Supporting Ash at the Scala and for part of the tour are Norwich five-piece band Bag of Cans. Appearing on stage in matching orange boiler suits, some rolled up at the legs or down at the waist, the band are, fittingly, holding cans of Kronenburg 1664. Presumably the cans were in a bag at some point.
I’m not sure how seriously to take this band. Starting with Favourite Shirt – which is about a shirt that you really like, we are told – the band announce that the next one is about laundry, and there’s a ripple of laughter – although the next song is actually called Spin Cycle so it wasn’t a joke.
Bag of Cans
Their debut album is called We Are A Band. There are two singers, both called George, one also plays guitar and the other has a trumpet. The trumpet adds an extra layer to the sound. There’s something Parklife-esque about some of the songs sung by guitarist George. There’s also guitarist Tom, bassist Sam and drummer Joe.
Bag of Cans
There’s a bit of audience banter about the Fat Cat pub in Norwich (but which one, there are three) and Guinea-Bissau’s primary export (cashew nuts – I don’t think it’s a running gag that I’ve spoiled as that story got shut down pretty quickly).
The rest of the set contains songs about hangovers, milkmen delivering extras and checking carbon monoxide detectors (that one has a special dance) and other irreverent themes.
Great, fun set by Bag of Cans, and perfect warm-up to Ash on a rainy Tuesday night in London.
Rescheduled from last November due to illness, this is an acoustic set with Q&A and the first of two intimate shows this evening. There are only 4 members of the band on stage (rather than the usual 85, they joke) – Tim, Jim, Saul and Mike.
The evening starts a somber tone. The first song is Broken by the Hurt, a poignant and empathetic ballad, which is dedicated to a mother that had contacted the band after losing her 18 year old son to drugs. This is followed by a moving rendition of The Shining.
On a lighter note, the Q&A prompts a story about how Sit Down caused everyone to actually sit down at the Locomotive club in Paris, which was Tim said was beautiful due to its spontaneity, despite club floors in the 90s being sticky with spilt beer and cigarette butts, and not particularly nice to sit down on! Additional detail, insults and “comic relief” was provided by guitarist and violinist Saul.
Technical issues meant that the band hadn’t sound-checked or rehearsed that day, however they played a beautiful, acoustic version of Say Something, which had a big singalong during the chorus.
This tour was originally timed with the release of James’ new album Nothing But Love, The Definitive Best Of… in November and they were asked about how they’d chosen the tracks for the triple album. Jim explained that it originally started out as a singles album, but they realised that there were many songs that were important to the band or the fans, that weren’t on the list because they weren’t singles. So Jim and Tim decided what to put on, from their back catalogue of over 400 songs, and swapping tracks in and out.
Q&A with Tim
10 year old Ellen, who was seeing James for the third time, asked Tim what inspired him to become a singer?
He replied, “I came from a house where we didn’t even have a record player, and so music was a quite barren culture, and in my day, there were like 2 TV channels, and there wasn’t a bit much entertainment. And so when you did get hit by something, you got hit big. It was like if you did see something, it was magical.”
He goes on to tell us about the night at boarding school when he found out that his father was very ill and dying, but couldn’t show any emotion. Until he sneaked down and listened to a cassette of music, which contained “Birdland” by Patti Smith, about a boy losing his father and this song unleashed his emotions. This inspired him becoming a singer:
“It was the idea that somebody on the other side of the world could write something for you that was the perfect thing for you in that moment that could save your life”.
It was such a personal story, and felt like he was confiding in us, baring his soul to the thousand fans in the room.
To lighten the mood again, Saul declares that in as a strange segue, this next song is Patty Smith. They then played PS (although Tim said isn’t really about Patti Smith).
The next question from the audience was preceded by a solemn tale from a lady who saw James live last year, followed them around the country, learnt the lyrics and credits them with saving her life. It’s a heavy story, but the question itself was a cheeky marriage proposal to Saul!
The conversation then turns to a discussion of their favourite venues given they have played everywhere from arenas to little gigs like this. The Albert Hall is mentioned, along with some other places, but an annoying Aussie voice chimes from the back demanding to know their favourite.
