 I’ve
always loved the Beautiful South growing up, my
father used to play the greatest hits as we travelled
up and down the country during the holidays, so
tonight I have the chance to see 2 members of
the band play they’re new stuff as well
as Beautiful South and House Martins classics
thrown in for good measure, so I couldn’t
turn it the opportunity down, I mean the feeling
of nostalgia I know I’ll get will never
forgive me!
 So
I turn up to the venue a little late, stressing
that I won’t get in on time to see the start
of the set, only to find that The Institute is
holding 3 gigs on the same night, I don’t
know which room I’m going to, and I’ve
confused the door staff by asking where the Beautiful
South gig is, I eventually find my way to the
big room and open the door to see 2 guys on stage
with an acoustic guitar and a keyboard, I feel
relieved that I didn’t miss the start of
the set, but at the same time don’t really
take in the music that’s going on, on stage.
I’m too busy trying to push my way through
the heaving room to safe position where I won’t
get beer  spilled
on me and I can see the stage, this is a tough
ask as its Friday night in Birmingham, the audience
is allot older in general and so are out for there
one gig a year and so drink like troopers. I eventually
find a spot and after a good 40 minute wait, the
band walk on stage and start the powerful guitar
chords to Some Dancing To Do over and over.
Paul and Jacqui walk out on stage to huge applause
and the music builds up whilst they find their
positions on stage behind the huge mic and lyric
sheet stands. Jacqui starts singing and the room
is in awe at her angelic voice, as she rings out
the beautiful soulful tones, before Paul takes
his part and sings in his own unique higher pitched
voice which goes hand in hand with Jacqui’s
deeper vocals, “she’s got some dancing
to do”. The crowd erupts and they all dance
along, and give a cheer towards the end when they
sing “she’s got some drinking to do”,
it sets the tone for the evening and it shows
straight away that they’re new stuff is
strong and stands up with the classics.
 Paul
takes a moment to talk to the Birmingham crowd
and tells them “this is a song I wrote when
I was young about being old. But now I’m
actually getting old, really I mixing my words
up you know like leisure centre and off licence,
it’s shocking”. They then go into
Old Red Eyes Is Back and the room goes crazy,
all the room sings along, and I know I’ve
said this about other gigs, but really the WHOLE
room sings along, it’s so loud you can’t
hear Paul and Jacqui but this doesn’t stop
them, this doesn’t make them do the typical
Robbie Williams laziness of holding the mic to
the crowd and letting them do what they’ve
come to do, no they carry on regardless and keep
on singing for those who can hear them over the
half-drunk renditions that’s going round
the room. They continue with Costa Del Sombre
from they’re latest album What Have We Become
and the room continues to bounce, although it’s
now possible to hear them sing.
I’ve been to many gigs in my time, and I’ve
never felt anxious or scared about the people
around me, but tonight I do, and that is because
the room is so full you can hardly  breathe,
let alone move. Its full of allot of the older
crowd, but it also has pockets of people around
my age and also a heavy contingent of younger
lads, who seem to be Birmingham Football fans,
who’ve come on a bit of an outing, it’s
strange to see these young lads singing along
to all these classic songs that where wrote before
they were born, but it’s good to see that
it continues to break through, and maybe because
these songs have meaning and heart that it passes
down, I mean there aren’t too many working
class bands around anymore and Paul Heaton still
speaks for the common man, this can be seen with
the promotion he’s been doing with a workers
union who want fairer lower wage pay.
The set continues with Rotterdam (or anywhere),
Prettiest Eyes, Moulding Of A Fool, We’re
Not Deep(which sees an older gentleman who’s
stood near myself go absolutely crazy, jumping
and swinging his arms around singing every word,
whilst most of the people around try and ignore
him and get on with their night), and The Snowman.
In-between the new and old,  Paul
talks to the crowd whilst Jacqui seems quite quiet
and reserved. Paul tells the crowd how this venue
has sold the most tickets so far on this tour
and then goes on to tell them how Birmingham’s
a bit crap and isn’t the British Riviera
it’s made out to be and says “you
know what they say about canals, when you build
on them, they become sewers”, he does go
on to say, I am joking I don’t won’t
people to take offense, to which the Blues fans
reply with, “he means Aston, it’s
definitely not Birmingham”. Later he mentions
how Birmingham is like a tramp, “It’s
ugly and smelly but has charm and lots of interesting
stories” to which the Blues fans shout “no
you mean Wolverhampton”. Paul also tells
the crowd about how they won £200 in a local
radio station competition when he was first in
the Housemartins, and as well as that they’d
get to support Garry Glitter, so they spent the
£200 on cassettes to try and sell to his
fans at the gig, they then got to the night of
the gig and he wanted £200 to support him,
so they never did it, and looking back, it’s
a good thing!
 The
amazing set continues with Build, When It Was
Ours, Dream a Little Dream, Don’t Marry
Her (to which there’s huge chants of “Fuck
Me”, instead of the radio friendly version
of “have me”), The Right in Me. The
band then leave the stage and Paul and Jacqui
say good night, only to return and play Good as
Gold (Stupid as Mud), D.I.Y (there latest single
from they’re What Have We Become album,
which has a sing along just as loud as the Beautiful
South songs), Happy Hour, I’ll Sail This
Ship Alone, Me and The Farmer, before again leaving
the stage, to come back out and doing Loving Arms,
and then the huge Housemartins song Caravan of
Love.
 Overall
tonight has been amazing, Paul and Jacqui sound
as good live as they do recorded, they have powerful
voices, and although they don’t do much
on stage it doesn’t matter when there songs
are that good. The band played great, and Paul’s
stories added a nice break to the constant supply
of hits. I wish the room hadn’t have been
as busy as it was, but that’s down to the
pure demand to see the duo, which is something
that is clearly massive as the two have announced
another 10 date tour in November and December,
so if you’ve ever listened to the Beautiful
South, The Housemartins or even the new stuff
then do yourself a favour and get down and see
Paul and Jacqui, as you’ll sing and dance
your night away to some of the best pop music
the UK has ever put out!
4/5
Review By James Daly
Photos By Claire Whelpton
|
