camera obscura on tour

what d`ya reckon of the line up,the performance songs played

right this might all be moshed together but i`ll try an split it upinto the 3 shows from memory, if i were to know i`d be startin this site,i woulda at least got the set lists from each night...anyways from a purely selfish level..

DO NOT ROB STUFF OFF THE STAGE

err sorry to be so heavy but i`m not the tallest bloke in the world so i am pretty much always down the front,two problems with that is that i look like a stalker,and since tracyanne had her plectrum tin/capo robbed last year for some reason i feel it me duty to be"guardian of the tin"she wern`t very happy when it got robbed last year in manchester,she still hasn`t learnt like,before she came on at the leadmill last night some kid had his hand in her tin(not an euphamism(sp))i wish she`d keep it out the way....

MANCHESTER

it was the same night as the yeah,yeah,yeahs were playin so some musta had torn loyalties,i didn`t meself,only in the fact that me youngest son had a cup game on the same night,obviously i was gonna try an be in to places at the same time,an succeeded thankfully,i watched his team get beat 7-1 an then wandered over to manchester,got there in time for the attic lights who were great,tracyanne walked past,now i know i said i wasn`t a stalker an i`m not,but out of guilt i had put together a new tin of stuff for her in an arl tobacco tin from 1960`s glasgow,handed it to her an walked away,it were a bit boo radleyesque but it was a gesture i had planned for a while,an its nice to see she`s usin the capo...anyways enough of that shite...

first song is my maudlin career,the line up is tracyanne,carey,kenny,lee,gavin,nigel and francios...last year when francois first started playin with them i thought,this could be tricky him and nigel.....but it works great he`s really lively and a bonus to the bands sound,which is now as good as it can get,balance wise....maulin career sounds boss as do all the new songs,immediately catchy and memorable,how quickly people will be singin along with them,the set is a mixture of for the most part the last and the new album,with teenager thrown in and 80`s fan as an encore,the sound was great in manchester,you get the feelin that a lot of newer fans are there which is great,it never pays to be precious about a band....its not good for them


beofre someone cracks it she might like to have her tin dipped....but i don`t think so.......

LEAMINGTON

i`ve never been here before,such a beautiful place managed to sit under a tree on the village green and take it easy until my friends arrived,i had been sent by a friend the poem"death in leamington by john betjemin" as a presequel,altough there were nowt maudlin bout this place as the sun made its way through the trees and reflected on the many fountains...we met up by the river and made our way to the venue....it was quite an impressive building and probably the biggest venue i`ve ever seen them play,the stage was quite high,the band were distant by comparison to normal shows but at least i wouldn`t have to worry bout that bloody tin.........

it was the same setlist pretty much i think,from memory which aint so good it includes in no order

my maudlin career
teenager
lets get out of this country
country mile
swans
forests&sands
james
french navy
honey in the sun
razzle dazzle rose
80`s fan
come back margret
if looks could kill

reckon i`ve missed two there..any help with the setlist appreiciated

the sound wasn`t great in leamington,may have been where i was standin an the speakers were big,high and that may be why,although some mates were at the back and thought the same....it went down well donnt get me wrong and the times i saw them play the whole crowd enjoyed the night...detail from a fan,tracyanne had been to denmark street by the looks an gone was her fender/fishman rare earth...in favour of a martin with what looks like a fishman blend...i have a guitar an dont play that well,it seemed to matter to me so i`ll share it with you....its her choice,just hope she didn`t trade in the fender...she`s bin playin that a long time....anyways had a long chat with nigel afterwards and hopefully he`ll be an everpresent,personally i was made up to see him on the tour,francois dont step on his toes at all....the theatre in leamington was the sort of place the bunnymen played ibn the early 80`s,with all the dry ice it could have easily been them playin......i think the band were happy with the amount of room they had on stage,which i`ll come to next.........

the band are soon to play quite a few dates in america,so this forum is to talk bout them shows or any others........

