28/01/2000
Ooberman have yet to go on a proper ‘headlining’ tour of their own, so thus far they’ve only played live at festivals, or by supporting others. But hopefully this will be corrected soon, because they’re slowly becoming the best live band I’ve seen in a long while.
In store gigs are strange things. There’s not much space for people to gather around the band, as magazine and cd racks get in the way. And, normally, there are few real fans of a band at these type of things, just curious on-lookers. But this thirty five minute gig, on a busy Friday afternoon in the Oxford Street Virgin Megastore was one of the best I’ve been too for ages. Due on stage at one, they arrived fifteen minutes late to a crowd of about fifty or so who had been waiting for at least half an hour. Unlike most store appearances, there was a real feeling of anticipation for the band, and the crowd easily doubled within the first ten minutes. Literally bouncing on stage, the band played majestically.
I hadn’t seen them since Reading ’98, and they’ve improved so much, sounding almost exactly as they do on record, but Bigger, Brighter, and (keeping with the B’s) so much Ballsier. Sophia looked cuter than ever, Danny couldn’t stop dancing, and, for that matter, niether could the crowd. They played a gorgeously tight set, beginning with their only ‘chart hit’ “Blossom’s Falling” and then wowing the crowd with a mixture of the bands’ favourite tunes.
All the singles were trotted out, Million Suns, Tears from a Willow, and a new version of Shorley Wall, without Sophia reading poetry over the end, which is due to be their next release. But they also played a selection of songs which weren’t so well known – including Bees, and my personal favourite ‘Why did my igloo collapse,’ plus a b-side to the new version of Shorley Wall, “Wasteland of Souls” which finds them getting slightly guttsier and harder, whilst still retaining a magical chorus.
And after thirty five minutes the band left the stage to the howls and cheers of adoring fans. Many of which had probably never heard of the band before today. Surely it can’t be long before Ooberman become residents of the top ten charts, and if they don’t, it will only confirm my beliefs that the music charts mean less than they have ever done before.
Alex Finch.
GC(uk) Email/Newsletter Advanced Site Search
 |
| Let Spyonit.com notify you when this page changes! |