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 simonheywood |
The Stable MK |
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Posts: 21 (10-10-09 11:29) |
Great gig tonight, in my opinion, this venue always delivers!
I know some do not like the controlled seated format but the sound has always been good and you can see the passion of the band pretty much where ever you sit. Cheers, Simon |
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David Taylor |
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Posts: 1103 (11-10-09 7:36) Moderator |
Whilst I wouldn't want every gig to be seated sometimes it just seems right and just works. Last night was such a night. Loved it.
Nice to see the inclusion of some old favourites (and one old not so favourite lol) in the set :-) Wonder what other old gems and hidden treasures will be dragged out & reintroduced for the later shows on the tour? |
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alanbloor |
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Posts: 13 (11-10-09 9:18) |
Still buzzing from last night. Excellent show and what value for money - over 2 hours of top quality performance for less than 20 quid!
This was only my second Mostly Autumn gig. I'm still a new fan and last time (April) I was unfamiliar with most of the songs, having at that time only heard Glass Shadows and some Youtube clips. Since then I've bought a few more CDs and I knew all the songs bar one (Ghost In Dreamland, I think, after listening to what was being sung). Highlights for me were the inclusion of Shrinking Violet, Pass The Clock and Mother Nature, which are three of my favourite MA songs. One small disappointment was that Never The Rainbow wasn't played, meaning that we never got the chance to hear Livvy's fantastic voice properly. That girl is seriously underused in the band IMO. Well worth the travel from Leicester, plus I was able to visit my daughter, who lives in MK, beforehand. Shame I couldn't persuade her to come to the gig. How do you educate the youngsters into appreciating great quality music? |
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Blazing Apostle |
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Posts: 935 (11-10-09 11:14) Moderator |
You cannot Alan, they stubbonly refuse to budge and remain blissfully ignorant but thats just part of being a youngster!!! Know everthing, done nothing!! LOL
Ah Hah! |
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ANSTEY STEVE |
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Posts: 55 (11-10-09 12:21) |
Sounds like they have mixed the set up a bit from earlier this year - any one got a full listing ?
Did they play anything from Glass Shadows that hasn't been played much or even at all - I would love to hear the title track live for instance ? Now if only we could get the word out to the "unconverted" or "never heard of's" ! During the week I went to see Spirit of Pink Floyd (and very good they were too) and the venue (Loughborough Town Hall if MA are looking for a new venue in the midlands) was packed to it's 450 (ish) capacity. I couldn't help but wonder how many of the audience would enjoy MA if only they knew that they existed ! I did wear my MA T-shirt but large though it is I think we may need a bit more than that :>) A few years ago there were sone flyeers to hand out at gigs like this one to try and spread the word - is it worth giving it another go ? Looking forward to seeing MA live again soon as I think that the current live line-up is as good as any I have seen over the last 8 years ! Stephen C |
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Roger N |
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Posts: 1393 (11-10-09 12:36) Moderator |
I can't remember the full set but the songs brought back into the set were 'Shrinking Violet', 'Ghost in Dreamland', 'Pass The
Clock' and 'Mother Nature'. Songs that have been rested to make way for these included 'Broken Glass' and 'Never The Rainbow',
'Pocket Watch' and 'Carpe Diem'. Whether further changes are afoot we'll have to wait and see!
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alanbloor |
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Posts: 14 (11-10-09 12:53) |
I'll give it a go on the full setlist, but the order won't be exactly right.
