Starting with a thundering rendition of JOE under a storm of red lights and flashing spotlights, the INSPIRAL CARPETS open tonight’s epic indie fest at a club that really ought to start charging me rent after the amount of times I’ve been here this month, the legendary Rock City.
YOU’RE SO GOOD FOR ME has the crowd dancing to the INSPIRAL CARPETS’ distinctive swirling keyboard symphony and is followed by the anthem to angst THIS IS HOW IT FEELS, which has me and the rest of the audience singing along loudly.
Wielding the bass like a weapon during SHE COMES IN THE FALL, bassist Swift has the audience bouncing to the compelling back beat until the crashing conclusion of a drumming frenzy.
The shimmering beauty of TWO WORLDS COLLIDE slows the pace a little and showcases the INSPIRAL CARPETS’ ability to capture pathos perfectly in crashing riffs and soaring vocals.
The racing intensity of I WANT YOU has the crowd chanting passionately along with Holt as the band perform full throttle.
FIND OUT WHY has the crowd dancing along and then the audience is clapping along to the intro of DRAGGING ME DOWN, which sees Holt in the photo pit singing along with the fans in the front row before returning to the stage for DIRECTING TRAFFIC, with the audience dancing giddily to the whirling tune.
Featuring legendary poet DR JOHN COOPER CLARKE, LET YOU DOWN blends lyrical dexterity with a dance inducing melody and then the band play one of my favourite songs of all time SATURN 5 and I’m not really sure what is happening around me any more because I am jumping around and singing at the top of my voice. What a gig and SHED SEVEN are still to come!
