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Rilo Kiley at the Leadmill
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Article
written by Matt H
Jun 30, 2005.
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Yes this is in the right section. On moving to Sheffield a few months back I was confused. How come so many acts miss it out of their schedules? There’s two good sized universities, a decent tradition of local bands, a range of venues. I was ready to be outraged on the city’s behalf. A couple of trips to the Leadmill though and the picture’s becoming clearer.
Last night I turn up to the long sold out Rilo Kiley gig at 8:30 expecting crowds, only to find the main room empty. Instead we’re shunted into a full (ish) small back room with the sightlines of the old Wembley in a pea-souper and the acoustics of a washing machine in the middle of a hot wash. And Rilo Kiley are already on. At 8:30! I’ve been to school discos that started later than 8:30!
So the band are doing their best, but against a bizarre mix that places Jenny Lewis’ vocals right at the bottom. Now, whatever you think of Rilo Kiley, Jenny’s voice is a fine thing, not to be muffled by boys’ guitar excesses. The only problem is that when the guitar volume dipped, the other problem became clear. OK, so in the circumstances I know why the crowd might not be on top form but the incessant jabber make you wonder why half of them were there at all. I mean you – the fat bald bloke in the white t-shirt and your beery banter with your inbred mates. I mean you – the woman with chemo-headscarf writing notes on your lanky bowl-cut boyfriend. I mean you - the idiots down by the bar at the front (too murky to see that far) who shouted a conversation throughout the encore, an attempt to do a delicate version of the usually rousing Spectacular Views.
So while Rilo Kiley were pretty good in going through their thing, they seemed distinctly tetchy and with good reason. What would you make of venue that books you then bungs you into a crappy back room with naff sound, clearly with never any intention of potentially putting you on the (not especially big) main stage, AND shoves you out at 8:30 so you don’t get in the way of the really important business of flogging cheap vodka at its club night? With treatment like this I can imagine the conversation when planning the next UK tour: “Leeds, yep. Nottingham? Nice city. Sheffield? Nah – we’d play second fiddle to the teenage booze crew, screw Sheffield.” It’s happened before. They booted American Music Club off too. I’ve already got my Arcade Fire ticket, so I’ll know if it happens again.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Elsewhere on the site there’s an account of a terrific evening at the Boardwalk watching 50 Foot Wave and Misty’s Big Adventure. The headline band actually went out of their way to praise the venue staff for the care they took. Which was all great, but nearly no-one turned up. No wonder bands miss Sheffield out. I too am thinking of going to Manchester instead, and I live here.
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