Fading Colours Spirit Of Autumn Past Caught In A Fold Winter Mountain Nowhere To Hide Shrinking Violet Evergreen Above The Blue (closed the first set, after Evergreen) Flowers For Guns (second set opener) Unoriginal Sin Ghost In Dreamland (the only song I didn't really like) Half A Mountain Simple Ways The Darkness Before The Dawn Answer The Question Pass The Clock Mother Nature (closed the second set) Heroes Never Die (encore) |
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NewWorldMan |
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Posts: 12 (11-10-09 1:48) |
alanbloor wrote:My second gig too and I think I was unfamiliar with about half the songs at The Stables gig last May. I'd only heard Storm and Passengers. And the latter I'd only bought a couple of weeks before so as to learn a few more songs. Since then I bought a few more CDs including Pass the Clock so last night I think there was just one or two I hadn't heard before. Like you I was most pleased by the three songs you mention. Mother Nature I'd only heard from the V Shows DVD but got hooked on that straight away. Shrinking Violet I'd only heard from the Pass the Clock compilation (I bought Last Bright Light last night so I'm inching towards a full MA studio album set. I have a couple or so to go I think). I didn't notice Shrinking Violet on the first one or two listens of Pass the Clock but then I fell in love with it. Excellent union of music and lyrics. |
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NewWorldMan |
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Posts: 13 (11-10-09 1:54) |
ANSTEY STEVE wrote:Yep. That's the major problem. Even in the likes of Classic Rock magazine they hardly get a mention. OK, there's the new Classic Rock Prog offshoot that's been out a few months but I don't think there's been a feature in that yet has there? |
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alanbloor |
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Posts: 15 (11-10-09 2:30) |
There was an article about female prog singers in the first Classic Rock Prog magazine, and MA were featured heavily in that.
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NewWorldMan |
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Posts: 14 (11-10-09 3:04) |
Yes, I saw that but I was thinking more of exclusive features on MA.
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hmrspaul |
Some attention needed to the set list | ||
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Posts: 34 (11-10-09 3:44) |
Dear all
Yes brilliant gig last night, at a new venue for us. Very interesting place and we took two near MA virgins (they saw them in Harpenden a while ago). There were obviously many newbies or near newbies there, which is great for the band but I felt very alone singing and even making the odd noise of encouragement. The beat clapping from the audience, so much a part of a couple of the songs, was also nearly absent and embarrassed. On the other hand, you could hear a pin drop in the silent bits - which again are an essential element of MA songs. Then at the end the place suddenly erupted and came alive - the best received 'bows' at the end I have witnessed! On the setlist, which was genuinely interesting, I think our friends comment was apposite, in that there was far too much of Heather in the first half. Now I know it is impossible to have too much of Heather  but even she commented on it being cruel (to her). It needed a Brian song - perhaps Last climb (yes I
know they have included that in live gigs recently) and/or Distant train which always went down very well at live gigs. Or something else from the wondrous
back catalogue. Or bringing Livvy and Anne-Marie forward would add more variety - and it is variety which is the cornerstone of MA.
As to getting your younger kids interested, just fill the house with MA music - it worked with one of ours and not the other! Yes I agree about Classic Prog Rock, having mentioned the "Titans of Prog" in issue one, featuring Heather, Anne-Marie and Livvy several times it would be nice to see an article on them. That magazine is already broadening the genre to include some very strange and well known bands. How can Prog have been underground for 20 plus years and then we find the likes of Radiohead have been Prog all along.... Ok off soap box and a final thanks so much for bringing 'Mother' back.... long missed and so totally utterly classic MA. Paul York
Last Edited By: hmrspaul
11-10-09 4:32.
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clustertwo.breathingspace |
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Posts: 18 (11-10-09 3:48) |
Once again, last night at The Stables, the band continued to be in sensational form. Bryan and Heather certainly sent a few shock waves running through the set
list. I doubt anyone could have imagined the back to back return of two heavyweights, Pass The Clock and Mother Nature, to close out the second set. I knew a
couple of weeks ago that a number of changes would be made, but had no idea what they would be. Of those songs that could be vulnerable, I was pleased, and
relieved, that Autumn Past, Simple Ways, Winter Mountain & Half The Mountain all managed to survive the chop.
