{"id":85020,"date":"2023-12-06T08:17:58","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T07:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=85020"},"modified":"2023-12-07T19:25:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T18:25:33","slug":"review-black-grape-ive-at-camden-electric-ballroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2023\/12\/review-black-grape-ive-at-camden-electric-ballroom\/","title":{"rendered":"COME ALL YE FAITHFUL – Black Grape Preach To The Converted At Camden’s Electric Ballroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s a freezing Friday night more suited to bobble hats than bucket hats as Camden\u2019s Electric Ballroom gradually fills in anticipation for the arrival of Black Grape<\/strong>.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Led by Paul \u201cKermit\u201d Leveridge <\/strong>and one Shaun William Ryder<\/strong>, Black Grape <\/strong>are in town to showcase new album Orange Head<\/em><\/strong> out in January.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Support is provided by a close contemporary, Inspiral Carpets\u2019 <\/strong>singer Tom Hingley<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hingley, operating without the benefit of the rest of the Inspirals, <\/strong>essentially fronts his own tribute act The Kar-pets<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surrounded by younger musicians, Hingley belts out the hits with considerable aplomb, twisting his melon into thousand yard death stares, slapping his thigh like a Panto prince and gleefully wrapping the microphone wire around his noggin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening with Joe <\/em><\/strong>and constantly imploring the audience to come a little closer, Hingley succeeds in dragging many a cynical punter from the bar to the dancefloor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Songs like Move, She Comes In The Fall <\/em><\/strong>and This Is How It Feels <\/strong><\/em>are welcome reminders of just how many good tunes the underrated Inspirals knocked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s even time for a funky, improvised cover of Tainted Love<\/em><\/strong>, before Hingley clambers off stage to join the audience in a closing singalong of Saturn 5<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Tom
FLYING KAR-PET – Tom Hingley, picture by Sam Wells <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of the more pleasing surprises of the \u201890s was that, after The Happy Mondays<\/strong>‘ implosion, Shaun confounded expectations by hooking up with Ruthless Rap Assassin<\/strong> Paul to produce a stupendous platinum album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s Great When You\u2019re Straight… Yeah!<\/em><\/strong> was as good as anything he\u2019d done with the Mondays and the follow up Stupid Stupid Stupid <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 ran it a close second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Songs from that glorious debut form the backbone of Black Grape<\/strong>\u2019s Camden set, but fresher tracks from Orange Head <\/em>and 2017\u2019s Pop Voodoo <\/a><\/em><\/strong>more than hold their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opener In The Name Of The Father <\/em><\/strong>instantly gets the crowd jumping \u2013 a not inconsiderable achievement given the ages of most of us watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two front men lock into a familiar call and response, Paul leading the sermon, while Shaun interjects with his own brand of gonzo wordplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dressed in Fred Perry top and jeans, Shaun stands rooted to the stage, barking into the mic like a benevolent goblin king, while Paul bristles with wit and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The frontmen\u2019s between song banter is one of the many highlights of this show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are anecdotes about songs written off their faces in wardrobes, jokey squabbles about failures to turn up to rehearsals and songs \u2018robbed\u2019, \u2018inspired\u2019 or \u2018extrapolated\u2019 from The Monkees <\/strong>and, er, BBC News<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul explains the band only got the name Black Grape because he happened to be drinking a can of the stuff at the time and they needed to secure an advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We had to get the money in!” Shaun agrees.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Black\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
THE FATHER & THE HOLY GHOST- Paul Leveridge and Shaun Ryder. Pictures by Sam Wells<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This being Black Grape, drug stories abound, Shaun mockingly introducing Temazi Parti <\/em><\/strong>by saying there\u2019s \u2018nothing clever\u2019 about taking Temazepam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After every song he hunches over the setlist announcing: \u201cAh back to the \u201890\u2019s \u2013 they were fookin’ great the \u201890s weren\u2019t they?\u201d or \u201cthis one\u2019s from our 2017 album… I think,\u201d or \u201cthis is from our new album, what\u2019s it called again Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alas the set is hampered by a few sound problems, there\u2019s occasional break-up and distortion on both instruments and vocals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However the capable band deliver the songs with such verve and good humour that no-one really seems to care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recent tracks like Set the Grass On Fire<\/em><\/strong> from Pop Voodoo <\/em><\/strong>and Dirt<\/em><\/strong> from the new album are already real monsters live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n