The live concert DVD has quickly become a must have staple in any bands back catalogue. It can highlight a bands showmanship and show their true talents as musicians, or can make you realise that a certain band is best suited in the studio filling their tracks with fancy electronic riffs and voice enhancers.
Thankfully, when it comes to The Killers Live at Royal Albert Hall, the former is relevant. For this live concert film captures the Las Vegas four piece at the top of their game, showcasing much of their impressive musical catalogue that they have built since the bands debut album Hot Fuss, a 2004 release.
Since Hot Fuss, The Killers have released a further 2 studio albums, Sam’s Town and Day & Age, along with rarity and B-Sides compilation album Sawdust. The 22 song set list covers all albums, with the crowd lapping up every single moment. Newer songs such as Spaceman and Human stand toe to toe with monster hits such as All These Things That I’ve Done and do not seem out of place in their company. Not only do the crowd look like they are having a night to remember, but the same can also be said for the band members.
Band lead singer Brandon Flowers stalks the stage like an excitable puppy. Jumping on speakers, pianos and even joining the crowd in the seats next to the stage, it is obvious that this is what Flowers was born to do. Even in the face of his energetic moves, not once does his voice waver throughout the concert. The vocals are pitch perfect in the more tempo numbers such as When We Were Young, with Flowers showing no problem in switching down a tone or two for calmer tracks as a simply majestic acoustic version Sam’s Town.
Flowers band mates share the same enthusiasm as the frontman. Guitarist Dave Keuning playing is fast, furious and at times hypnotising to watch. His desire to roam the stages various props never once hampers his playing, with not a single bum note or chord struck throughout the 2 hour concert.
Drummer Ronnie Vannucci cements his place as one of rocks greatest drummers of recent years, with his powerful beats never found floundering. Bassist Mark Stoermer is the less mobile of the band. The sum of his movements throughout the concert consists of pogoing on the spot in tandem with the crowd. However his musicianship can not be overlooked. His fast tempo bass lines act as the foundations in a concert that never lets up in tempo or excitement.
This excitement is seen running through the crowd. Not once do those in attendance appear to lose interest in what is happening on stage, with the Royal Albert Hall acting as a make shift bouncy castle throughout. It is pleasure to see the crowd having such a good time, unlike Arctic Monkeys Live At The Apollo, which seemed to ignore the fact that their was even an audience in attendance. The crowds love for the band shines through, and you often find yourself singing and tapping along with them.
The Killers Live at Royal Albert Hall is truly a special experience. The band is a joy to behold as they soar through the songs that have become a soundtrack to so many teenage lives. If you are a fan of live music, or even if you just have a pulse, this is an essential purchase.
When is it that a comedian can truly say they have found their true home on the stand up stage? Is it when they are picked from the bunch to appear in mainstream media, is it receiving praise from fellow colleagues and peers? Or is it the first time you make a member of the audience laugh so hard, they forget they are not sat on the toilet have an accident due to the joke or routine you have just performed. This, for Chris Cairns, was one of the proudest moments of his career. “I was so happy, I had made him poo his kecks, there is only myself and one other comedy that I know who have made someone do it” Cairns explains with a grin on his face, “ I want that on my comedy CV!”.
Liverpool born comedian Chris Cairns currently works the stand up circuit around the country. His relaxed and friendly domineer has earned him showers of praise, winning numerous comedy awards and leaving thousands of sides split up and down the country. We sat down with him on a dreary winter afternoon to discuss his work, family and what its like to be on a runway that is being bombed as your plane tries to land.
So where did it all begin for Chris? “I used to sit at the front with my mate, and as comedians tend to interact with the audience, when we go picked on, we just used to fire back, the bloke who owned the comedy club asked us if we look like a go” Chris accepted, and the quick fire wit that got him into the business it still very much evident is his set today.
The secret behind a good comedian is one that many struggle to find. An important factor in engaging with an audience is caring about the material you are presenting, a factor which Chris believes can be lost if you don’t feel excited about presenting it to the public, “Years ago, I couldn’t have even eaten a tic-tac on the day of a gig, whereas now I could eat a mixed grill, onstage!”. “Its a good nervous now, I believe that if you lose the nervousness completely, like some comedians, it can show that you don’t care, the pressure and nerves can help you with a gig”. How does Chris go about easing these nerves? Possibly a few drinks before the gig? No, Chris shows his softer side when preparing for a gig “ To pick me up, I just look at pictures of my daughter on my phone, I picture her laughing, which makes me laugh, then I go onstage in a good mood”.
