Baptiste - London Garage, 12/9/2002

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 22 / 9 / 2002

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Article

The flyer said it clearly: Thursday 12th September Baptiste on stage at 9:30pm The concert hall, which is the shape of a thin rectangle, starts getting busy while the first supporting band, TV One, are on stage transmitting their musical waves. The 4 piece band squirm emotively under tunes which are so loud that they prevent the audience from talking. The music blurs into an endless succession of tones that perfectly match the dark hall and which sound almost psychedelic. One middle age man standing at the back of the auditorium, squeezed in a corner beside the wall of the bar, and who enthusiastically reads a book, would probably disagree. When I ask him what the book is that he finds more interesting than the 'telly' music, his eyes start to shine and he shows me the front cover. It says 'Survivor'. I guess we all have our own opinions about music. When TV One tune off, the stage is prepared for Baptiste. This die hard audience haven't disappointed their heroes and I recognize a few people I spotted at the last Baptiste gig in August. A girl who last time had a top with the word 'Thank' scrawled across it has come, but but this time is wearing a pink dress and pink striped stockings. The first song Baptiste perform is called 'Living Horizontally' and comes from their forthcoming album 'Nothing Shines Like A Dying Heart' which will be released in November. It is quiet and slow, but also colourful with feelings. 'Icarus' is ,however, an older song. Some of the fans know it by heart and join in singing along with it with Wayne, the lead vocalist and songwriter, who sings this second song with total conviction. The stage,from the back of the concert hall, looks a bit like puppet theatre with its triangle roof, and the musicians on it seem like real puppets carried along on strings of music that somehow dominate the fans as well. 'You Know Everything', is definitely the most popular of the night. It begin cautiously and with a slow tune, but half way through starts to pump your adrenaline up. The last song is the lively 'Love In A Southern City'. Like 'You Know Everything', it comes from 'Nothing Shines Like a Dying Heart.' Wayne then tries to follow this with some news regarding the band but the late night and too much alcohol both are beginning to have an effect, and he doesn't quite manage it.. I look around just after the last song finishes. The reader has left the corner of the bar and is happily clapping at the band. The girl in the pink striped stockings is laughing and much of the audience have begun to chat again. I do like this sense of family atmosphere. My friend looks at me, picks up a flyer from a table by the wall reading: 'Sunday 29th September The Spitz Baptiste on stage at 8:00pm' 'We are certainly not missing out on that one!'

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