What: Snow Patrol
Where: Royal Albert Hall, London
When: 24th November
The Royal Albert Hall is starting to feel like home. This is my third review at the RAH in the past couple of months and second in a fortnight. Ironically it’s a little deja vu as well. Last time also featured Snow Patrol as part of the Children in Need gig organised by Gary Barlow of Take That. The last gig will also have a bearing on this one as you’ll see later.
I’ve made no secret of my liking for the Royal Albert Hall as a venue. I felt like a proud father this time as I took two Americans to the gig and took them for a tour of the venue before the start. Walking them around the inside of the building you can’t help but feel in awe. Not only is the building an architectural marvel it’s walls are covered with photos of previous events held there. It’s a who’s who of music everything from Sinatra to Hendrix and from The last night of the Proms to… well, The Who! Doing the tour reminded me of something though, it’s a very long way from the top (Gallery) level down to the stage. The acoustics up there aren’t that good either and the baffles they’ve artistically installed don’t do a good enough job and the echo is bad.
Bands usually make an effort to do something different when they play the RAH and I was pleased to see Snow Patrol joined by a brass and string section (complete with harp) for tonight’s gig. It really suits the setting and I felt worked really well for most of the songs played tonight. Playing the Royal Albert Hall took an extra meaning tonight when the massive organ that looms behind the stage was played during one song. When built it was the largest organ in the world with nearly 10,000 pipes! I saw it played before during an Elvis Costello gig at the hall. It looks impressive but the sound doesn’t work as well as the look.
Singer Gary Lightbody made a very brave decision at one point in the set to do a song acoustically. It was brave but ultimately didn’t work as well as it was intended. Gary’s voice just isn’t powerful enough to carry it off alone and the song only worked when the backing singers and other band members joined in.
Something like that didn’t spoil it for the audience who seemed completely drawn in. This was due to Gary’s interaction with them throughout. From early on he had them in the palm of his hand. It started early when two people in the front row didn’t turn up for the beginning. Like a good comedian he highlighted it and kept coming back to it as they arrived and even jumping down off the stage to hug the final two getting up out of their seats as he requested.
Talking of comedians, the most shocking moment of the night came when Gavin & Stacey’s James Corden came onto stage to sing. Him singing in itself isn’t that shocking, however the fact that he was singing the female harmony part on the song “Set the fire to the third bar” (that Cheryl Cole sang at the Children in Need gig two weeks ago) was a real surprise. This collaboration came about during the drunken after show party following the Children in Need gig. Even more surprising than the thought of him singing was how good he was! Don’t take my word for it listen to my Youtube video of the performance.
Gary clearly enjoyed playing the Royal Albert Hall and commented that “I love this wedding cake of a building. I want to marry it and take it on honeymoon to the Maldives”
Snow Patrol have a “best of” album out at the moment called “Up to Now” and tonight’s setlist was drawn mainly from that. I missed “Open your Eyes” but can’t really complain when most of their best known works got an outing. Overall a very enjoyable gig with orchestra fitting in with the superb setting.