The sixth installment of Raven's England Swings saw the event moving from First Avenue, where formerly it was held simultaneously in the Main Room and the Entry, to the single stage at Triple Rock on the West Bank. For the most part, the venue change was a good move. Between 8 p.m. and 1:45 a.m. ten Twin Cities acts graced the Triple Rock stage including Useless, Mercurial Rage, In Pictures, The Screens, Colonial Vipers Attack, The Wag, The Alarmists, Landing Gear, So It Goes and Fab Tab & The Teds. (Arch Stanton and the Beatifics were unable to make the date.) Due to the use of a back line and the efficiency of stage manager Billy Batson, band changeovers were so fast that often bands were on stage ready to play 10 minutes before their actual start times.
This year's event was co-hosted by me [HowWasTheShow's David de Young], and also featured emcee duties by DJ Jake Rudh, who provided in between band DJ sets as well.
One show highlight came just 15 minutes into the event. Useless, who opened with a rocking, if otherwise unremarkable, version of the Beatles' “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” ended with an out of this world rendition of Gerry Rafferty's “Baker Street,” which had those of us in attendance in open-mouthed in awe as guitar player Randy (aka Freaky Useless, aka former bass player for Flipp) played the famously-searing sax solo on guitar. Drummer Sean Sauder pounded out the beat so hard he broke his drum pedal halfway through the song. It's too bad the 8 p.m. sharp start time meant only a handful of fans were on hand to witness it, though those who were there are going to remember it for some time.
Another early highlight was In Pictures performing Radiohead's "Paranoid Android."
As I'd entered the venue Friday, a Triple Rock staffer commented that he hoped he wouldn't have to sit through an evening of Cocteau Twins (Scottish, actually) and Depeche Mode. I assured him that in my experience, the bands at England Swings took the opportunity whenever possible to bring out the rock. That indeed was the case as Triple Rock Booker Shane Kramer's band The Screens served up a set that included Motorhead's “Ace of Spades” and Judas Priest's”Breakin' The Law.”
Mercurial Rage - Photo by David de Young
Colonial Vipers Attack presented a solid collection of Brit-rock hits including The Smiths' “Bigmouth Strikes Again”, Travis's “Blue Flashing Light” and the Verve's “Come On.”
A central attraction at each England Swings is, of course, Raven's ensemble the Wag. For many music fans, England Swings is the one event each year where they catch this super group, which this year included guest vocalists Katy Vernon and Janey Winterbauer. The Wag opened with the oldie “Paint It Black” as an opener, but kept their set fresh by following it up with a killer cover of Camera Obscura's “Hey, Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken.” They tackled another new act's song as they closed out their double length set with Glasgow band The Fratellis' “Chelsea Dagger.” Their set also featured a song by KT Tunstall.
For latecomers, the Alarmists' set is one which likely stood out for its final song, or more accurately its famous medley. As they broke into the Beatles' “Mean Mr. Mustard” I guessed correctly that the band would go for the jugular of side two of Abbey Road; and they nailed it, complete with plenty of mandatory singing along from the audience. (How can you not join in on “She came in through the bathroom window”!?) One thing was clear, the band's new keyboard player Jorge Raasch - who replaces outgoing keyboardist Joe Kuefler, whose last show was April 11 - is a great fit; though Raasch remained seated for the entire set, his timing was impeccable as he reached the piano strains of “The End” at the conclusion of the medley. I can't wait to see more of these guys in their new incarnation.
After a set by So It Goes that featured Brit-rock standards by Gang of Four, Pulp, The Clash and Blur, Raven's other ensemble Fab Tab & The Teds (featuring Katy Vernon) closed out the night. Though the start time of 1:30 a.m. meant the crowd was a little sparse by that time.
The good music, fun and enthusiastic crowd left me to conclude this show was another success. It is certainly among the ranks of other annual staples like Rock For Pussy, Voltage Fashion Amplified, and Radio K's Best New Bands Showcase. About the enthusiasm, event organizer, Raven said, "It says a lot about how passionate people around here feel about UK music, even though it's difficult for me to enjoy the event the way I'd like, I was most pleased by the good spirits that were evident in the room."
England Swings is a tradition I hope is around for some time to come.
1.Useless: Beatles – I Wanna Hold Your Hand
2.Useless: The Who – Pictures of Lily
3.Useless: The Kinks - Lola
4.Useless: Gerry Rafferty – Baker St.
5.Mercurial Rage: Spiritualized - Medication
6.Mercurial Rage: Oasis – Acquiesce
7.Mercurial Rage: Beatles – Helter Skelter
8.In Pictures: Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
9.In Pictures: Portishead – Glory Box
10.In Pictures: Radiohead – Paranoid Android
11.The Screens: Motorhead - Ace of Spades
12.The Screens: Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
13.The Screens: Judas Priest – Breakin' The Law
14.Colonial Vipers Attack: Smiths – Big Mouth Strikes Again
15.Colonial Vipers Attack: Travis – Blue Flashing Light
16.Colonial Vipers Attack: The Verve – Come On
17.The Wag: Stones – Paint it Black
18.The Wag: Camera Obscura – Hey, Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken
19.The Wag: KT Tunstall – Under the Weather/Suddenly I See
20.The Wag: The Yardbirds - Heart Full of Soul/For Your Love
21.The Wag: The Police – Regatta de Blanc
22.The Wag: Kirsty MacColl - Chip Shop (There's a guy who works at the chip shop who swears he's Elvis)
23.The Wag: The Fratelli's - Chelsea Dagger
24.The Alarmists: Fire – Father's Name Was Dad
25.The Alarmists: The Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love
26.The Alarmists: Side Two, Abbey Road
27.Landing Gear: ?
28.Landing Gear: Libertines – Up The Bracket
29.Landing Gear: Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant
30.So It Goes: Gang of Four – Damaged Goods
31.So It Goes: Pulp – Disco 2000
32.So It Goes: The Clash - Magnificent Seven
33.So It Goes: Blur – Girls & Boys
34.Fab Tab & the Teds: Cliff Richard - Got a funny feeling
35.Fab Tab & the Teds: The Shadows - Wonderful Land
36.Fab Tab & the Teds: Sandra Barry - We were lovers (when the party began
37.Fab Tab & the Teds: Barbara Ruskin - I can't believe in miracles
38.Fab Tab & the Teds: Billie Davis – Suffer
39.Fab Tab & the Teds: James Hunter - You can't win
40.Fab Tab & the Teds: Billy Fury - Gonna type a letter
