The Concretes

Somehow, we went to the Thekla again for the third time within a couple of months, this time to see the Concretes playing. In contrast to the last time they played in Bristol, which was to a full audience at the Academy, there was a sparse crowd which was generally underwhelmed by the experience.

The band has changed, and not for the better. The previous two times that I saw them, the driving forces were the little blonde Lisa's drumming, and the lead singer's melancholy, Nico-like voice. Now she has left, and Lisa has given up the drums to become lead singer. It doesn't work so well. The hard, edgy power of her percussion was what held the band together, and it seems much looser and more diffuse now. And they have lost the power of the brass section which lent a grace and emotion to their music; now I fear that the Concretes is just another guitar band. It's a shame.

On the plus side, we had a relaxing drink on the deck of the Thekla before going below to the music, and the support band was fun. As is so often the case, the support band was as good as, if not better than, the main event.