LEADMILL,SHEFFIELD

took me ages to get here from leamington,my own fault i thought it was by leeds,so in all it took bout 4 an a half hours to get there,got there just in time....anyways

the leadmill is very small,maybe even smaller and hotter than jabez clegg in manchester,when i got there it was already full,still managed to get to the front,as i mentioned before someone already was fishin about in her tin,i couldn`t rest particulary..hahahaha..i told nigel to get the daft bint to move the tin,and told her when she came out........but anyways...they sparked up,there was no room to move,uncomfortable for them specially after the night before and the reletive luxury of the big stage if anyone felt the need jump about like pete townsend at will,there`d by no windmills tonight...its lucky no-one broke their neck i`m already concerned that playin razzle dazzle rose every night will end up with someone with R.S.I and suing each other...poor francois was buried deep at the back behind an amp...usually the way he jumps about he`s only one stop off doin a forward flip.....they could get use to venue`s like the one in leamington i`m sure....but to be honest,the sound and the way they played was the best i`ve ever seen them play.......pakd in like sardines..it helps if your near to lee`s drums,and i think thats part of the reason for the watery sound the night before...they are great in venues like this,but hopefully as they appeal to more they will play bigger places,this is when it pays not to be precious...i`d gladly see them anywhere given the time......thanks for 3 great shows.........

i borrowed this from gordon,first time he`s seen them live,hope he doesn`t mind..........


Camera Obscura/ Attic Lights - Glasgow Barrowland 26/04/09

I parked my motor up outside the place where I had some Vegan nosh and a pint of home made Ginger Beer, which is a five minute walk tae Barrowland, cause the side streets there a wee bit dodgy. Unlike most gigs I've attended the place was mobbed for the support band. Maybe it was because the Attic Lights are also a Glasgow band. Anyway I thought they were good. Country meets Power Rock? What's in a description? The audience was much bigger than I expected. The Barrowland is a great venue and dare I say it through gritted East Coast teeth Glaswegians in my experience over the years are the best audiences in Britain. The place holds 1900 when packed and it was pretty full but not a sell out. I asked the main security bloke how many had been there and he said it was about 1500.
The crowd were excellent, the place was buzzing and Tracyanne Campbell's opening words were 'I can't believe so many folk have come to see us'. Intae the music. They were up for it from the first number. Stuff I was unfamiliar with sounded great as were the new album songs. I thought "Let's Get Out of This Country", '' Away With Murder'', the heart wrenching ''James'', ''Forest and Sand'' which I like possibly because its organ intro and played throughout it is very like ''Please Stay'' by the Cryin Shames, were all outstanding. The highlight though was the fantastic ' Honey in the Sun''. It was absolutely fuckin breathtaking. Much, much more in yer face than on the album version, great as that is. The three lasses on violin, the one on cello and the lads on sax, trombone and trumpet were belting it out big time. The place was bouncing by this time. I'm not joking it was on par with ''You Set The Scene'' live and that is saying something. That was going through my head when the last number was played before the encore. Havenae a clue what it is called but the ending was sensational with a long wall of sound fae the trumpet player and the band members. What's it called folks? No trying tae crawl up the backsides of the CO obsessives on here, disnae work like that....however I can put my hand on my heart and say it was one of the best gigs that I've been tae in my life, without a question. Maybe it was the chemistry of them playing the big hometown venue with a large, great crowd and the news of the new album. There were seats in an area right along the back wall higher up behind the sound desk where 60-70 year olds a plenty were taking in the show. Clearly Grans, grandads,aunts etc of the band and probably the support band.

Half way through the show Tracyanne said ' Camera Obscura playing a packed Barraland.....what's that all about? to a huge cheer fae the crowd. She then went on tae an even bigger cheer when she said ' and our new album has charted at No. 32 today.....what's that all about?' Quality.

Buzzing I walked back tae my motor car and decided tae pop in for a quick half of Ginger Beer. The lad who had served my grub earlier in the evening asked if I had been at the CO gig as he couldnae go due tae work commitments. He said that the previous weekend the launch party for the album had taken place there with all the band members DJing. Sounded like a great night.


Such A Night - Johnny Rae


LOVESHACK



the glasgow glitteratti must have been out in force last night,strings,brass,camera obscura on the top of their game.....chartin with the album,home gig...."whats that all about"...

today must be a bit of a come down for the band,they`ll lift themselves up for the belfast show i`m sure but really it was some dizzy height they reached last night by all accounts...how can it get much better with the dauntin tasks of all those dates,the daft questions"i`m intruiged by that picture of you on the cover of lets get out of this country"again,for the umteenth time....if it were me,i`d just nod me head an play the songs because really the songs say it all...tells ya everythin if you listen hard enough,its quite or they rather are quite contradictory really,the wantin to go for a swim but not particulary get wet.............