Tim explains that it’s not just the venue, the audience play their part in the chemistry. He uses an analogy: “You don’t you don’t say to somebody, which is your favourite bed for making love on? You say which was the time you had the most amazing lovemaking experience, and it kind of depends on the 2 people.”
“I know it seems really cheesy, but this is one of the best venues I’ve ever played,” remarked Saul. “It’s amazing. It’s also because of you lot”. Big cheers.
Saul and Tim
The band started playing Hallelujah Anyhow, but Tim declares “I can’t remember the words to this one, I’m really thrown.” He asked the audience if anyone remembers the opening lines. A few people chipped in with the words and the proposal lady grabbed a mic and sang “Hold me, see, hold me”.
“You have triggered it, so thank you. As Chloe isn’t here, that isn’t the bit I’m going to sing,” laughed Tim. A very moving version of Hallelujah Anyhow followed.
Questions about venues aren’t finished – “James are a very intimate act, and a venue like this is perfect. Why are you playing O2?”
Saul quips, “Well, it was either play the O2, one night, or 223 nights here. And we can’t afford the hotels.”
Tim add, “We love playing the big venues as much as the small ones. So you get a different show, you know, that’s the thing. Can you make an arena intimate? And I think generally on a good day, we can, and you can, but on a good day, it is harder work, it’s a different experience, but it’s a great challenge.”
James had mentioned in advance that they wanted to do a jam/improvised session tonight, but given they were flying by the seat of their pants without a sound check, they decided to do two final songs instead.
An emotional Just Like Fred Astaire followed. The final song, Laid, takes me back to my university years when it was a staple in Manchester’s indie clubs at the end of the 90s. The audience are singing and dancing along with great energy.
Hands in the air for James
My experience of Q&As is that fans want to declare their undying love for the band, and tonight was no different, but I felt that I got to know James much better in this intimate setting with the personal stories that they shared.
I hadn’t realised that James inspired such a loyal fandom. Many of the fans had travelled some distance and a lucky few also had tickets to the later show this evening. (I’m told that the songs were the same but in a different order, and that ribbing from the earlier proposal continued for Saul.)
I also hadn’t realised how great they are live. Though a short set of only seven songs (from their back catalogue of over 400!), it was an excellent selection to showcase the bands range.
Cast! Another blast from the past! Reformed and with new material, Cast are promoting their 8th studio album Yeah Yeah Yeah in Kingston.
The last time that they were in Kingston two years ago, they did three sold out instore gigs at Banquet Records but said they were looking at the ‘big’ artists that played in this venue. (It was Rod Stewart and Jools Holland that night, I was there). And now, here they are!
Their debut album All Change is another of my most played tapes in 1995. The current formation of the band is vocalist and guitarist John Power, lead guitarist Liam ‘Skin’ Tyson and drummer Keith O’Neill.
John Power – Music is Power
Starting with album opener Poison Vine, the band play a bunch of their new songs. They sound great but feel like I need more time to listen and get to know them. The new single Free Love was catchy and I particularly like Devil and the Deep, which John Power described as a folk song.
Cast
After the new material, it was also great to hear some old songs. Live The Dream is on second album Mother Nature Calls but I would swear I’ve heard it for the first time today, I just don’t remember it. It sounds so groovy. I love it. There a bit of an audience singalong, before John Power took over the vocals. (I do remember Guiding Star from the same album which was sadly removed from tonight’s set list, so I’m perplexed by the mind blank!)
The set continued with a magnificent trio of All Change favourites – Walkaway, Finetime and Alright. Lots of arms in the air and singing along. The audience shouted requests for Sandstorm, which would have been brilliant, but the show ended on a massive high with Alright sounding epic!
Cast are in fine form, performing great songs old and new, and fantastic live.
Kula Shaker were included in the Britpop cohort of the late 90s, even though their mystical sound was quite different from their contemporaries. I’m wondering if I’ve seen them live since their set at Knebworth supporting Oasis in 1996, given their debut album K must be one of my most listened to albums that year.
