THE BROKEN FAMILY BAND @ MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3

"You didn't ask about The Broken Family Band" "Get Out Of The Bedroom!!" An impromptu additional crowd response to the opening of You're Like A Woman from tonight's gig.

Things got off to a shaky start with a croaking Steven Adams announcing he had lost his voice. The band had been discussing whether it was only 'proper' bands who cancelled gigs. Anyway they went ahead despite this and with singer fuelled by Raspberry, Echinacea and Lemon tea laced with rum it was an excellent night.
BFB give this appearance of just turning up, looking as though they don't quite care what they are doing or where they are - but they then turn in a fantastically committed performance. OK the voice wasn't all there and this took away from songs like John Belushi but in others like It's All Over it gave extra bite. And as well as the music it's the banter and good-humoured vibe from the band that make the evening - some excellent digs at The Thrills who were playing "in the basement" whilst BFB were in the "lofty heights" of Academy 3.

Don't know how much the set was tweaked to work around the voice but a real mix of older songs plus stuff from the last two albums. Even a "super new song" Please Yourself that "won't get recorded for ages". Would have fitted in well on either of last two songs - seemed to be about late night (post-gig?) encounter with someone in a hotel bar with the refrain in the chorus of "why don't you go back to your hotel room/and please yourself".

For the final song of the set the band were joined by tour manager Justin to sing the chorus to Love Your Man, Love Your Woman. However they somehow turned the lack of their singer's voice to their advantage, making the whole thing feel like a celebration. There's not many bands that can do that. They got a great reception from a really mixed (and I mean really mixed) audience and seem genuinely appreciative of it all. They claim not to be touring "for ages". Shame.

Approximate set-list
In The City (with intro from another new song?)

At The Back Of The Chapel

Give And Take

Hey Captain

Twelve Eyes of Evil

Happy Days Are Here Again

Seven Sisters

The Booze And The Drugs

Please Yourself (may have been played a few songs later)

Living in Sin

Honest Man's Blues

John Belushi

Devil In The Details

You're Like A Woman

Dancing On The Fourth Floor

Love Your Man Love Your Woman

- encore -

It's All Over

Missed first support band but caught The Clientele. At first was a bit underwhelmed. Three piece playing mellow 60s-infused country-rock-pop with Dylanesque vocals. But after a few songs it started to make sense. Their latest album is getting good reviews - see here. They finished with a cover of Television's The Fire. Don't have anything by The Clientele to offer but do have Television...plus here's the closing song of the BFB set.

THE FIRE
Television
Adventure [BUY]

IT'S ALL OVER
The Broken Family Band

Balls [BUY]