Of those songs that did not make the cut, I was pleased to see Turn It On Again fall by the wayside. A very poor Genesis song. A shame that Livvy did not get her moment on centre stage to duet with Heather and Bryan on Never The Rainbow. This version seems to go down very well in the live arena, but I would have liked it just as much if Heather had sung it in old style. It occurs to me as I type this, that MA now have not just one, but the three best female vocalists in the music business today, all in the band. However, the one song that I really did miss was my usual no. 2 favourite MA song, Carpe Diem. So as not to disturb the balance of the set, maybe a quick swap for Ghost In Dreamland? Of the new songs, it was great to see Shrinking Violet in the set. Beautifully delivered as always by Heather last night. Of the many highlights, I would have to pick the return of Mother Nature. Bryan's delicate and intricate playing, woven around Iain's keys in the quiet section of the second half of the track was just mesmeric. I dream away to this bit every time. As Bryan quietened everything on stage to a silence, to create that spacing, the band came bursting back in with perfect timing, as Bryan then riffed, rather than soloed the outtro. The quiet, instrumental section would also have been a perfect moment for Bryan to introduce the band, like on the V Shows DVD. Of course, we all know who they are, but it's an opportunity for the audience to show their appreciation for each individual member of the band. Sitting or standing? While some atmosphere will inevitably be lost in an all seater, it was great to watch the band perform with a clear view of the whole of the stage. I enjoy both formats. Roll on the two live albums.
Last Edited By: clustertwo
15-11-09 8:47.
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Kalyr |
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Posts: 643 (11-10-09 6:46) |
Much as I love Carpe Diem, I've always said there shouldn't be any sacred cows in the setlist - MA have a rich back catalogue, and they're selling
themselves short if they just trot out the same old standards tour after tour as if they're their own tribute band. So I'm all in favour of shaking up
the setlist for each tour.
Whatever they do, they shouldn't drop Ghost in Dreamland - especially since the next gig is on Halloween! And it's a song I've suggested the band play.
-- Tim
Weblog, http://www.kalyr.com/weblog "Never again will I try to celebrate something I love by belittling the things that other people love" - Will Byers on the Guardian Music Blog |
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oldrocker |
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Posts: 8 (11-10-09 9:08) |
I am really jealous, i missed the gig,it sounds like a great set list and hopefully by christmas there may be a few new numbers in the set list. I would love
to hear a track with some vocal interplay between Heather , Livvy and Anne The Reasoning manage to do this effectively and it would be great to give Anne and
Livvy a bit more of the spotlight.
I like some of the contributors am very dissapointed with the coverage in classic rock and the off shoot Prog classic rock. OK there has been a good concert review and some mention in a feature on women in rock but surely after 10 years and 9 top albums they merit more coverage. I would expect a major interview or feature on their albums sometime soon. |
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ANSTEY STEVE |
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Posts: 56 (11-10-09 9:38) |
Sounds an interesting set list and glad to see that they have included Ghost in Dreamland. I know it is a song that got a mixed reaction but I always thought that it had great potential both as a live song and as a potential single. I can only remember seeing them attempt it once which was at the Storms album launch and it was one of the few times that I have seen them get a song totally wrong ! It seemed to knock their confidence with it and I can't remember seeing it on a set list since! As ever they will not play everybody's favourites but they have such a high quality back catalogue that they can afford to rotate the songs they play to
keep them fresh.
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NewWorldMan |
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Posts: 15 (12-10-09 2:37) |
ANSTEY STEVE wrote:For many years Rush used to employ a strategy of playing large chunks of their two most recent albums in concert and some standard highlights from their back catalogue. But on recent tours they've been rather more varied and what they do now is "recycle" old songs they've either not played since the tours for the albums from which they came or not played at all. Maybe MA are now doing something similar? I can't really tell as I've only seen them twice. |
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JazzMoomin |
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Posts: 1 (12-10-09 5:21) |
I'm not usually one to post on forums but I have to say I feel compelled to after some of your comments regarding Heather.