Family is a very important aspect of Chris’ life. For many family and work is kept separate. The hustle and bustle of work can be left at the front door for a relaxing time with the family, however for Chris, life is the opposite, his girlfriend also acts as his manager. While this does have its perks, it can also be used as a weapon by his girlfriend when all isn’t well between them “ You can tell we are arguing, the gigs get further an further away” he jokes. When the couple’s 5 year old daughter was born, his girlfriend wanted to run her own career, and not work for someone who could boss her around. “She is a really good sales person, and this is something which she has always wanted to do”. “When she started it was just me and another act on her books, with two diaries, phoning around comedy venues explaining that we were dead funny”. It has worked out well for the management company, with Chris’s girlfriend currently having such names as Neil Fitzmaurice, of Pheonix Nights and Peep Show, on the books.
Being on such good terms with your agent has obvious benefits, with Chris playing gigs all over the world in places such as Dubai, Spain and Holland. Its not often that a comedians life is at risk, that is apart from dying in front of an audience on stage, however Chris had a scary experience when he flew to Afghanistan to play a gig for troops. “We were sitting in the big Hercules airplane, it landed but immediately took off again. After 20 minutes we landed again, we asked what happened and were told the insurgence had started mortaring the runway”. Would he go back? “It was great, I would love to go back but with Mrs wont let!”
Since the dawn of the Have I Got News for You, television comedy panel shows such as Mock The Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats have provided a platform for unknown comedians to make their name in the mainstream media, thus propelling them to small stardom. Comedians such as Jason Manford have made a name for themselves in this environment, and now get paid good money to do less work for more money on the comedy circuit.
Is the chance to appear on television panel shows the driving force behind a stand up comedian who is establishing themselves in the business? “ I would bite your hand off just to have a go !” Chris explains. Just getting your face on the television can take you career up to the next level, regardless of whether the material a comedian performs gets better, “Getting on those panel shows, I remember a few years ago a friend Jason Manford had to pull a gig due to only 4 people turning up, then he got on 8 Out Of 10 Cats, last week he sold out the Royal Court ( a 1,186 capacity venue in Liverpool), people notice you on the television, and think ill have to do and see him now!”.
Different factors can decide whether a comedian dies a death onstage or if the crowd lap up their every word. One of the factors is the venue where the gig is being held itself. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that you can do comedy anywhere, in any venue”. Is there a particular style of venue that Chris prefers, where he feels most comfortable playing? “I love the audience right up to me; I like them right around me, the closer the audience are the better, low roof, basement like rooms”. “I don’t like nice shiny comedy clubs with all fancy fittings, I like it a bit grotty, its the opposite to women!”
With the current political correctness gone mad society we find ourselves in, there are certain boundaries that comedians find themselves trapped in with regards to how far a joke can go. Jimmy Carr recently found himself in hot water after a joke about returning troops taking part in the Paralympics, does the risk of a media onslaught effect the material that is included in a set? “A few weeks ago I was doing a routine on Katie Price and Peter Andre, I included a joke about them fighting over who should have to keep Harvey, the crowd laughed but I did stop a bit thinking if I was going too far”
The biggest unwritten rule in comedy is not stealing another comedians joke or routine. Although it happens, it is always frowned up and has caused many a backstage fight in comedy club. “Some of the older comedians who have been around for a while often don’t write there own material, because of this they often see or hear a joke that they like, take it and use it in their own set or in the mainstream television, I know somebody who took another comedians joke, and used it in the Royal Variety Performance”. “One of the worst for this is Joe Pasquale, who would go and sit in the comedy clubs and write down jokes to use himself on television”. Chris compares the writing of a good joke to that of a song, and similar to song writing the copyright should lie firmly with the comic who wrote the joke “People who steal jokes don’t see how you can own a joke, but it is just words put in a certain order much like a song”
Away from the stage Chris uses his talent to help local youths who are interested in stand up comedy. As a part of a mentoring team, Chris worked on the Stand Out campaign, designed to help teenagers gain the skills and confidence needed to be a successful comedian. This is something that Chris believes he would have benefitted greatly from when he was a teenager “When I was a kid I wouldn’t have said boo to a goose, I was painfully shy. Its nice to see kids who without the scheme wouldn’t have shone, they have gone on to do well. I wish that when I was their age someone had come into my school, as I think with that I could have been doing this a lot soon then when I started.”
