Review by Northings
Teenage Fanclub
The Ironworks, Inverness, 2 November 2008
Teenage Fanclub (photo - Fiona Carr)
ONE OF THE first ever gigs I went to, as a young indie kid growing up in Inverness, was Teenage Fanclub at the Averon Leisure Centre in Alness. This was way back in 1992 or ’93, I can’t quite remember, but I was definitely still at school.
Supported by 18 Wheeler and a huge crowd of floppy haired teneagers, it was to be the start of my long standing love affair with the band from Bellshill. I’m pretty sure over the years I have seen them play more than any other band, but this was the first time since the early 90s that it would be back in my old stomping ground.
The event was part of The Tennents Mutual, a Scottish music festival chosen by the music fans, for the music fans. The Scottish public voted for the bands they wanted to play at venues they wanted them to play in across the country, and even went some way to setting the prices (though in all fairness I thought £16 was a little steep for this particular show!).
Tennents donated a start-up fund of £150k for 2008, with a view to enabling music fans to devise and programme a series of live shows in Scotland in October / November. They chose King Creosote, Glasvegas, Hot Chip, Sons & Daughters, Teenage Fanclub and many more. All ticket income generated from The Tennents Mutual 2008 shows to be reinvested to increase next year’s live music fund, where upon us music fans get to decide how the money is spent. I look forward to seeing what happens!
Back to the Ironworks. By the look and age range of the crowd I would say that the majority of the people there had also been at Alness. Gone were the floppy fringes and baggy jeans, to be replaced with short back and sides and eager glances at their watches to make sure they would manage to fit in both the music and a good eight hours sleep before work in the morning!
Now I should say that there were two support acts at the Ironworks – Edinburgh band Rob St John, who I unfortunately missed but was assured by friends did a great job with what they described as a ‘very mellow’ set. Next on stage was King ‘Kenny Anderson’ Creosote who played a good long set, which doesn’t often happen for support acts.
With nearly 40 albums spanning his long and eclectic career, it is often difficult to pick what exactly he will be playing at any given performance. Tonight he appeared to stray off the beaten track, with less of his known numbers from the more commercially successful records. King Kenny has a beautiful and strangely soulful voice that carries his music beautifully, but always with a lot of fun thrown in.
And so to the band I feel I have aged alongside over the years – well, apart from bassist Gerry Love, who doesn’t seem to have aged at all in 16 years. They are currently in the album recording their ninth studio album, and although they treated us to one of the new tracks, ‘Baby Lee’ the rest was a greatest hits set from beginning to end, which was fantastic.
From the early ‘Everything Flows’ from A Catholic Education to ‘The Concept’ and ‘Alcoholiday’ from Bandwagonesque to ‘Mellow Doubt’ and ‘Neil Jung’ from Grand Prix, there was something to please every taste. Now I will confess to thinking that they weren’t on the best form I have ever seen them on, they seemed a little tired or hungover or something – perhaps the touring circuit just takes its toll a little more when you are in your forties!
In my opinion though, like a good wine, Teenage Fanclub only get better with age. Over the years, their heavier guitar tracks have been replaced with melodic harmonies as they morph into Scotland’s answer to the Beach Boys (or should that be Beach Men?!). I can never speak highly enough of them. Their love of music is infectious and the delight they clearly take in playing with each other and for their fans is always obvious.
© Fiona Carr, 2008
