On the walk over to the Mod Club, I had told Paul I was skeptical of the crowd size for the Gomez show on Monday. I had estimated it would be about half full.
After all, this is a band that had ascended to the top well over a decade ago. Their Mercury Prize winning debut album Bring It On had put them at the top of music conversations everywhere at that time. I still remember reading that Zoe Ball (famous BBC1 personality back then) had been moved to tears upon hearing the track Rosalita. Nevermind whether or not that was the truth, but it was just a sampling of their place at that time.
Since that time, the media spotlight has dimmed for the Southport band. The fan’s appetite for the group has not.
The crowd at the Mod Club was not half full as I predicted, but packed and excited to seem Gomez. it appeared that the excitement helped energize the band who proceeded to play a nearly two hour show chock full of hits, jams and entertainment. Here are some highlights and thoughts:
– Get Myself Arrested was definitely the top highlight for me. If you ever wondered what it was like to have the entire mod club sing out parts of the song in unison, this was your chance.
– Ian Ball slowly getting more inebriated as the show progressed. We figure he was the designated drinker of the evening. At one point he was sitting down by the keys just drinking.
– All out jumping during Whippin Picadilly. Who woulda thought?
– The crowd turning the soccer chant “Ole Ole Ole” into “Gomez Gomez Gomez” halfway through the set.
– Ben Ottwell’s voice is unbelievable and needs to be heard live. The man was born to sing.
Summing it all up, the show was great. Gomez are very good live – confident musicians, have a good bag of tricks and seem to thoroughly enjoy playing their tracks. It’s no wonder they had a live album released. The crowd was festive and one of the most appreciative crowds I’ve seen in awhile. I look forward to the next time they come through town and hopefully then they’ll play We Haven’t Turned Around.
