Before I went to this gig I was unsure of what
to expect. In my head I had the image of classic
Courtney Love stumbling around the stage. I know
she’s ‘clean’ now, but it’s
hard to shake that image of her off, at least
it was for me. When she appeared from the back
of the stage she looked exactly how I expected:
blonde, red lips and in a dress. But that was
not a disappointment, I think I would have been
disappointed it she didn’t look like that.
When ‘Little Fish’ (4) walked onto the stage you could feel their presence. As soon as they started the first song any thought of them being a sound-a-like band (because of the obvious ‘Hole’ inspired name) completely went from my head. This is one of the reasons why I love seeing bands I’ve never heard before because I don’t have any expectation. ‘Little Fish’ have now set my expectations pretty high for their future career. They have a strong sound and belting riffs that perfectly accompany Juju’s born to rock voice. Although they are no ‘Hole’ quite yet they are well on their way and definitely won over some ‘Hole’ fans, me included.
As soon as Courtney stepped on stage she received
a standing ovation from the entire Brixton Academy
before she even opened her mouth, an impress feat.
After introducing themselves successfully through
‘Symphony of the Devil’ Hole (5) launched
into ‘Skinny Little Bitch’ from their
new album ‘Nobody’s Daughter’
which the crowd went wild for. Following it up
with ‘Violet’ only won the crowd over
more. She kept this mix of old and new throughout
the show playing a range of classic songs like
‘Malibu’ and ‘Celebrity Skin’
to new material like ‘Letter to God’
and ‘Happy Ending Story’. Showcasing
their musical talent Hole also played a unique
cover of NIN’s ‘Closer’ putting
their own distinctive spin on an already amazing
track. I can honestly say I enjoyed every single
song.
Courtney Love has an undeniable and immense stage
presence, so much so she makes me want to put
on a lacy dress, red lipstick and dye my hair
blonde….but I won’t. It did however
make quite a few members of the audience. Despite
the obligatory Courtney Love look-alikes there
was actually quite a mixed crowd. Ranging from
obvious original fans to the younger generation
of angst filled teenagers longing have been alive
in the mid 90s for the grunge revolution. Courtney
Love has maintained that grunge attitude, staggering
(soberly) around on stage. All her clean living
hasn’t diluted her stage act as she managed
to strip from her dress mid act. In keeping with
her shock value performance she slipped in sly
comments about the recent Gavin Rossdale revelations.
Introducing ‘Boys on the Radio’ by
telling the story of how in the early 90s Bush
released a song called ‘Swallow’ that
was all over the radio and supposedly all about
her. ‘Boys on the Radio’ was her musical
response to the band that she called a “tragedy”.
This only impressed the crowd and got them further
riled up for the song. Her show is definitely
unique.
This was without doubt a show to remember. The
band was tight and Courtney Love was on top form.
The crowd were totally in love. I am now a bigger
Hole fan than I was when I arrived. Courtney Love
has gone up in my estimation and I have a new
found respect for her ability as a performer.
I would recommend catching them on their tour.
Little Fish 4/5
Hole 5/5
Nicci Peet
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