Hackney Empire Circus
A non review of Peter Doherty at Hackney Empire October 2
It's unusual for me to be slightly at a loss for words. I really don't feelI can write a sensible review of tonight's Hackney Empire gig, but a few words should suffice... well, one really, circus. Sometime when this gig was conceived, there were a lot of bright ideas floating about. Lots of performers; people to duet with Peter; ballet dancers to accompany 'Belle et la Bete'. Phone calls got made, wheels set in motion. But somewhere along the way no one quite managed to ensure that the wheels were all going to roll in the same direction.
The whole event had a bit of the feel of a school variety show. People shuffling on and off not looking as if they knew what they were doing. Some interesting ideas executed haphazzardly. Peter, or people working with him need to develop 'follow through' skills. And maybe add in a wee bit of rehearsal. Now, no one would ever claim that these were Mr. D's areas of strength, and tonight it really showed. The care and attention that had been lavished for last year's Hackney Empire gigs - putting together the line up and side shows such as the artist painting on stage - resulted in some bizarre effects, but it was done well, and the overall effect was interesting and full of charm. Not so tonight. The circus performers included Dot Allison, old schoolmate Emily Baker, and others. But they also featured Doherty's on-off mates, the full cast, from Wolfman to The General and, of course, Alan Wass.
There were a few nice moments. A La's and a Smiths cover sung with a guitarist introduced as Johnny Marr were tuneful and provided a little space in which to enjoy music. Albion was accompanied by a harmonica player who added to the mix. But too often, people seemed not to know what they were doing, including Peter, and the end product was imbalanced in favour of the shambolic with too little charm.
To be fair, the whole event was blighted by dreadful sound. Screechy feedback, bad balance between mics and guitars, a background hum interrupted many of the songs. Moreover, the security wasn't quite up to the task of restraining the numerous fans who recognised this as an opportunity to get onto the stage and grab Peter. Who, of course, stopped playing and was clearly not at all unhappy with the repeated stage invasions.
In truth, I found it funny rather than annoying. It was so very chaotic, and rather surreal. Sadly, however, there were few moments of wonderful music. There was a certain entertainment value to it all, and actually, I didn't have a bad time. But I'd hate it if Peter started doing more 'happenings'. I started to go to see him for the music and the magic, and there was precious little of either in evidence tonight.
It's unusual for me to be slightly at a loss for words. I really don't feelI can write a sensible review of tonight's Hackney Empire gig, but a few words should suffice... well, one really, circus. Sometime when this gig was conceived, there were a lot of bright ideas floating about. Lots of performers; people to duet with Peter; ballet dancers to accompany 'Belle et la Bete'. Phone calls got made, wheels set in motion. But somewhere along the way no one quite managed to ensure that the wheels were all going to roll in the same direction.
The whole event had a bit of the feel of a school variety show. People shuffling on and off not looking as if they knew what they were doing. Some interesting ideas executed haphazzardly. Peter, or people working with him need to develop 'follow through' skills. And maybe add in a wee bit of rehearsal. Now, no one would ever claim that these were Mr. D's areas of strength, and tonight it really showed. The care and attention that had been lavished for last year's Hackney Empire gigs - putting together the line up and side shows such as the artist painting on stage - resulted in some bizarre effects, but it was done well, and the overall effect was interesting and full of charm. Not so tonight. The circus performers included Dot Allison, old schoolmate Emily Baker, and others. But they also featured Doherty's on-off mates, the full cast, from Wolfman to The General and, of course, Alan Wass.
There were a few nice moments. A La's and a Smiths cover sung with a guitarist introduced as Johnny Marr were tuneful and provided a little space in which to enjoy music. Albion was accompanied by a harmonica player who added to the mix. But too often, people seemed not to know what they were doing, including Peter, and the end product was imbalanced in favour of the shambolic with too little charm.
To be fair, the whole event was blighted by dreadful sound. Screechy feedback, bad balance between mics and guitars, a background hum interrupted many of the songs. Moreover, the security wasn't quite up to the task of restraining the numerous fans who recognised this as an opportunity to get onto the stage and grab Peter. Who, of course, stopped playing and was clearly not at all unhappy with the repeated stage invasions.
In truth, I found it funny rather than annoying. It was so very chaotic, and rather surreal. Sadly, however, there were few moments of wonderful music. There was a certain entertainment value to it all, and actually, I didn't have a bad time. But I'd hate it if Peter started doing more 'happenings'. I started to go to see him for the music and the magic, and there was precious little of either in evidence tonight.