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In retrospect, the signs indicating GLC's 'phrase du tour' were all
there, for even the most Burberry-clad individual to spot. And yet,
some of us were blissfully unaware of that rare phenomena that allows
the phrase 'safe as f***' to be uttered upwards of 6 times a minute…until
tonight.
When
a novelty band first emerges, there is a fairly reliable set of
stages that dictate their journey through the heady world of the
music industry…the cult following, the media explosion…and
then the doubt.
Poetic masterminds?
This is where we are right now - the grey area where we all frown
and muse over whether they are just 8 lads from Newport having a
laugh…or poetic masterminds with lyrics deep enough to submerge
Wales in its entirety - rolling hills and all.
After
tonight, I don't think that there will be an awful lot of dispute
as to where we can plot GLC in music history. From start to finish,
they had the crowd in high spirits - from my vantage point, there
was no violence, no traditional moshing - just a few thousand people
bouncing up and down…laughing their leg warmers off.
Considering many people's natural bias against anything clad in
sports label, it was interesting to note how friendly it all was…whereas
Wednesday's Razorlight gig, where the only sports label in sight
was on the legs of bassist Carl Dalemo, saw many dragged from the
crowd, unable to breathe due to the crush. Food for thought, maybe.
Deceptively
clever
To continue, the 'Chain blasted through their 'Greatest Hits' album
- the lyrics of which are deceptively clever, the tunes of which
are almost frustratingly infectious and the dance routines of which,
despite their constant referencing to MC Hammer…were really
more like Mr. Motivator.
Still,
when you're watching glow sticks hurtle through the air [only to
be seized with glee by an over-excited Maggot] whilst listening
to a Welshman dub Christina Aguilera "sexy…like my Ford
Sierra", any dance routine is acceptable. Just as well, really…
One
thing that was particularly striking was the sheer volume of, well,
the musical version of intertextuality - the numbers contain extracts
from everything from the traditional tones of 'Fog on the Tyne'
to Ant 'n' Dec's [note the obscure Geordie theme] 'Let's Get Ready
to Rhumble'.
Organised
chaos
And don't even get me started on references to popular culture…they're
all there boyo, Jimmy Saville, Matthew Kelly, Jeffery Archer - let
no one accuse this lot of drawing from a shallow pool of inspiration.
To have all this thrown at you live…well, it's organised chaos,
which although is decidedly anything but deep, is not far off from
being genius.
So…are
they being ironic…? I don't think so. But they are being witty,
funny and good-natured…and isn't that just as important as
having a "message"? Answers on a postcard…
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