Frank Sidebottom, The Magnet, Liverpool, January 31st
Frank Sidebottom played The Magnet in Liverpool on January 31st
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Sunday, 01, Feb 2009 12:34
inthenews.co.uk's Mike Cotgreaves sees the man with the papier mache head in fine form on Merseyside.
A few years ago I saw Genesis playing at the Circus Maximus in Rome along with about half a million other people. It was a pretty spectacular show and probably cost more than the combined salaries of Jonathan Ross, Chris Moyles and the Pope to stage. However, it pales in comparison when compared to Saturday night's show at The Magnet in Liverpool headlined by none other than TV's very own Frank Sidebottom.
The event itself was billed as the third birthday of the popular Go Go Cage music night. The Magnet could easily be a place overrun with drainpipe-trousered NMEsters, but on the night in question it was filled with the most discerning of retro/avant garde music enthusiasts.
Frank's set included his own idiosyncratic take on songs such as Wild Thing, Panic, Love Will Tear Us Part and the Fall's Hit the North, along with his own compositions such as Guess Who's Been on Match of the Day and Zoo Scrapbook.
Entrance to the gig was a princely six quid which represented much better value for money than the £30 I forked out for Steve Coogan's underrehearsed, occasionally funny stage show last year.
If you appreciate the innate absurdity and comedy of human life, as magnified by the surreal antic of people like Reeves and Mortimer, then you'll probably enjoy Mr Sidebottom and his Oh Blimey Big Band.
According to his official MySpace site, he is due to embark on a tour of the US soon. It will be interesting to see how the American audience takes to the papier mache-headed chap from the north-west of England.
Mike Cotgreave