REVIEW: Cake at Indigo2
- Posted on July 16, 2007 3:19 PM
- 0 comments
Cake at Indigo 2
Support: Ruarri Joseph
13 July 2007
Review by Katie Spain
"Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell..." My German mate turns to me with confusion plastered all over his face. "What go to hell?"
For most, Cake lyrics may seem confusing. They are also obscure and a hell of a lot of fun… but delve a bit deeper and you'll find a lot more. Go all the way and sit (stand, jump, bop) your way through a live performance with the band and you'll come out enthralled.
Some gigs grab you when you least expect it; some venues do too. Indigo2 at the O2 centre is one of them.
One week ago, I visited the O2 to review Justin Timberlake at the O2 Arena. Justin brought 'sexy back' but I came out raving at the efficient staff, prime views from all angles (even for the vertically challenged like me) and the overall O2 'wow factor'. It's rare to find a venue so close to a tube station with every amenity you could ever imagine. We didn't get time to sample the bars and restaurants last time but today, after an interview with support act Ruarri Joseph, we have time to test the surroundings. A quick G&T and a seared king prawn salad lines the stomach for a stellar night of music. Most tastes are catered for - there's a wide mix of restaurants, coffee shops and bars satisfies the beer-guzzler beside me and the cocktail-lover within me.
This is where the O2 outshines Wembley; it caters for all. Whether you're there for sport, classical, acoustic, rock... the venue makes you feel safe and looked after. It also offers more than dodgy burgers, limp fries and pavements lined with dodgy touts. Tonight we're here to chat to the delightful Ruarri Joseph - a solo artist based in Newquay. This gives us a rare chance to delve behind the scenes of the giant space-aged armadillo of a building. Raurri is as easy going as he is talented. You can see the interview here... like us, it was his first time in the Indigo2 section of the O2. To be honest, I prefer the smaller space. It has an intimacy you don't get in larger venues. Our tickets say we're seated but our pre-gig forage seems to indicate otherwise. We don't see any obvious seating... maybe we're too entranced by Ruarri's band. If only we'd looked up.
Later, after the aforementioned beverage testing, we're ready for some tunes. The staff ferry us away from the main entrance towards a concrete stairwell. The smell of fresh paint nibbles at our nostrils and reminds us just how new it is. We walk up... and up... before emerging into a dark abyss - reminiscent to the upper tiers of a West End theatre (minus the dodgy old seats and musty smells). A long bar stands tall behind reams of seats. We gasp (yes, I'm serious). The place is damn near genius... the view from our seats is almost perfect; I guess beer and elevated vantage points give reason for protective barriers. Television screens above the stage show enough live footage to make up for this.
Ruarri is a crowd pleaser. It's hard not to love his easy-going nature, honest lyrics and life-experience-packed tunes. He's renowned for wearing flip-flops but as we discussed earlier, so too are Aussies. This guy could wear pink ugg-boots and still entrance an audience through vocals alone. Judging by the 'Cake' emblazoned T-shirts, most people were here to see the main act but the post-support applause indicated they were glad they'd arrived early. Ruarri closes with 'Baby Finn' – a song named after his daughter and a fitting and sentimental end to a gripping set. It is music that makes you proud to be English (which I’m not so that’s a statement and a half) and it takes you back to lazy days at festivals and the rare moments we allow ourselves to truly relax. Excuse me sir… I’ll have a second serving of THAT please. It's not a tall order... Ruarri is gigging heavily to promote his new album 'Tales Of Grime And Grit' so he’s not hard to find. Give ‘Blankets’ a listen – I challenge you to keep your hand off the ‘Repeat’ button.
Cake is made up of a motley crew and an American band my German muso mate hadn't heard a lot of. Back in Oz, they're a radio favourite and I haven't been to a party without a Cake sing-along nestled amongst the evening. They are renowned for their exceptional live performances and the anticipation-packed crowd is a loud one... vocal in their adoration and full of boozy confidence.
It's fun - with a good message, and that's the best type right? Frontman John McCrea isn't afraid to open his mouth neither to sing nor to make a statement. Between hits such as 'The Distance' and 'Never There' along with 'Short Skirt / Long Jacket' and 'Sheep Go to Heaven' we are treated to what feels like a one-on-one banter session with the charismatic frontman. Cake's tunes are generally short and hard-hitting if you look past the catchy one-liners and addictive riffs. They take society's misgivings and roll them up in a tightly packed ball - then serve it to us faster than Freddy Flintoff.
A guessing game follows 'Too Much Carbon Monoxide'. "Who knows what city that song is about?” Album copies are offered as incentive (and a plug for upcoming release of “Live at the Crystal Palace” and “B-sides and Rarities”. Scratch and Smell artwork is a novel and distinctly Cake touch. "This one smells like fresh cut roses... and this one's like banana. We have leather and grape and newly mown grass". A man called Jason comes out triumphant - he gets a CD because "You sir obviously put up with a lot of abuse to get to the front". For the curious, the city in question was Los Angeles.
The band has been quiet of late and is the first to admit it. McCrea encourages people to sign up to the website because "You won't hear about us any other way". The band is set on distancing themselves from government-associated corporations and that obviously means a self-reliant DIY approach.
Somehow I doubt the fans will mind going the extra distance.
The Indie mix of Funk, Soul, Pop, Jazz, and even a hint of Country is head bopping stuff. The sound quality in the venue ensures we don't miss a beat - even a trip to the loo (there's lots of them) isn't blanked in silence. McCrae interacts with the crowd and more importantly, seems to genuinely enjoy himself. The crowd on our level stays seated until the end and even then only a few brave souls rise to their feet. It's not through a lack of fun - there's plenty of that in the room; maybe it's because most of us are on a first date basis with our surroundings. To wind things up, McCrae plays the seated crowd against the standing in a vocal survival of the loudest. He then unites the two and plays one side of the venue off the other. We're in his grip and he loves it. So too, do we.
We wait for the remake of Gloria Gaynor's disco classic "I Will Survive"... but we don't get it. You know what, it doesn't matter a bit. Sometimes you've got to say no to that extra slice of cake. Gluttony benefits no-one. I've tasted a new flavour tonight... and I think it’s going to be a favourite.
Great company, a great venue, faultless staff and two helpings of wonderful music complete a great night out. As for the ‘sheep going to hell’... I've left that one to my mate. Some confusion is just too sweet to dispel.
Were you there? We want your reviews and random musings... post them in the comments section.
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