Terrific show. As an introvert in day to day life I always feel a bit stunned after going to a gig and being a total obnoxious extrovert, walking up to musicians to chat, but I wouldn't really want to have it any other way - I end up talking to great people at every show I go to. For someone who's done so much behind-the-scenes, mostly unofficial research about various bands through the years, I've not been to very many gigs. Sheltered teenage life, too busy working in my early twenties, too ill in the later twenties, but I've managed to get to 4 Features shows now (2001 or 2002? - 2009) and they keep getting better with age like all the best hard-working, committed groups do. I'll never forget the first time I saw them in The Attic in Chattanooga (long since closed down - the place was probably a firefighter's worst nightmare, but loads of fun.) And through all the label and lineup changes, the same spirit shines through. Great to finally get my Thursday 10" signed by Matt and Rollum. Feel like a twit for yelling at Mark and slipping a note under his effects pedals, but I wanted to make sure they'd play "Walk You Home." Seems it was likely prepared for the encore anyway. Speaking of the encore, I never expected to use my sketchbook as a percussion instrument in a joint effort to get a band back on stage. (Why'd I have a sketchbook anyway? I carry the thing everywhere, that's the only logical explanation. I think the beer bottles from the crowd front and center probably carried much more weight, but hey, at least I tried.) I only played paparazzi for the first few songs, I would never want to go through a whole gig with a camera in my face and I try to avoid using the flash because that's got to be a pain to look out and see those things, even if you do get used to it. I talked to a reporter and tried not to say anything misleading because I'm paranoid about being misquoted or saying something totally incorrect. (Legal/fact-checking background always comes back to haunt me in those situations. At least I managed to convey that I connect the band's style more to classic sixties British Invasion rock and roll than a lot of the more modern scenester reference points. Mentioned early Kinks, the Who, Beatles, the Jam, etc. Obviously there are more influences than those, but that's the sort of lineage I tend to class them with.) I have lousy memory for song titles in the heat of the moment, and I never remember setlist order properly. I know they played GMF, Whatever Gets You By, Foundation's Cracked, The Temporary Blues, The Gates of Hell, Thursday, Lions, Me & The Skirts, Exhibit A, The Way It's Meant To Be...there were more. I'm sure somebody has a setlist that'll surface sooner or later. I saw some people that looked familiar, but again, lousy memory. Names and faces get all mixed up in my head and I know next to nothing about Nashville locals and industry because I'm a weirdo that doesn't read much local or even American music-related press. I know much more about the UK's scenes. I used to work for Chattanooga's largest newspaper in advertising (and the odd music review on the side, on a voluntary basis) and had some contacts in Nashville, but I've forgotten so many names! Someone with Bug Music did an intro and my slightly shell-shocked friend (who's mostly gone to arena gigs with assigned seating, ha!) didn't catch his name and I was too busy trying to find something in my bag. So many people mention KoL since they're responsible for the imprint, and they're one of those greatly successful bands I know little about - if any of them were there I wouldn't have known. (They're probably out on tour anyway? Maybe?) After the show we went out for air, and even though there were plenty of people around Matt was having a smoke on the corner, relatively unbothered, so we had a quick chat. Even though I've been in the front row every time I've seen them, this was the first time I actually got up the nerve to chat with him, and I'm so glad I did. It's always great when your favourite songwriters turn out to be just as approachable, intelligent and humble in "the real world" as they are through their songs. The guy from Bug Music said something in his introduction about how impressive the pre-sale figures for Some Kind of Salvation are and that they're very pleased. Good to hear. The fan base is strong and ever-growing, and these guys deserve it.
(I use too many parentheses, don't I? Must be some holdover from writing so many ridiculous research papers. Ah, academia.)
