The Dandy Warhols @ Albert Hall (Photo: Leanne Crowley)

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER-

Tonight’s a rather special night and the Albert Hall is dressed up for the occasion. It’s been 25 years since Portland’s indie rockers The Dandy Warhols burst on to the stage and to celebrate they have embarked on an epic tour and released a new album, Why You So Crazy?

Opening proceedings are Juniore, a Parisian trio who describe themselves as providing the nostalgic link to an era never known; that of scopitones, two-stroke engines and journeys on the moon and a contemporary universe. Whatever they are, they conjure up infectious guitar riffs, groovy beats and lashings of synth for good measure. Bands that sing in a foreign language usually find it difficult to win over a UK crowd, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem for these three as the crowd woop and cheer appreciatively. They make constant reference to the Dandy’s, which also helps, and it’s clear they enjoy their time on the cavernous stage.

With nine previous studio albums and 28 singles under their belt, The Dandy Warhols are one of the most respected and influential power bands to come out of the ’90s and their popularity has endured to present day. The band released their debut LP Dandys Rule OK in 1995, but it was their follow-up, 1997’s …The Dandy Warhols Come Down which brought them to widespread attention in Europe.

They open with ‘Forever’, a track taken from the new record which is probably a slow way to start as most people aren’t overly familiar with the new album, but that soon changes when the characteristic tap of ‘STYGGO’ starts, which comes from 2016’s Distortland. ‘Get Off’ comes early in the set from 2000’s Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia and sees the crowd to its feet and bopping along, it’s a great track executed with the precision you’d expect from a band of this calibre.

‘Highlife’ is an interesting inclusion with Zia’s vocal reverberating around in country western style before ‘Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth’ is the first real crowd pleaser. The track which has famously cheeky lyrics is followed by ‘We Used To Be Friends’ from 2003’s Welcome to the Monkey House and is another one that the whole room seems to know the words too.

There’s a bit of a lull in energy in the middle section of the set, possibly as the songs aren’t as well known until ‘The Last High’ appropriately picks the crowd up once more. ‘Godless’ is the next big one and then the one everyone has been waiting for, because let’s face who doesn’t know that Vodafone advert? ‘Bohemian Like You’ is arguably the Dandy’s song to top all others, it’s certainly the most popular one in the UK and so as you’d expect the crowd goes mad and belts out the words, myself included. The celebratory balloons drop from the rafters and they tie up with ‘Every Day Should Be a Holiday’, a track that probably has more provenance now than at the time it was written. They leave the stage to rapturous applause, leaving Zia to play some electronic noise through the synth until it’s all over.

It’s been one of those gigs that won’t be forgotten, everyone saying thank you to a band for their 25 years of service to the most worthy of causes.

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Post By Leanne Crowley (48 Posts)

Lover of all things psych and shoegaze and the mind behind Astral Elevator; constantly seeking new musical experiences in a world full of noise.