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prunesquallormdFields of the Nephilim, Leeds, 15th December 2013
The first time, I was 17 or 18 (1990-ish), I was a little too close to the front (it was so loud it was painful), their best album (Elizium) hadn't been released yet, and anyway I was in the middle of a fairly severe bout of depression so I wasn't really capable of enjoying anything very much. The second time was 2008 and they were wonderful but, for various reasons, the venue didn't really work for them.
So this was the third time, and everything - everything - was perfect. The venue (the O2 Academy) is big-ish but small enough to be reasonably intimate. And Fields of the Nephilim were, not to put too fine a point on it, fucking awesome. Carl McCoy is 50 this year and he doesn't look or sound the slightest bit different. Nothing at all has changed, apparently, except that he has, in my eyes, at least, become a god XD No seriously. Whatever he may be like in person, on that stage he's out of this world <3
They opened with Chord of Souls (from The Nephilim). Never a favourite of mine, but a good opener.
I don't recall song 2, mainly because third up was 'At the Gates of Silent Memory'. This:-
One of my favourite songs from my favourite album ever. And somewhere around the crescendo, two thirds through, I kind of lost it. You know, actual happy tears (despite the fact that there were people around me who seemed more intent on talking to each other than listening to the music >:(). Total religious experience, basically.
It was a short set - though over an hour (they had to share a headline with The Mission, so yeah) - but totally, completely, and utterly perfect. They played nothing from Dawnrazor (a shame) and nothing from Zoon (thankfully. It sucks) but that did mean that their entire set was from their 3 best albums (oh, and Psychonaut, which isn't an album track proper, but whatevs. It is, however, awesome). So, The Watchman (from whence came the title of the story that I've been writing for the last three years), Mourning Sun, Straight to the Light, Love Under Will, Psychonaut (and again with the people talking in the middle. Excuse me, don't you care that I'm having a religious epiphany here?), and others I don't remember right now. Except that they closed out the set with 'And There Will Your Heart Be Also', which is glorious.
And then then they did Moonchild for the first encore song (and even though it's not a favourite of mine, it was still fabulous) and then 'Last Exit for the Lost', which, yeah, appropriate, I guess XD
Carl McCoy doesn't do the whole folksy, chat to the audience thing, and he's literally the only performer in which I don't find that rude and annoying. He managed a 'thank you' at the end of the set, and a 'thank you very much' after the encore. It was more than enough.
Is it at all apparent how happy I am about this whole thing, a week later? I guess there's nothing that could communicate that. But yeah. You'll have to take my word for it XD
Have some blurry pictures :p
:DDDDD
I probably won't be on much more before Christmas and I'm almost certainly going to be offline while I'm with the family (no wi-fi :((() so happy holidays, Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year to you all :)
*hugs*
The first time, I was 17 or 18 (1990-ish), I was a little too close to the front (it was so loud it was painful), their best album (Elizium) hadn't been released yet, and anyway I was in the middle of a fairly severe bout of depression so I wasn't really capable of enjoying anything very much. The second time was 2008 and they were wonderful but, for various reasons, the venue didn't really work for them.
So this was the third time, and everything - everything - was perfect. The venue (the O2 Academy) is big-ish but small enough to be reasonably intimate. And Fields of the Nephilim were, not to put too fine a point on it, fucking awesome. Carl McCoy is 50 this year and he doesn't look or sound the slightest bit different. Nothing at all has changed, apparently, except that he has, in my eyes, at least, become a god XD No seriously. Whatever he may be like in person, on that stage he's out of this world <3
They opened with Chord of Souls (from The Nephilim). Never a favourite of mine, but a good opener.
I don't recall song 2, mainly because third up was 'At the Gates of Silent Memory'. This:-
One of my favourite songs from my favourite album ever. And somewhere around the crescendo, two thirds through, I kind of lost it. You know, actual happy tears (despite the fact that there were people around me who seemed more intent on talking to each other than listening to the music >:(). Total religious experience, basically.
It was a short set - though over an hour (they had to share a headline with The Mission, so yeah) - but totally, completely, and utterly perfect. They played nothing from Dawnrazor (a shame) and nothing from Zoon (thankfully. It sucks) but that did mean that their entire set was from their 3 best albums (oh, and Psychonaut, which isn't an album track proper, but whatevs. It is, however, awesome). So, The Watchman (from whence came the title of the story that I've been writing for the last three years), Mourning Sun, Straight to the Light, Love Under Will, Psychonaut (and again with the people talking in the middle. Excuse me, don't you care that I'm having a religious epiphany here?), and others I don't remember right now. Except that they closed out the set with 'And There Will Your Heart Be Also', which is glorious.
And then then they did Moonchild for the first encore song (and even though it's not a favourite of mine, it was still fabulous) and then 'Last Exit for the Lost', which, yeah, appropriate, I guess XD
Carl McCoy doesn't do the whole folksy, chat to the audience thing, and he's literally the only performer in which I don't find that rude and annoying. He managed a 'thank you' at the end of the set, and a 'thank you very much' after the encore. It was more than enough.
Is it at all apparent how happy I am about this whole thing, a week later? I guess there's nothing that could communicate that. But yeah. You'll have to take my word for it XD
Have some blurry pictures :p
:DDDDD
I probably won't be on much more before Christmas and I'm almost certainly going to be offline while I'm with the family (no wi-fi :((() so happy holidays, Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year to you all :)
*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2013-12-21 01:09 am (UTC)The fuzzy photos are very atmostpheric!
Merry Xmas! See you in 2014!
no subject
Date: 2013-12-24 02:25 pm (UTC)I've never heard him speak in a normal environment (an interview or whatever). I wonder if he sounds similar or if that's just a performance thing.
The pics came out better than I expected. At least you can see the stage XD
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year to you too! <3
no subject
Date: 2013-12-24 02:32 pm (UTC)Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarl!!
no subject
Date: 2014-01-28 08:21 pm (UTC)That's so cool!
I'm surprised at how shy and diffident and, well, nice he seems :)
no subject
Date: 2014-01-28 11:28 pm (UTC)