Hello ... Hello ... my old friends ... It's great to see you once again! The final match of the September 2013 UK tour by
The Duckworth Lewis Method could not have been at a better and more apt venue than that of
The Glee Club Birmingham yesterday [Sunday 29th September]. Amidst much tomfoolery within the ranks of a truly superb live band in their element, last nights gig in the Midlands heartland of
The Idle Race,
The Move and
ELO inspired the quirky cricket pop fivesome to a live performance that was not only note perfect but replete with comedic and downright amusing banter between
Neil Hannon,
Thomas Walsh and
Tosh Flood.
The tidy and impressive support set by
John Cunningham, the latter half in tandem with the
DLM half of the beloved
Pugwash, provided the perfect springboard for the evening as we were treated to songs from his latest album
"Happy Go Unlucky" in a suitably intimate environment.
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| John Cunningham solo [L] and with the Pugwash Two [R] ... |
If the
Nottingham gig back on 9th July was atmospheric then this concert was that, longer, expansive and then some as
Neil Hannon [Vocals/Keyboards/Guitar],
Thomas Walsh [Vocals/Guitar/ Kazoo],
Tosh Flood [Guitar/backing vocals],
Simon Little [Bass/backing vocals] and
Tim Weller [Drums] bounded on to the stage to that familiar cricket anthem:
"Soul Limbo" and then proceeded to bat through the majority of the their eponymously entitled 2009 debut album and their latest innings
"Sticky Wickets".
This was the first gig in Birmingham for
Thomas Walsh and the evening was filled with his effervescent enthusiasm for all things:
Idle Race,
The Move,
Jeff Lynne,
Roy Wood and
ELO as he paid due homage to two of his
Idle Race heroes:
Dave Pritchard and
Roger 'Ollie' Spencer, who were in the audience.
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| On With The Show: A Gleeful evening ... |
The stage antics of
Tom and
Neil on the subject of their mutual musical admiration - one almost silent and the other unable to hold back his obvious delight - were truly cherished moments for the packed venue. This amusing yet touching arrival at
DLM's musical roots meant that the evening was often interspersed with short passages where
Tom, on the spur of the moment, started impromptu covers of the likes
"Lightning Never Strikes Twice" and
"Flowers In The Rain" [The Move];
"The Way Life's Meant To Be" [ELO] as well as
"End Of The Road" and
"Please No More Sad Songs" [The Idle Race]. Indeed, it was a night of musical education as much as the evening was a concert. The encore was so very special as it included a full
DLM performance of
"On With The Show" dedicated to the watching
Idle Racers:
Dave Pritchard and
Roger 'Ollie' Spencer.
I have had the great pleasure this year of at last seeing:
Pugwash in the flesh as well as attending two excellent
Duckworth Lewis Method gigs. My admiration of
Neil Hannon and
The Divine Comedy continues to grow as does my regard for
Thomas Walsh,
Tosh Flood and
Pugwash.
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