When reviewing a gig of a band that you love dearly, reforming to play their first gigs in decades, it's very hard to remain objective. The occasion tends to overwhelm the performance itself, and just being in the presence of songs that you thought you might never hear live, regardless of how sloppily they may be tossed off, is enough, especially if you're singing loud enough to drown out the din.So let's sidestep this dilemma by discussing support act Sic Alps. They were okay. They certainly weren't Broken Social Scene. Guitars chugged through countless identikit songs, and whilst there were odd flashes of inspiration, it was pretty forgettable stuff. For bands like Sic Alps, mere existence is sufficient.
And arguably the primary reason they exist is the five guys taking to the stage after them. Pavement are the blueprint of indie-coolness, if such a thing exists: the rangy Stephen Malkmus plays with legs stretched apart, casually tosses off witty and obscure combinations of words which you wish you'd come up with, and skilfully balances his guitar upside-down on one hand; Spiral Stairs dons a flat-cap; drummer Steve West dons spectacles and a beard; you just want to give the round, baby-faced figure of bassist Mark Ibold a big hug. Then there's percussionist/vocalist/weird noise specialist Bob Nastanovich, truly the band's secret weapon, whose boundless energy is infectious (perhaps being irradiated from his vibrant shirt).
So now I've had time to lay down the rose-tinted specs, I can review this gig in a balanced and considered manner. Pavement were fantastic. Utterly and undeniably fantastic. Over two hours, the band dug their way through a back catalogue laden with treasures, and the offerings were every bit as good as you 'd hope they would be. Unfair was a riot, with Nastanovich at the forefront, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Fight This Generation was zonked out in that special Wowee Zowee kinda way. The band played call and response between themselves during In A Mouth A Desert. Main-set closer Here had the lighters aloft in a manner which was in no way ironic or embarassing. Two encores were rapturously received, the first closing with the swooning Fin from Brighten The Corners, the second bringing Nastanovich back to the frontline for one final assault with Conduit For Sale.
The crowd certainly played their part in proceedings, singing and screaming their way through every song, no matter how non-sensical the lyrics. Everybody was buzzing; it's impossible not to have fun with these songs, and one can hardly imagine the reunion performances of Godspeed! You Black Emperor later conjuring up such an atmosphere later this year. Crucially though, the band gave back to the crowd in spades (plus a gracious acknowledgement of the late-great John Peel always goes a long way). It was a performance befitting of the occasion.