I went to the Newcastle gig with some strange bloke called Dave, from a forum in a galaxy far away... Needless to say we left it quite fine as we were watching the first half of LFC v Arsenal in the pub across the road. When we finally entered the academy 2 it was clear we should have got there earlier... it was rammed to say the least. It's a small upstairs venue, where I had previously seen them in 2007. It was nearly twice as full, which is testament to the band's new-found popularity, must be all those plays of 'French Navy' on Steve Wright. Incidentally, TraceyAnne commented on the lack of single sales, but she clearly didn't know the album was going to chart so high the following week. The set list was pretty similar to those posted, although we did get 'Books Written For Girls', and no 'Eighties Fan'. Despite the fact that vision of the stage was severely limited, I thought this was the best I have ever seen (or rather heard) them play. The new songs were amazing, and I do think that 'MMC' is a modern classic, certainly CO's most accomplished album (although BBHiFi will always have a special place in my heart, as will 'LGOOTC' mainly due to its proximity to my first daughter's birth). There really isn't a weak track on there, I like the variety of styles and the superb sequencing. The opening pop rush of the three first tracks, segueing into the melancholia of 'James', 'Careless Love'.... I could go on, and in a way i'm glad they focus on the new material. What else can I say about 'Country Mile' and 'Razzle...' that hasn't already been said far more eloquently by Geoff and Gra? The timeless beauty of these songs will live on. I can't wait to get to see them again soon.

I saw them at the Lexington (not really sure if that was part of the current tour or not), they were great - small gig - but absolutely fantastic - apart from some drunk idiot next to me who insisted on talking all the way through it (why do people do that!), they were on fine form and received a fantastic reception, French Navy was amazing live!

the shows i went to there wasn`t that much talkin goin on,but it may happen futher back from me,oh yeah there was some gobby bint in manchester,tryin to set up two friends in a cilla black kinda fashion...country mile in sheffield was deadly quite outta respect for the song,you coulda heard a pin drop...and to the very last sustained note on careys keyboard....brilliant stuff................

Hi All,
My first post since this started again great that the forum is back up.
Setlist from the gig was My Maudlin Career, Tears For Affairs, Teenager, Sweetest Thing, French Navy, Lets Get Out Of This Country, James, Forest And Sands, Come Back Margaret, Swans, Country Mile, Lloyd I'm Ready.., Honey In The Sun, Razzle Dazzle Rose. Encore Eighties Fan, If Looks Could Kill.
This was my 5th time seeing them definitely my favourite gig so far. Highlights for me Honey In The Sun, French Navy after a false start and oh the whole show was brilliant.

Minor gripe no Keep It Clean or Suspended From Class but then you can't have everything. Hopefully they will do more dates later this year.

Can somebody tell me how to change my avatar thing Ta

looks like youve done it steven(great choice)nice to have ya on board...there aint that many off us yet...but its a start........woulda loved to get up to glasgow,ta for the list/review.........

Well... these were over a month ago, but I wanted to report on the NYC gigs from March.

The first gig they played was on March 24 at the Bell House in Brooklyn. It's a really cool, fairly new venue. Capacity of around 300 or so. The band seemed a little tired from all of the sxsw they had just played, but were in great spirits. In the front (where I was... and where I usually am at CO gigs) the crowd was jovial and just plain excited to be seeing our beloved Camera Obscura for the first time in a couple of years. Lots of good banter. Us Americans had a hard time understanding Tracyanne when she was saying "Forest and Sands" was a song about touring. She kept repeating the word touring over and over until she busted out her amazingly awesome American accent and said "tore-ing". The whole crowd busted up laughing. We're dumb. I know.

Here's the setlist for that one:

My Maudlin Career
Swans
Come Back, Margret
Let's Get Out of this Country
You Told a lie
Forest and Sands
French Navy
Tears for Affairs
James
Honey in the sun
The Sweetest Thing
Lloyd I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
If Looks Could Kill
--
Teenager
Razzle Dazzle Rose

And some pictures I took are here:

Camera Obscura / Laura Cantrell / Victoria Bergsman (DJ) @ The Bell House 3/24/09

The second NYC gig they played was the next day (March 25) at the Mercury Lounge in the East Village. It's just a couple doors down from the best deli in NY, Katz's (which Tracyanne adorably called Katz's Diner!). Another great gig... this venue was probably about half the size of the one they played in Brooklyn. I think CO were really jazzed about the great gig the night before, so they seemed to be in great moods all around. The setlist was pretty much the same as the previous night, just mixed around a little. Tracy gave a few of the girls in front Peacock feathers, and one lucky person got a key lime pie from the band. My girl and I gave the band a bottle of Maker's Mark before the encore. They sure do seem to like their Kentucky Bourbon!

