The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMusicLive music

British Sea Power at Koko

British Sea Power at Koko | Live review
12 April 2014
Adam Bennett
Avatar
Adam Bennett
12 April 2014

There’s a pretty stage set up at Koko, with twinkle lights, and vines wrapped around the drum kit to keep the crowd’s attention in anticipation for British Sea Power.

They start with a long moody intro to build up into tonight’s proceedings. Moving into the very mellow Heavenly Waters, then drifting into Fear of Drowning, followed by Monsters of Sunderland. It was with this tune that the pace and momentum started to pick up slightly, but after was dropped back down to a tone that can only be compared to someone dragging their feet behind them. Surely this was not a standard gig for them, incredibly boring and uneventful: it seemed more like they were at rehearsals and had completely forgotten about the fans in front of them. We were rather disappointed, as great things are to be heard about their live performances.

Their set carried on into It Ended on an Oily Stage, Atom, We Are Sound, Once More Now, and No Need To Cry. Perhaps there was a problem with the monitors on stage – when the bass player took the lead vocals, his voice truly struggled to hit the right notes. It just sounded painfully flat. It could be that it’s ironic post-modern contemporary music, but chances are it just sounded terrible.

The set continued into the popular Loving Animals, followed by Mongk II and Machineries of Joy, eventually ending with All In It. The few who did want more appreciated an encore of The Spirit of St Louis, and the band ended with their crowd-pleaser No Lucifer.

British Sea Power are an indie band with a lot of history behind them, but seemed only to be playing because they had to, not because their hearts were in it.

Adam Bennett
Photos: Adam Bennett

For further information and future events visit British Sea Power’s website here.

Watch the video for From the Sea to the Land Beyond here:

Related Itemslive musicreview

More in Live music

The Amazons launch How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? at Live Nation

Bev Lung
Read More

Warpaint at the Roundhouse

★★★★★
Jasper Watkins
Read More

Paolo Nutini at the 100 Club

★★★★★
Jonathan Marshall
Read More

Viagra Boys at the Forum

★★★★★
Dan Meier
Read More

Tool at the O2 Arena

★★★★★
Peter Chow
Read More

Twin Atlantic at the Roundhouse

★★★★★
Mark Worgan
Read More

Metronomy at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Diletta Lobuono
Read More

Larkin Poe at Shepherd’s Bush Empire

★★★★★
Bev Lung
Read More

Tom Meighan at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in pictures

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7 June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar
    Food & Drinks
  • The Road Dance
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film
    Cannes
  • The Innocents
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Paolo Nutini at the 100 Club
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Amazons launch How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? at Live Nation
    Live music
  • Dirty Dancing the Movie in concert at Apollo Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Corsage
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • One Fine Morning (Un Beau Matin)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Dirty Dancing the Movie in concert at Apollo Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic at the British Museum
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Eo (Hi-Han)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Warpaint at the Roundhouse
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Armageddon Time
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

The Billie Holiday Story at the New Wimbledon Theatre | Theatre review
You & Me Forever | Movie review