May 2 - London Astoria

Planet Dave · 07 May 2006, 17:45

John, the smoke wasn't the issue in Leeds. As you well know, I couldn't care less how little I can see, smoke is good, dry ice is our friend, the prob on Wednesday was definitely the volume, and the apparent correlation between low volume and inaudible vocals.

Now I've seen this lot many times (WAY less than many, but hey), I know how they sound when they sound exceptional, I know how they sound when they sound average, unfortunately I also now know how they sound when they sound s**t.

The general Sisteryness otherwise was all there, smoke, lights, boingy pit. No problem.

This is really bugging me. Were they really as flat as they seemed? Must've been, the state I was in I'd've been dancing to the rugby league results on tv, let alone the Sisters. But it was bad. Trust me.

Johnny M · 07 May 2006, 18:01

Ja, ja Ravey and sound was my next point. How can they go from Paris (big venue) sounding so perfect to sounding so shit? Do they suit the big venues or is Andy's voice just fucked? Ten gigs every two years ... or 50 in two months? And Ben and Chris have to dumb down the volume because what Andy says, Andy gets.

PS: Loved the my mate Ethan comment on the Leeds thread.

ruffers · 07 May 2006, 22:28

Johnny M wrote:.... is Andy's voice just fucked? ... or 50 in two months?

Effect.........cause.

Simple as that I think, unfortunately.

Gottdammerung · 08 May 2006, 11:14

Jebus.. just read the fricking Grauniad review...

"Tonight's ultra-rare show has dragged the bat people from their belfries "

I take great offence at that.. bat person? Pfft..!!

Looks like some hack still thinks the Sisters are the same band they were in 1983.. and as for having more songs like Alice.. wtf??

What about the two albums since?!?! (OK, I am one of those types that probably prefers the albums in the order of VT, Floodland then FALAA... so I'm biased..)

Gah! Where did I leave that stake.. someone deserves an impaling for this...

canon docre · 08 May 2006, 14:40

during change over after The Ivories my friend sighed: "Gee, we're waiting for so long already and they didnt even mount the drum kit yet."

well you cant always choose your company.

To her defense I must add, that she's much more handy in everything The Cure concerned. She even spotted Simon Gallup in the Astoria After Show crowd.

Spiggy's hat · 08 May 2006, 16:35

Gimme_The_Ring wrote:
jande wrote:I see that a dvd of this gig has just been listed on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THE-SISTERS-OF-ME ... dZViewItem
Has anybody bought one of these DVD's yet? I'd be quite interested in getting one even though I went to the Norwich gig and not the London one......

Just wondering if it was filmed on a crappy phone or something.

edit: OK I've bitten the bullet and purchased one. I'll let you know whether it's any good when it arrives.

Looking at the sellers other items, they seem to have an excellent track record in smuggling the camera into various London gigs.

Gimme_The_Ring · 08 May 2006, 16:56

Yeah I was looking at his other stuff and from the pictures it looks like pretty good quality which makes me wonder if it's an inside job but who knows?

The DVD should be here in a couple of days so we'll know soon enough.

Rise&Reverberate · 08 May 2006, 17:22

I finally got an email reply from the seller about the audio quality on the DVD and they said that it was very good so I guess you can always rip some mp3's from it

I'm just waiting on a copy of the Placebo gig to arrive from the same seller.

Gimme_The_Ring · 08 May 2006, 17:57

Rise&Reverberate wrote:I finally got an email reply from the seller about the audio quality on the DVD and they said that it was very good so I guess you can always rip some mp3's from it

I'm sure the DVD will be doing the rounds on here soon one way or another.

ruffers · 08 May 2006, 19:02

Rise&Reverberate wrote:I finally got an email reply from the seller about the audio quality on the DVD and they said that it was very good so I guess you can always rip some mp3's from it I'm just waiting on a copy of the Placebo gig to arrive from the same seller.

A very good reproduction of an inaudible gig then

Andie · 08 May 2006, 19:03

ruffers wrote:
Rise&Reverberate wrote:I finally got an email reply from the seller about the audio quality on the DVD and they said that it was very good so I guess you can always rip some mp3's from it I'm just waiting on a copy of the Placebo gig to arrive from the same seller.
A very good reproduction of an inaudible gig then

turn it up!

MAtT · 09 May 2006, 12:41

Neither myself or my girlfriend had seen the Sisters live since Wembley 1990, so we were both really looking forward to this one, and were hugely disappointed.

We were standing about halfway back at ground level, centre stage. The dry ice was thick as expected, but I certainly didn't really care about that - I came to hear them, not admire Andrew's fur coat.

But the sound was awful. I go to quite a lot of gigs, but I've not heard sound as bad as that anywhere bar amateur nights in pubs... and even then only once or twice.

To me it sounded like they simply didn't have the ability - with the equipment they had - to fill the place with sound. A smaller venue maybe, but not the high-topped Astoria. Additionally the levels were messed up. I can accept that Von keeps the vocals ridiculously low these days, but when on a song like Suzanne - where in parts there's basically just the drum machine, a bassline, and a lead guitar part - you can't hear the lead guitar, then you know something is seriously f***d somewhere.

Anyway, as you all know, the crowd started chanting and gesticulating for the levels to be upped, and for a while things seemed to improve - around the time of Dominion I'd just call it a bit poor, rather than awful.... you still shouldn't be able to hear the crowd singing above the band playing in a venue that size.

