Rock Regeneration

Oct17

The Bluetones/The Loose Cut

on October 17th, 2024 at 18:45

Old Fire Station, Bournemouth

It’s a balmy early Autumn evening in Bournemouth’s Old Fire Station as a large crowd welcome Indie royalty back on the first night of the tour. Opening for them are Leeds Indie/Alt quartet The Loose Cut. Manni’s snare-driven drumming sets the beat for opener “Lost All Night” as they feel their way in. George (lead vox/guitar) is chief talker/rabble rouser as he embraces the early arrives. There’s a very slight Funk tinge to their sound (IMO) but they are Indie at heart.

The Loose Cut

“Scared” follows and I’m struggling to find any obvious influences. They grow in confidence as more punters arrive. “Resist” is probably their set highlight while George seeks audience participation on “Round and Around”. A huge bridge is probably the only highlight on what I feel is their weakest song which is overlong, notably in the chorus. “Haunt” takes the tempo up a notch as George starts to sound like “Kings Of Leon” vocally while the chiming guitar chords stand out amid a wall of sound.

Bassist Ciaran manages to remain statuesque the entire gig, but his input is no less important. Craig (guitar) to his left moves around occasionally but it’s George and Manni who hold court with shapeshifting and overall presence. They end confidently with “Come Around” and may have gained one or two new fans. Being the main tour support they can grow with each gig and I wish them well…

And so, to tonight’s headliners. The band arrive onstage, looking resplendent in white T-shirts displaying their respective roles in the band – Vocals, Guitar, Bass etc. The Bluetones are in town to showcase songs from their new EP “Drive Thru” among a setlist of classics from the back catalogue. Where better to start then than with “Bluetonic”. Mark (Morriss) is in good humour throughout, taking time to chat between songs. “Cut Some Rug” follows as they effortlessly breeze through the early numbers.

“Fast Boy” comes next and is dedicated to their old marijuana dealer “Mike” – a punter behind me proceeds to call for Mike to no avail?! “4 Day Weekend” is described by Mark as their flop single, selling in his words about 47 copies! However tonight one wouldn’t know it – the vocals are note perfect alongside the scratchy guitars. “Sleazy Bed Track” drops the tempo right down, setting us up perfectly for the first newie of the set. Lead single from the new Ep “Drive Thru” has been plugged on all the socials this week, garnering a great reaction. Live it doesn’t disappoint either, even with an interesting Elvis mash-up at the end! (Elvana wont need to up their game just yet)!!

The Bluetones 1–2–3–4

“Marblehead Johnson” sounds as good as ever, getting a few heads nodding and crowd movement. Mark patrols the stage and seems totally at ease now. “Can’t Be Trusted” is delivered with a passionate honesty and only bettered by set highlight, another newbie “Billy Balfour”. Once again this is not classic 90’s Bluetones and shows a maturity to their new output; breezy, summery, it just waltzes along. “After Hours” follows before Mark introduces the song that “even your Grandparents know – the song that made us millionaires” (oh the irony)!! “Slight Return” rightly gets the full room singalong it deserves, sounding as fresh as the day it was released.

This Bournemouth crowd are in fine voice from start to finish. Mark looks genuinely touched as he thanks this buzzing crowd. He then makes some joke about crowd/band interaction and whether we deserve an encore? It’s all light-hearted of course but I wasn’t expecting what came next. On set closer “Never Going Nowhere” Mark ends the song with a mash-up of classic Eighties hits, starting with Eurythmics “Love is a Stranger” and crossing genre’s throughout. I won’t admit to liking every cut but as set endings go this was quite unique. I genuinely think Mark was ad-libbing towards the end as he appeared to be smiling yet running out of song choices! And with that they take the plaudits and exit stage right.

Our calls for an encore aren’t ignored and back they come some five minutes later. Mark introduces the final new song “Madeline” which once again drops the tempo right down. It’s a soft, sultry number with a subtle keys section and possibly written from a personal perspective. To finish we get the excellent “If” and one last time this crowd find their voices. Mark and band reflect on how they are all still together, thank the audience and take a final bow with a promise to return.

With the current climate of certain 90’s bands reforming on the back of a certain stadium Sized band’s reformation and the associated wealth that will be accrued from that tour, it is refreshing to see one of the “old school” back on tour with genuine new material to plug. The Bluetones I feel aren’t a band to follow trends, neither would they want to be. They do however still possess that ability to get out on tour for their loyal fanbase and always deliver. Listening to Mark engage with his audience tonight was a real pleasure, just a shame certain members of the audience thought what they had to say was more important. That said, they didn’t ruin what was a wonderful first night of the tour and trip down memory lane.

Set Lists
The Bluetones
Bluetonic
Cut Some Rug
Fast Boy
Down at the Reservoir
Keep The Home Fires Burning
4 Day Weekend
Sleazy Bed Track
Drive Thru
Marblehead Johnson
Carnt Be Trusted
Billy Balfour
After Hours
Slight Return
Never Going Nowhere