One2One Gig reviews:
Irish Centre, Birmingham Okay here's the story. The Fun Lovin' Criminals have put on four
exclusive "invite only" shows. The only way to get in is to enter a competition by One2One, Virgin or NME and I've got four tickets!! So on the day, three of us pile into my car and start what turns out to be a journey
through the most unbelievable bad weather and traffic from London to Birmingham. We have to cancel picking up our 4th person cause we dont think we will make it in time and it all seems to be going rather pear shaped...
Yet by some miracle we arrive in Bham, find the place and park - with ten minutes to spare! Camera conviscated at the door, but hey, we're there!!! A beer (thanks to FLC for the free MGDs) and smoke and i've come down
enough to get my head together, take in the place (bit of a hole, really!), set up the MD-R and wait for the show... 9pm and the show begins - straight into 'the fun lovin criminal with some Sabbath being thrown into the
riff. The audience are then treated to the first of the new tracks, ' This is where the usual gig format takes an unusual route. The band stop and Matteo, the FLC resident DJ, is welcomed
onto stage amongst Hueys threats to have him pretend-shot (as always occurs during the more familiar routine of Huey's Acting School). The
'Where the bums go'
is an excellent punk rock number and I cant believe the crowd arent jumping up and down - but hey, be sure that the gigs in March will be rocking!! This is followed by the chilled out 'Smoke em'
introduced by Huey in his usual way of telling the audience that if you can get away with it, smoke it! So, as the rest of my friends finally joined me, gear in
hand - I did, much to Huey's amusement. 'Korean Bodega' and 'Big Night Out' later and the stage is emptied... but not for long. Huey annouces that they'll play until they're told my the lady owner to finish and we get 'Mini Bar Blues' followed by two more new songs. Above pics from unknown source (email me) Life Cafe, Manchester FLC played short loungesque session. Then did some Q&A's with the audience. Huey's Acting
school made a reappearance doing 'Apocalypse Now'. Followed by a much longer rockier set. Seven new songs were played - Loco, Dickholder, run Daddy Run, The Biz and some untitled
tunes (including a ballad-type song Huey wrote for his girlfriend - and according to huey his "love is not gentle"). Kat won a chance to interview the band back stage - find out more by clicking here. Above pics from BBC. |
and Mackie and a slightly more appreciative crowd. Huey goes off into
a 'story tellers' moment as he intoduces 'Up on the Hill' and its clear that the band are on form tonight - jokes and charm just oozing. 'Loco' - another new track previously previewed
on the Miller ad and TFI and, given they have changed the title of the forthcoming album to this and are also releasing it as their next single in January, an obvious favourite of the
band. It goes down well and is seamlessly followed by the heavier 'King of New York'. 