The year is 2008, the venue is New Yorks famous Madison Square Garden and singer Jon Bon Jovi is receiving a warm up massage backstage before his takes to the stage to strut his stuff. He tells the mousier about the first time his band, Bon Jovi, played the same venue 25 years earlier, and we are taken back 3 months into the past. This is the beginning to the Bon Jovi rockumentry, When We Were Beautiful.
Filmed over the course of the bands 2 year Lost Highway world tour, the film follows the band through 07-08. The film has been made to show the not so glamorous side to life for a rock star, as the band travel city to city for over 100 shows.
While the film is billed as a look into band, the main player in the film is the bands lead singer and namesake, Jon Bon Jovi. Mr. Bon Jovi makes up most of the 75 minute running time, with band mates Richie Sambora, Tico Torres and David Bryan getting in a few minutes here and there. This may not be a problem to the bands fan club members who cant get enough of Jon, but it does cause a problem in terms of When We Were Beautiful, or as it could have been called, When I Was Beautiful.
What is offered is not an insight into the day to day life of one of the worlds top bands on the road, but more a look at the life of Jon Bon Jovi Inc. Being the head of a major corporation isn’t is, and over the course of the film Jon does not let us forget it. We are told how it is tough playing to 50,000 screaming fans then going and sitting in a hotel room for the night, only getting a day or two in the world’s greatest cities. These facts are difficult to believe when the interview is taking place on a 5 star hotel balcony with stunning surroundings.
The best parts of the film come in the form of interviews with the other band members. The subject of Richie Sambora’s health and addiction problems are an interesting addition as he tells of how the band and music helped him through the tough period, however the subject is only lightly touched upon and a more in depth look wouldn’t have gone a miss.
Overall, the film really is just for fans of the band. It doesn’t really accomplish what it set out to achieve, showing that life as a rock star is not all that glam, on this evidence however, it doesn’t really look that bad a life.
Sheffield group Arctic Monkeys will kick off the UK leg of their world tour this Friday (13th) at the Echo Arena, Liverpool. It will be the first time the group have performed in the city since promoting their “Favourite Worst Nightmare” album in 2007. This time they are back in support of their latest work, the critically acclaimed, if bizarrely named, “Humbug”.
Work on the album began straight after their last tour ended, with the band moving to America to write, record and produce the album. Enlisting the help of new found friend, Josh Homme, of alternative rockers Queens of The Stone Age, to produce the album, the band set up various homes across Los Angeles, New York City and California.
The album was eventually released to the world in August this year, flying straight in at the Number 1 spot in the UK Album Charts, and reaching the Top 5 in a further 8 countries including Australia, Japan and Spain.
Following the albums success, the band announced a UK and Ireland in September. The tour would span the month of November, with 11 dates. After kicking off in Liverpool, the band will visit Sheffield Arena, Newcastle Metro Arena,2 nights at Wembley Arena, NIA Birmingham, Manchester Evening News Arena, Nottingham Trent FM Arena, SECC Glasgow, The Odyssey Belfast and finishing at The O2 in Belfast. After these dates the band head over to America to carry on the Humbug tour.
Tickets for all dates sold out within hours of going on sale, cementing the tour as the most eagerly anticipated of the year.
Fans attending can expect a number of new songs from ‘Humgbug’ mixed in with the older hits from the bands previous 2 albums.
The concert is yet another name to add to the ever growing list of top artists to play the 11,000 capacity Echo Arena since the venue opened in January 2008. Artists such as Oasis, Beyonce, Pink, Muse, Lionel Ritchie, Coldplay, Elton John and Bob Dylan.
Doors open at the Echo Arena at 6:00pm with support coming from Eagles of Death Metal, Arctic Monkeys are expected to take to the stage between 8:30pm – 9:00pm with the concert due to end around 10:30pm.
