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Gretschen Hofner played their compliment of songs in the cabaret style, with
interesting themes, such as that 'You Extend From What You Walk In.' Their music
was average, but not at all bad. It was a very adult sound, but they were enjoyed
by most.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ether were a young guitar pop band - they
are all 24, and formed only last March. They were received well, especially by
the younger audience. The singer, Rory, had a unique voice, reminiscent of Elvis
Costello, but wi th a slight Welsh accent. They seemed to be enjoying themselves
on stage, playing a well constructed set to keep the crowd's attention throughout.
They played their forthcoming single, 'Please Say Yeah,' and ended with the pure
pop tune 'Best Friend.'
My Life Story, all eleven of them, just about fitted on the stage. Singer Jake
appeared last, in a spangly multi-coloured silver suit on. Their full sound, strings
and brass included, translated brilliantly to the audience, who were invited to
sing along to 'Motorcade.' Their new single 'Sparkle' was a hit, leading up to
the highlight of the show, '12 Reasons Why.' Before this song, we were treated
to a play-act of Jake receiving a "black plastic disc," for total record sales
of over 25!
Jake was the star of the show, talking between songs, and posing for the crowd.
His voice is very powerful, and he rightfully encapsulated the attentions of the
whole room. They returned for an encore, and played two songs: one, a bare 'Angel'
and lastly , 'Funny Ha Ha.' In a moment, they were gone, and the lights went up
again, leaving the audience to ravage the set lists.
After the gig, I spoke to Jake Shillingford, singer with My Life Story, backstage:
Do you come from Essex?
"I come from Southend On Sea. Danny's [keyboardist] from Ipswich."
What was it like tonight?
"A very, very good crowd. I think it's the best we've had so far."
Do you get a better reaction in Essex?
"It's only 'cause I come from round here. We usually get quite a lot of heckling.
You get people mentioning old girlfriends I went out with when I was 14. It really
throws you. We get a pretty good reaction wherever we are now. We were always
criticized f or doing too many gigs around London. That's why we're doing a 60
date tour round the country. "
Is there a story behind '12 Reasons Why?'
"With '12 Reasons Why' I just wanted to write an out and out love song. A lot
of British pop bands are really scared of songs about love. I think Mariah Carey
and Whitney Housten have pretty much taken it and made it really untrendy. Love's
a really good song to write about. But with '12 Reasons' it wasn't like "ooh baby
I love you," it was celebrating love. Not all the reasons were really good - she
never calls when she says, but it's one of the reasons why you love them. 'Cause
you are just sitting by the phone, going mad. You kind of fall in love with the
idea of that."
Did you choose your own support bands?
"We chose Ether because they're on the same label as us. I just really loved them.
He's got a fantastic voice. The singer of Gretschen Hofner has been a friend of
mine for nearly ten years. I really like them as well."
Michelle 10/96.
This page
http://www.twelvereasonswhy.co.uk/gigs/mlsco96.html© Richard Harrison
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