The Quireboys - Exeter Review

Going to see a band two nights on the trot is always a bit of a strange, but good, experience. It is not something that I have done very often, or something that I wish to do too often, but sometimes when the opportunity presents itself then it has to be done. Such was the case this week when The Quireboys, one of my favourite bands, played two shows in the South West - both easily accessible from my home in Plymouth. The first was in my home town of Saltash, at the excellent Livewire Youth Project, and the second was in Exeter - about an hour's drive away. The night in Saltash was truly special (and you can read my review here), but this was helped by the emotional connections that I have with Livewire. Seeing The Quireboys in my hometown was very special indeed, so I felt that the Exeter show would probably always suffer a little as a result. However, despite having just see the band, it was in great spirits that I set out to Exeter yesterday evening (in some pretty driving rain at times!) to see them again. The venue in Exeter was The Lemon Grove, which is up at the city's University. I have always assumed that it is part of the Student's Union there, and it does host regular gigs, but I had only been there once previously. That was to see The Answer a few years ago, but sadly Exeter in general seems to have really dropped off the gigging radar recently. I used to travel up to both The Cavern and The Pheonix on a semi-regular basis, but it seems that bands are currently avoiding the city for whatever reason! The Lemon Grove was different to how I remembered it, with the gig happening in a different room to the last time. The stage this time was extremely small and barely raised off the ground, which meant that the band were fairly cramped on it throughout the night. One thing that was clear too early one was that the turnout was not going to be great. Being a Friday night in a fairly major city I had expected more people to make the effort, but for whatever reason there was not very many people there at all. I would be surprised if more than 100 people had made the effort, which is a real shame for a band as good as The Quireboys. Luckily this did not seem to deter them at all, and those who turned up were all there for a good time, but I would have liked to see a few more people there.

There was only one support act this time and the task fell to The Echo Hotel, a three-piece indie rock act who might win the award for the most out-of-place support band I have ever seen! There was nothing objectively wrong with the band, but their somewhat quirky music really did not suit the dirty rock 'n' roll of The Quireboys. Strange high-pitched vocals, fuzzy guitars, and a frantic rhythm section certainly made for an interesting listen - but that does not change the fact that those who had turned up early were at a rock show, not an indie show. I felt a bit sorry for the band actually as they were playing to people who, probably, had absolutely no interest in what they were doing or music even remotely close. They really failed to elicit any sort of reaction at all from the crowd, and I imagine most where happy when they finished their set. I am sure the band have their fans, but sadly for them they were not to be found at a Quireboys show!

The Quireboys took to the stage about 30 minutes later, and when they did the small crowd - who by this point had mostly been sat around the seats at the side of the venue - all congregated down by the front of the stage. Unsurprisingly, the set was the same as at Livewire the night before - but the sound was much better this time around as frontman Spike's vocals were much more audible this time. As with the night before, I Love This Dirty Town was a great opener. Misled hit with more power this time around as Keith Weir's (keyboards/vocals) keyboards were much higher in the mix which meant his piano break in the song was much more audible. Despite the small crowd, there was still a decent atmosphere generated as those who had turned up were clearly big fans of the band. They sang in all the right places, and even some of the deeper cuts chosen were greeted warmly. Blackwater was once again a highlight and I would not be surprised if this song remains in the setlist for a while to come. With the vocals much clearer this time, the song sounded really powerful. Spike sang the chorus with such a raw power that I thought his voice might give out, but that shows just what a great singer he still is. Another great moment was the foot-stomping This is Rock 'n' Roll, with the band's two guitarists mixing slide leads together at first before it explodes into a true rocker. Paul Guerin (guitar/vocals) played a great solo during the piece, and this soon segued into the more laid back Hello which was an opportunity for everyone to help Spike out with the chorus. Another song which really stood out this time around was Take a Look at Yourself which has never been my favourite Quireboys song. As Homewreckers & Heartbreakers is ten years old this year the band are playing a few of those songs live, and I thought that Take a Look at Yourself was a strange one to keep in the set but it came across really well in Exeter. Spike sung it beautifully, and the whole band seemed to have a great time playing it. As with the previous night, the set moved up into a higher gear towards the end when some of the more famous songs where wheeled out. I do not think I will ever get bored of hearing songs like Tramps and Thieves live as the band's English take on the popular 1980s hard rock really excites. I really wish the band would play more songs from their second album, Bitter Sweet & Twisted, but it always fun to hear Tramps and Thieves. Hey You and 7 O'Clock of course some of the biggest reactions of the night, and the latter closed out a powerful set perfectly. I had thought that because of the small crowd the band might skip the encore, but they trooped back to the stage after a minute or so for a couple more. I Don't Love You Anymore always gets the crowd going, and the second chorus see Spike hold out the microphone for the crowd before Guy Griffin (guitar/vocals) closed it out with a big solo. Sex Party was one last chance to boogie, and the band then left the stage to big cheers - one that made it seem like there were more people in attendance! The setlist was:

I Love This Dirty Town
Misled
There She Goes Again
Blackwater
Leaving Trunk [Taj Mahal cover]
Mona Lisa Smiled
This is Rock 'n' Roll
Hello
Whippin' Boy
Take a Look at Yourself
One for the Road
Tramps and Thieves
Hey You
Sweet Mary Ann
7 O'Clock
-
I Don't Love You Anymore
Sex Party

As I said earlier, seeing a band two nights in a row can be a bit strange - but both the Saltash and Exeter shows were great in their own right. The crowd and atmosphere was better in Saltash, and the sound clarity was better in Exeter. I will keep both shows in my memory for a while, and incidentally this show in Exeter was my fifteenth Quireboys show. I will not have to wait long until number sixteen, as I am off to see an acoustic set by them in Bristol just before Christmas - something which I am already looking forward to.