Akita, Masami - Brook, Southampton, 17/10/2005

by Philip Vincent

published: 20 / 10 / 2005

Akita, Masami - Brook, Southampton, 17/10/2005

When Philip Vincent saw acid house country rockers Alabama 3 in Southampton this summer, it was for him one of the musical highlights of his year. Back to see them there for a second time, he finds history sadly failing to repeat itself

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I again make the long drive down to the Southampton Brook for a sold out Alabama 3 show. My love for this band is well documented in this magazine so I was literally buzzing with excitement before the band came on and for the first thirty minutes of the band's set, after which I began to lag. I thought to myself “hang on, this didn’t happen last time” at which point I realised that the last time I saw them they were touring their latest album 'Outlaw and this time they were just doing a standard Alabama 3 show. Don’t get me wrong !The energy, virulent lyrics, cocky country swagger and husky Marlborough fuelled vocals were all in place. It's just that the “magic” wasn’t. Don’t know if this was me being tired, the pissed guy in front that kept sticking his album in my face or the fact that front man Larry Love had a damaged foot and so had to sit down. Either way I left an hour into the set as I felt it just stopped clicking my buttons. The 600 other people all stayed but for me the excitement of last time just wasn’t there. I still walked out humming their tunes though. The photographs that accompany this article were taken by Matthew Williams exclusively for Pennyblackmusic