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was like being 16 again! An Ian McCulloch gig and now Thomas Lang
in the same week. This was Thomas Lang's first local gig with a full
band in nine years.
The
night began with Mulu who were definitely the right choice for support.
There are some similarities between Mulu and Thomas apart from their
Liverpool connections. Mulu also seemed to have found the buzz to
return to the stage. Both are tremendously underrated, have excellent
songs delivered with a powerful and distinctive vocal that tell
stories and can keep an audience captivated and wanting more. Laura's
seductive vocal complemented an intricate mix of live and sampled
sounds. As with their recent Barfly gig Inspiral Carpet front man
Clint Boon had made the trip down the M62 just to perform on 'I
Watch His Lips', a new track from Laura, Alan and co.
By
the time Lang took to the stage the Academy was full to capacity.
He opened with the track 'Heaven' which originally appeared on the
album 'Little Moscow'. back in 1990. The new band was made up of
great musicians and the guy on the brass section was outstanding.
He was key in creating that familiar Lang sound.
'Are
You Happy Now' was sung with some conviction, and I think the audience
was…! The girl next to me must have been a Lang virgin as she
was heard saying "this fella's got some voice!" At one
point it must have felt like a long time since he had performed
as Thomas said: "This next one was on the album, errrm…
Lost Letter Z I think..?"
He
must have performed about 16 or 17 songs back to back, a couple
of new songs that sound so good that Tom described the audience's
reaction as 'positive'. This must mean this comeback gig is no flash
in the pan, which is what everyone wanted to hear. The encore was
completed with the big favourite 'The Happy Man' along with another
track 'Shoelaces' from his very first album 'Scallywag Jaz'.
I think
he may have chosen a good time for this long awaited return. With
the recent influence of jazz and blues fused with modern music styles
such as Jamie Cullum, Alex Winehouse and Katie Melua etc there seems
to be demand for real performers again. It's criminal to think both
Mulu and Thomas Lang don't have record deals, why Thomas isn't turning
up on 'Parkie' and a regular with Jools and company, I don't know.
Words: Dave Monks
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