So as I was saying, for a short period the sound was higher in volume, but by the time Romeo Down was played, it sounded to me like the bass speaker, or something driving it had simply blown... I have experience with bass speakers going, and that dreadful flapping noise sounded just like it.

Shortly after we both left, and didn't bother going to the Nottingham gig we had tickets for - because being so far away it simply wasn't worth the risk.

I'm not usually a moaner, and I don't hold grudges - I still love the Sisters and they'll always be one of my favourite bands of all time... but I have to be honest and tell it like it was!

Matt

09 May 2006, 12:49

aye, i must admit i thought pretty much the same from the astoria

Electrochrome · 09 May 2006, 16:46

I wasn't in the best spot to judge in the Astoria (up at the edge of the balcony over the right, peaking over shoulders (but closer to the bar)) but the sound was lousy most of the show. The Doktor blew everything away one minute, then you couldn't hear Ben at all for some bits, Eldritch was very, very low as in inaudible, then my personal favorite, Chris' booming vocals blowing nearly everything else away, especially during Temple of Love.

What can you do? Good to be there, but the following few shows were much better, I think. Amazing smoke in London, though...when we walked in, it was wafting around the bar and near the restrooms.

More to write...trying to face the fact that I'm back at work...a bit warped from travel...and wanting to not be here...

markreed · 09 May 2006, 22:11

There's no ambiguity in the consensus : the Astoria was s**t comapred to what The Sisters as a whole, and this lineup are capable of. Rock City and the ABC were miles better.

ruffers · 09 May 2006, 22:18

Some recognition of this wouldn't go amiss, even if we don't get the Barcelona style replay.

Scardwel · 09 May 2006, 23:19

ruffers wrote:Some recognition of this wouldn't go amiss, even if we don't get the Barcelona style replay.

When I spoke to Ben and Chris after Notts they both agreed that the Astoria gig was the weakest of the UK dates up to that point.

canon docre · 10 May 2006, 09:02

Scardwel wrote:
ruffers wrote:Some recognition of this wouldn't go amiss, even if we don't get the Barcelona style replay.
When I spoke to Ben and Chris after Notts they both agreed that the Astoria gig was the weakest of the UK dates up to that point.

well then thank you so much guys....

ruffers · 10 May 2006, 09:22

canon docre wrote:
Scardwel wrote:
ruffers wrote:Some recognition of this wouldn't go amiss, even if we don't get the Barcelona style replay.
When I spoke to Ben and Chris after Notts they both agreed that the Astoria gig was the weakest of the UK dates up to that point.
well then thank you so much guys....

That does indeed make it all OK then....

richmagpies · 10 May 2006, 09:51

Amazing who you can bump into on the way to work...morning (again) Ruffers!

..at least you weren't causing a fire hazard this time!

Mickpit · 10 May 2006, 13:50

Scardwel wrote:
ruffers wrote:Some recognition of this wouldn't go amiss, even if we don't get the Barcelona style replay.
When I spoke to Ben and Chris after Notts they both agreed that the Astoria gig was the weakest of the UK dates up to that point.

"up to that point"??????????? Expecting a few more bad un's boys?

Scardwel · 10 May 2006, 14:03

C'mon it ain't their fault!

Ben and Chris are what's holding this band together at the moment IMHO. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have bothered going to see this line-up again after Vegas.
London was crap for alot of reasons, but the band weren't to blame IMHO.

pikkrong · 10 May 2006, 23:29

Some bad pics (my Manchester ones are a bit better, you know where to find them from):

http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e398/ ... ia%202006/

Gimme_The_Ring · 12 May 2006, 12:37

Gimme_The_Ring wrote:Yeah I was looking at his other stuff and from the pictures it looks like pretty good quality which makes me wonder if it's an inside job but who knows?

The DVD should be here in a couple of days so we'll know soon enough.

Got my DVD today and just watched the first few minutes - can't watch it all yet as I'm busy painting the fence in my back garden.

Anyway.....

So far so good, really good picture so it wasn't done on some cheapo camera and the sound is very good too. Obviously you can't see an awful lot due to the smoke but the camera seems to be mounted on a tripod just right of the centre - all close ups are done just by zooming in & out but at least the picture isn't bouncing around all over the place. There's no menu screen, you insert the disc and it starts about 30 seconds before the guys walk on stage.

Mickpit · 12 May 2006, 13:28

Sh*t....I'm going to Brusells on the next tour. All reviews / sound levels were top-nothch and by all accounts the last time they played there it was one of the best too. + FALAA + BURN

Ghostrider's posted the set list (with times!)

intro 0.00
crash and burn 1.12
ribbons 5.28
will i dream 8.40
Flood I 12.34
Burn 17.15
Suzanne 19.16
Giving Ground 23.38
("stop doing that, it's really anoying") (TGGI?)
Summer 27.56
Dominion 31.20
Slept 37.09
Still 40.35
Alice 43.15
Anaconda 46.41
Neverland 49.31
I was Wrong 53.05
FALAA 55.53

59.42 < Break > 62.39

Something Fast 62.39
Lucreatia 65.26

69.43 < Break > 71.15

Top night out 71.15
Vision thing 74.43

> end > 79.54