Thirty years on, they are back in Kingston. Front man Crispian Mills and bassist Alonza Bevan were at nearby Richmond College together and played at “an Irish pub near the Grey Horse”. (Someone suggested O’Neills but that isn’t really in the right area so I suspect it more likely to be Whelans, or the Artful Dodger as it was known for most of my lifetime. Anyway, not important.) They claimed to be a folk band but were accused of being a hippie band, so they resorted to playing a limited repertoire of covers by The Fureys on rotation.
Kula Shaker poster
I’m at the second of two back-to-back acoustic instore sets at Banquet Records. Unusually the music has started before everyone in the queue gets into the store. Crispian and Alonza are sitting on the counter, Jay Darlington behind the corner on keyboards and drummer Paul Winterhart tucked away to the side. It’s not a huge store and there is a large record display through the middle like a spine. It is very intimate, and the sound quality is excellent.
Crispian explained that they were going to play a different set to their earlier show, which is great for the lucky ones that managed to get to both. They had a song ‘bench’ so they could vary the set – but the songs on the bench contained girls names. Crispian mentioned Ophelia, and Ruby, both appear to be from their 2010 album Pilgrims Progress. They played Ruby, declaring that it was the first time that they played it live.
Lucky Number, the opening track on their forthcoming new album Wormslayer (according to Spotify), sounds great acoustic, more jangly and light than the complex layers of the record, which I also love.
I also like the catchy Infinite Sun, which I assume is a new song but I find afterwards it is actually 10 years old.
The band ended their set with a rousing rendition of their 1996 hit Govinda. Sung in Sanskrit, it brings out their influence of Indian music and spirituality, and led to a beautifully nostalgic moment.
Meeting Kula Shaker
After the set there was an opportunity to meet the band at a signing. I learn that I share a name with their first manager and their current manager… something to think about if I ever want a career change.
Wormslayer will be released on 30th January and I’m looking forward to hearing more new material from Kula Shaker.
Signed tour posterThis week’s events at Banquet Records
The headlining act at Troxy was an acoustic set from organiser and self-proclaimed ‘Merch Market guy’ Tim Burgess, playing a selection of Charlatans classics accompanied by Sam O’Donovan on guitar.
Set list:
North Country Boy
White Shirt
Salt Water
For The Girls
Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over
The Only One I Know
This is something special. A reward for everyone that has stayed at the Troxy til the very end of the Merch Market. (It’s been a long day!)
Hearing the upbeat jangly classic North Country Boy completely stripped back was exquisite. Unlike the songs that followed, which sounded like acoustic versions of themselves, the arrangement of North Country Boy turned it into something completely different.
Tim Burgess & Sam O’Donovan live and acoustic
White Shirt sounded fantastic. I haven’t heard it in ages.
It was the first time I’ve heard Salt Water live. It’s a melodic interlude with few lyrics and invokes imagery of a cold winter’s beach, quite a contrast to the rest of the new album as it feels a definite change of pace, so fit perfectly into this acoustic set.
Another new one, For The Girls, was very well received and is soon to be considered a Charlatans classic, I’m sure!
Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over is always great to hear (“It’s a matter of taste, yeah!”).
And finally, The Only One I Know, which works amazing well as a stripped back acoustic version.
The set was short and sweet, and ended with a “Love you all” to the audience.
I’ve heard a lot of great music recently which has inspired me to reboot Blue Roses fanzine… but where to start?!
I’m incredibly lucky to have Banquet Records on my doorstep and have enjoyed the live shows in Kingston for many years. The original Blue Roses had me traipsing up and down the country to see great bands, and these days I mostly see them in Kingston!
My resolution for 2026 is to see even more live music. Plenty of my favourite bands from the 90s are touring and I also hope to discover some new and exciting artists.
I haven’t written in a while so I set myself a challenge of reflecting on some of the gigs that I went to in 2025. Some are more detailed than others as I’m writing from memory but I wanted to share some of the live music that I have experienced in the last 12 months.
Blue Roses Fanzine 2.0 