hurry Elvis to end We Are All Cowards !!
Hawksmoor
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2003 2:51 pm

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

sulky lad wrote:I love that idea Hawks - just can’t see them doing it . As a very amateur guitarist I watch Charlie closely when possible and you cannot underestimate what he brings, honestly! He’s playing fills when Elvis drops out of playing, chords when Elvis does riffs as in Chelsea and Detectives and his solos in Hetty, Indoor Fireworks and Alison are sublime . I would love him to become a permanent member but I guess he loves his freelance stuff. This is the best incarnation of the band, no doubt helped by their joy of being out playing live that I’ve seen . Mind you Pete couldn’t wait to get off stage last night trying to hurry Elvis to end We Are All Cowards !!
You're more knowledgeable about guitar playing than I am, but I totally get what you're saying about Charlie. I'd love to hear some properly-produced studio stuff with Charlie on lead. And yeah, if he can be persuaded to stick around for a little while at least, and maybe we get some more studio recordings with this five-piece Imposters line-up, that would be a fine thing.

I do know that one of the great 'look what you could have won!' disappointments of Elvis' career, was that the original plan for the 2020 UK tour was to go into Abbey Road for 3-4 days at the end of it, and record some new material with the tour line-up (the Imposters plus Kitten and Briana) 'while our blood was up'. Covid put paid to that, but if we could get some studio recordings of new songs (or Clockface/TBNI songs) with Charlie - possibly via the Memphis Magnetic sessions? - that's something I would really look forward to.
User avatar
And No Coffee Table
Posts: 3521
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:57 pm

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by And No Coffee Table »

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... 06-17_Bath

01. Accidents Will Happen
02. Green Shirt
03. Either Side Of The Same Town
04. Hetty O'Hara Confidential
05. The Death Of Magic Thinking
06. Watching The Detectives - including Invisible Lady
07. Radio, Radio - first verse sung in Spanish
08. Big Stars Have Tumbled
09. Brilliant Mistake / Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
10. 45
11. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
12. Mr. Crescent
13. Penelope Halfpenny
14. Newspaper Pane
15. What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love?
16. Let Me Roll It
17. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
18. Magnificent Hurt
19. Pump It Up
20. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
21. The Man You Love To Hate
22. Alison - including Red Red Wine
23. We Are All Cowards Now
sweetest punch
Posts: 5963
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:49 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

https://louderthanwar.com/elvis-costell ... ve-review/

Elvis Costello and The Imposters: The Forum, Bath – live review
Costello’s usual brilliance shines through the sound murk in Bath.

When I last saw Elvis Costello & The Imposters live, in 2016, I wrote that ‘In these most surreal and unsettling of times there’s nothing like a good dose of political pop to shake up and reinvigorate the senses,’. And as nothing has changed in our beleaguered times, only got more surreal and unsettling, tonight’s gig was very much looked forward to.

In the event, it turns out to be a mixture of the sublime and the frustrating as our troubadour of the tortured tune plays through an echoey sound throughout, with some of his marvellous lyricism missed out through dodgy mics as well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no disaster by any means, but for much of the two-hour-plus set you get the sense of listening through a fortified sound barrier, or, worse, underwater…

So it’s a big-up to Declan MacManus and the boys that their professionalism and brilliance still shone through the fudgy sound. The personal and universal in his politics have always infused his material, delivered with a creatively poppy sensibility, and in his four decades-plus of playing he’s encompassed many genres with style and loving authority, flavouring and utilising them with his own unique take.

Tonight it’s a mix of past and present, opening with Accidents Will Happen and Green Shirt, their impact only diminished by the infuriating sound problems. Much of his latest album The Boy Named If, is of course played, as it is The Boy Named If tour after all.

That records’ echoing of his early pop dynamism sits well alongside Nashville country airs, R’n’B and darker noir moods. He has an uncanny ear for the storytelling atmospheric of songs – much in the same way as, say, Tom Waits has – ably abetted as ever by the emphatic drumming of drummer Pete Thomas and the masterful inovations of keyboarist Steve Nieve, his old Attraction compadres, now Imposters.

Bassist Davey Faragher, an Imposter for a few years now, and the star-spangled inclusion of young country guitarist Charlie Sexton, Bob Dylan’s regular axeman no less, complete this most splendid of outfits.

A few numbers in and Hetty O’Hara Confidential is a fine example of this noir storytelling, complete with ’50s mic and stripped-down vernacular rock feel. Costello has a dig at the sound quality during the Death Of Magic Thinking, before Watching The Detectives is given a sublime twist, veering off its reggae base into the more storyland thematics of Invisible Lady.

Radio Radio begins with a Spanish intro, before increasing into its ecstatic finale, Big Stars Have Tumbled is a slow churner, and Brilliant Mistake from the King Of America album a gentle rumba, Costello switching mics and getting a clearer sound on his vocals for the first time.

Costello’s in a loquacious mood tonight, chatting at length in between some songs and cracking jokes in what has become a Liverpudlian accent with New York inflections – though we strain to hear exactly what he’s saying at times. ‘Shoot the soundman!’ someone yells and by coincidence or fate the sound on the glorious pop of Penelope Halfpenny improves again.

From light to darkness as What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love? builds up its quirky aura before a long throbbing bass and big guitar outro. Costello’s numbers are mini-epics in themselves, brilliantly realised and orchestrated, memorable and marvellous, his inimitable quaver cutting through the great musicianship.

Of course we get (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes, (I Don’t want To Go To) Chelsea, and Pump It Up, all deliciously jarring Costello pop classics, the latter seguing into the epic Nick Lowe number (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding that’s become a staple of Costello’s shows at their finale.

But it’s not over yet, as he sweeps into the biographical, vaudevillian, Man You Love To Hate, also off the new album, the beautiful evergreen Alison and the grimly apt We’re All Cowards Now, from the Hey Clockface LP.

A more diverse show than the high voltage performance of a few years ago, but one that smoulders and sparks, caught fire with the melding of his indefatigable, soulful, vocals, his impeccable song-writing, the quality of his band and the moods created.

It takes more than a bad sound to keep him down.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
User avatar
Psc
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:04 am

Re: Elvis & The Imposters, The Forum, Bath, June 17, 2022

Post by Psc »

Thanks for posting, pretty fair review sums up my experience fairly well. Keep thinking about the venue & sound issues. I know nothing about these things, but I do wonder if it makes a difference that the sound desk was at the side of the stage and not at the back of the stalls as you see in so many venues? Surely the sound engineer gets a better impression of the acoustics in the room from being in the centre at the back...?
It's not a matter of life or death. But what is, what is?
Post Reply