We despatched Emmet Mannion, one of MTV TWO's team of intrepid gig reviewers, to Hammersmith Apollo on Monday to review them there Last Shadow Puppets on the last date of their UK tour. Herewith his ponderings...
Last Shadow Puppets
Hammersmith Apollo
26/10/08
The Last Shadow Puppets fanfare rolled into London for their one and only date with the ‘Big Smoke’ on their first and possibly last tour. Yeah right. In the grand setting of Hammersmith Apollo, The Last Shadow Puppets are here to entertain their Sunday evening guests. This is the musical equivalent of Sunday at The Palladium, this is auld entertainment folks. Sharp suits, wise cracks and Bruce Forsyth-style tap dancing? Almost.
Alex Turner and Miles Kane are welcomed onto the stage by their 16-piece orchestra to the score from ‘Calm Like You’. A “Good evening” and a nonchalant wave to the crowd with their royal hands, they kick off with ‘In My Room’, the signature tune from the album and the perfect opener.
The cinematic, orchestral accompaniment instantly encapsulates and captivates. It’s threatening and purposeful. The white light show from the stage set against the royally red Last Shadow Puppets backdrop completes the theatrics. To say that they put attention into detail would be an understatement. This segues into hit single ‘The Age Of The Understatement’. It receives the reception of a raucous stomper. The galloping drums by James Ford incite beer throwing bedlam fit for an Arctic Monkeys gig. The bedlam is suitably diffused by the crooning lyrics of Alex Turner on ‘Calm Like You’.
The halfway point of the gig is preserved for some exquisite and perfectly executed covers. With tongue placed firmly in cheek they play ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ by The Beatles. Kane tackles the demanding vocal like a tenacious central midfielder, battling and hustling for every note., while Turner delivers his vocal with sickening ease, like a midfielder who has time on the ball to look up and play a precision pass.
This is followed by ‘Paris Summer’ and David Bowie’s ‘In The Heat Of The Morning’, harking back to the 60s theme again. The Bowie cover is dominated by Turner. It surpasses Bowie’s version and it’s the Bowies and The Beatles that he has his sights firmly on when the legacies are rounded up at the end of a career.
The last part of the set is filled with the weaker songs from the album as the stronger moments have been spent. Banter and biscuits keep the show ticking over. Biscuits eh? Instead of the mandatory undergarment of a bra and knickers to adorn a stage floor, Turner and Kane have nicely wrapped biscuits flying onto the stage as gifts. And no, they were not ‘plane’ biscuits.
The band exit stage left for a much needed reprieve and an encore ensues. A cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Memories’ and ‘Standing Next To Me’ make up the encore. ‘Standing Next To Me’ has curiously become a fans favourite. It gives Turner a break from lead vocals and a chance to saunter around with a tambourine.
For the time being at least it’s back to their respective bases for Alex Turner and Miles Kane, sure to return to the sultry mistress that is The Last Shadow Puppets for another wonderful journey.
Emmet Mannion