I am starting to feel a little bit sorry for her. In my opinion Heather's voice just goes from strength to strength. She is the possibly the most captivating front person I have ever seen live. Her voice is full of warmth and dynamism. Her empathy for every note of every lyric she sings is unmatched. Her range is pretty extraordinary these days and she's absolutely bang on the money with her technical ability too. Yes, I am a chap but my wife too goes every bit of the way in agreeing with me that Heather is ever more stunning in appearence to boot. The contrast between Heather and Bryan is what Mostly Autumn is all about. I don't really want to see other singers - however wonderful - come in and dilute this perfect chemistry. I just can't help thinking that with the amount of love, time and energy she has put in to the band over the years - not to mention actually creating some of Mostly Autumn's greatest songs - that she might just feel a little gutted to think that A. She features too much in the current line up and that B.She should be giving up some of her time on stage so that Anne Marie and Olivia can step in instead. Isn't Heather the lead singer in Mostly Autumn after all? Whilst I agree that Anne and Olivia are great vocalists in their own right, this just wouldn't be the band I know and love. I think they are featured in a perfect measure in Mostly Autumn's line up. The interplay is there in all it's glory. A & O sing on just about every track don't they? Flowers for Gun's and Unoriginal Sin for instance are just two prime examples of a great use of three female vocalists. The other girls do so much else besides MA that I just don't get where these comments are coming from really. Panic Room, Breathing Space, Parade, Josh & Co. and so on. If any of these bands featured backing vocalists, I wouldn't dream of them getting up and 'sharing the limelight'. And I bet Anne and Livvy would agree too. Darren |
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Roger N |
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Posts: 1395 (12-10-09 6:41) Moderator |
Here. here, Darren! I agree with you 100%. Heather is MA's lead (female) vocalist. She already shares lead vocals with Bryan, so if she then had to step
aside to make way for Livvy or Anne-Marie she would end up doing little more than backing vocals for a lot of the set. It is Heather's vocals that give MA
a key part of the band's identity.
Livvy and Anne-Marie are both fine vocalists of course. Livvy joined the band in 2005 specifically to do backing vocals. A much better place to hear her in a lead role is in Breathing Space, where she has the opportunity to shine in her own right. If she featured in a lead capacity in MA then not only would that restrict Heather's musical outlet but there is a real danger (IMHO) that what with Livvy, Iain and (for the moment at least) Bryan also playing in Breathing Space the two bands would start to become indistinguishable from each other. Similarly Anne-Marie was brought in to fill the gap left by Angela leaving i.e. flute, additional keyboards and backing vocals. Anyone wishing to hear her excellent vocals in a lead capacity can check out her solo stuff or Panic Room. My analogy would be bands like Pink Floyd, who for years employed additional guitarists both in the studio and live (e.g. Snowy White, Tim Renwick). These were all excellent guitarists yet I cannot recall anyone ever suggesting that they should start taking lead breaks instead of Dave Gilmour. I've said it before and I'll say it again - keep MA as MA, Breathing Space as Breathing Space and Panic Room as Panic Room! |
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David Taylor |
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Posts: 1106 (13-10-09 8:10) Moderator |
In a curious turn of fate I agree with 100% there Rog. :-)
Also the concept of there being too much H in the set is totally alien to me. In fact personally the only way to improve the set would be to see Heather checking tickets at the door while strumming a guitar and selling the ice creams during the interval whilst humming a tune or two. Seriously though it is that H/BJ (please don't search for those initials in google btw) interaction that drew me to MA in the first place and thats what I come to see. Well said Darren and Rog. |
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simonheywood |
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Posts: 22 (13-10-09 11:23) |
To those who want to see more of Olivia and Anne-Marie, Panic Rooms are playing in Bedford on the 13th November and Josh & Co are playing the same venue
the following night on the 14th. I just booked my tickets ( www.wymeruk.co.uk) and for an added unexpected bonus,
Parade are the suport for Josh & Co.
Cheers, Simon
Last Edited By: simonheywood
13-10-09 5:14.
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