It was jolly decent of Simon to arrange this gig to take place just across the road from Clanricarde Gardens, I thought. Janie and I both made sure we’d be free that evening to support.
Notting Hill Arts Club has had a bit of a makeover since we last attended a gig there, which must be 10-15 years ago.
The main purpose of the gig was to launch Simon’s second album, Baby Boomer, available on Spotify – click here – or on YouTube – click the picture link below.
Simon has used a fascinating technique to overcome the problem of the “troublesome second album following a successful first album”…
…he and his (self)-publicist have deemed the first album to have been a flop. Fiendish. Cunning. Daft. The following “interview” explains:
Anyway, despite all that John Shuttleworth meets Spinal Tap buffoonery, the album Baby Boomer really is very good and I think a big leap forward from the first album, Circle Line, which I also liked, btw.
At the start of the gig, Simon performed alone. In fact, the introduction and first number have been recorded for posterity – you can view those below:
After a couple of numbers performed solo, or should I say, “accompanied by laptop”, Simon was joined by a real human being, Nick, on drums.
It all got a bit more complicated when Simon attempted the opening track from the album, Please Hold, with laptop, keyboards, drummer and vocals…
…but after calling back a couple of times, Simon managed to perform that rather intricate piece with aplomb. One of my favourites from the album, that one – it reminds me a little of The Teardrop Explodes at the top of their form – praise indeed coming from me.
Here’s another track from the live performance:
Finally, here is the official video for one of my favourite tracks from the album, Optimistic…
…although, as Simon said when he introduced this number at the gig, he’s a bit less optimistic now than he was when he wrote that track.
Another story.
Actually, in his quest to remain uber-topical, Simon did perform one or two brand new songs. They are, presumably, to form part of the third album and the resulting next launch gig. Janie and I hope so – we are already looking forward to that. We very much enjoyed our evening for the Baby Boomer launch.
Did I mention that Baby Boomer is available on Spotify – click here – or on YouTube – click the picture link below?