After the gig, Tracyanne even came over to us to say "hi" and chat for a minute. It was really nice. She's the sweetest thing! (Although she did scold us for listening to the album early... I know... I know... I'm bad. I just couldn't wait!)

Here's the setlist from that one:

My Maudlin Career
Come Back, Margaret
Tears for Affairs
Teenager
Swans
You Told a Lie
The Sweetest Thing
Forest & Sands
French Navy
Honey in the sun
James
Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
If Looks Could Kill
--
Let's Get Out of this Country
Razzle Dazzle Rose

and some pictures I took:

Camera Obscura / Anni Rossi / Shelley Green @ Mercury Lounge 3/25/09

thanks derek,i`m sure they are a pretty special band to you lot over the pond,i`m your down at the front english counterpart,mainly cos i`m a short arse(small) but its a great place to be......hope you enjoy the show/shows when they are over there...i miss the live shows already,they were awesome here an i`m sure your in for a treat..although it seems you got the new setlist first.........the peacock feathers were a nice touch...don`t give her too much ale,she`ll fall an black her eye again......

Nice to know I have a counterpart across the pond!

I'll be hitting up 3 shows over here (I think) next month... Washington DC, Philadelphia and (of course) NYC.

dont tell me you guard the plectrum tin,it`d be too scary..........its nowhere near buffalo is it,we should give michael micvee a shout,he`s bin missin for ages.......ansd i think mary wasabi is strugglin n`all...........

graeme wrote:

dont tell me you guard the plectrum tin,it`d be too scary..........its nowhere near buffalo is it,we should give michael micvee a sghout,he`s bin missin for ages.......ansd i think mary wasabi is strugglin n`all...........

heh.. not yet. I'll be sure to keep an eye on it for ya!

hopefully stateside youve got more respect for the bands swag,an not too many skanks kickin about...anyways hopefully you are the first of many that can keep us up to date with events over there...much apprieciated............lookin forward to any reviews like.......

they also handed out neat free posters at both nyc gigs in march. pretty sweet deal.

painted by numbers reports from shows...as a template

just found out thru Belle & Sebastien twitter that CO are also playing at the Ottawa Bluesfest in July! super fantastic news for me - have family there and visit often.. also, they play on the Friday!! only partial downside is that it is a festival with 6 or so other bands so the audience may not be there for them like we will be.. but exposure for em which is great! plus, she n him are also playing so got my plans in motion now! as my son says "saaaweeet!"

http://camera-obscura.net/

http://4ad.com/news/28/2/2013/cameraobscuratoreleasenewalbumdesirelinesinjune

okay the album is june,yay...and that tour looks like on heavy schedule...lookin forward to gettin updates through whatever medium,looks exhausting though..."the big push" well lets hope so,good to see a few people passin through at the moment...not stoppin to say hi but thats okay,lets hope that the band get some good/great exposure,i can`t wait for the album and in my/the wait there have been many good one YLT,Allo Darlin etc but this is what i`ve been waiting for.....and i know it seems a bit token with the UK dates but there is enough(there may be more to follow even) so i`ll get to see them 3 times at least......so if the next 3 months fly like the last we`ll be able to form opinion sooner than we know...................

Thanks for the links, Graeme. Wow, so much great news on one day!! New album release date and additional tour dates. The tour looks brutal. Hope they don't get burnt out. I will definitely be attending the show in Seattle. Hope to attend the Portland show if I can get the day off from work. Hope the new album and tour will give CO the exposure and success they so deserve....

sorry to hear that the american tour has been cancelled due to family illness,those with the memories will remember last time when gavin had to go back after a family illness and carey playing a bit of bass if i remember correctly....anyways all that is a by the by,hoping whoever is involved with this gets better soon and makes a full recovery,i know from what the band have said on the various mediums that they will be gutted bout this.......fingers crossed for a full recovery and buisness as usual soon............xxx