the possibly accurate nowThu, 01 Dec 2005
[13:44] Faithless at Brixton
We went to see Faithless at the Brixton Academy last night and ther're three things I'd like to talk about:
- Ear Plugs
- Brixton Academy
- Faithless
Ear Plugs
I've been toting ear plugs to gigs for some time now and I always have a stash of
Laser Lites in my bag. This time I thought I might be supplying a few people other than myself so I went out to grab some extras and I thought I'd lash out and test drive a few different sorts. I went to Boots (a UK chemist chain) and I picked up a packet of
Muffles Wax Earplugs and a packet of
Foam Earplugs. These both unequivocally sucked. The wax ones are just plain weird, they're little blocks of wax wrapped in some kind of magical sticky-togethery wax so they don't just crumble into your ear canal. Unfortunately I just couldn't get the thing to sit in my ear no matter how much I tried to "make a cone shape by rolling it between my fingers". All I ended up with was a slightly rounded crayon that basically coated my ear in wax. Won't be trying those again.
I took the Foam ones to the show and plugged 'em in when the support act started their horrendous caterwauling (Note:
Crazy Penis ain't no good live - they might not be that great recorded either but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt). The "Boots Foam Earplugs" are about 1cm x 2cm and are capped at each end by some kind of smooth plastic - kind of like the outside of your traditional squishy ear plug. The sides however are just bubbly foam with heaps of tiny little holes which look like filth traps to me - odd for a supposedly re-usable device. They squished up and went in OK (except for my wax-slicked ear where it had a bit of trouble gripping) but about half way through the support act my ears were pretty uncomfortable. The edges of the smooth endcap sections were starting to cut into my ears! They did an alright job of blocking the really ear-thumping sounds whilst allowing normal conversation but they were damn painful. I swapped back the the ever-faithful Lasers for the main performance. So far they're the best, even if it does look like you've rhubarb and custard rammed in your ears.
I hope that proves useful to someone. I may one day decide to get a set of proper musicians earplugs but, considering that you can buy a box of 200 Lasers for 30 quid and I don't really mind the sound quality I get, I might not. Either way, it's definitely good to be able to leave a concert and NOT have to yell at everyone over the godawful ringing in your ears. Concerts WILL destroy your hearig folks.
Next up is the
Brixton Academy
I raved about this place when I went to see NIN and I'm going to do it again. I think this may be my favourite venue ever! Let me list its virtues:
- The floor slopes gradually down from the back to the front so you can nearly always see the stage.
- When I tried to buy some water (you can't bring stuff in from outside - remember to smuggle in bottle tops, they won't let you keep them if you buy a bottle inside), the gentleman behind the bar pointed out that although I COULD purchase a bottle for £1.95, he could just provide me with a pint glass full of tapwater, with ice no less!
- There are barriers strategically placed throughout the standing area. This helps to reduce gravitational blackhole that is the normal crushing moshpit. We also found that there is the added bonus of drunk people not understanding that these things are about 1-2 meters long and electing to try to climb under/through them rather than taking a step or so to the left or right :)
- Somehow, bless their little cotton socks, they manage to get a breeze running across the stage! I have no idea where it comes from but it is truly magical when you're soaked in sweat and inhaling steam.
Enough gushing. Other venues, I hope you're taking notes.
Finally, Faithless.
I've been following Faithless since I was in Uni - about 10 years now - and I've managed to see them play live four or five times now. I'm happy to report that they remain consistently fantastic! They opened with Insomnia and I noticed that Maxi was sounding distinctly crook (I suspect a cold or flu or something). His voice "warmed up" or the Strepsils kicked in or something and he managed to get back to his normal form fairly quickly. He's certainly a charismatic, energetic bloke.
The set was good with a sample of music from every album I think - all the anthems were in there, Long Way Home, God Is A DG, Insomnia, We Come One - and a few of my favourites like Don't Leave and Bring My Family Back as well. All in all, a great concert.
It's always good to see Faithless because Maxi likes to make everyone feel good about themselves. He also likes everyone to be friends with everybody else - he's the kinda guy who could incite marches on the government and stuff, were he so inclined. He's not as preachy as some other bands I've seen - I suppose he gets to preach via the lyrics more directly than if he actually sang them so there aren't any "between the songs" monologoues.
I can't say I disagree with anything he's got to say about gangs, war and the general lnastiness or the world and, like I said, for a couple of hours he makes you feel like you could actually make a difference. The euphoria usually lasts until the next day when you have to go back to work....
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