The Last Shadow Puppets at Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl, July 2016. (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever Media)
It’s only a side project. It’s only a side project. It’s only a side project. Repeated enough times with closed eyes it might have been possible to have left tonight’s show not convinced The Last Shadow Puppets are greater than either of the frontmen’s regular day jobs.
That is until it kicks off, and then all bets are off – but more on that later.
With their reputation, expectation was already high so just imagine what happens in Manchester if you arrive on stage with a Mancunian legend, singing one of his most famous songs. Imagine no more. When Johnny Marr appeared people nearly lost their minds as he launched into a cover of The Smiths’ ‘Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me’. It was a sublime moment, the stuff people talk about for a long time. Alex Turner and Miles Kane take somewhat of a backseat throughout, not in performing terms, just in reverence to their guest; they seem as in awe of him as their audience.
And then, just like Keyser Soze, he’s gone, and the real show begins. What’s odd is the show seems to have begun with what everyone else would have saved for the finale. It’s a brave move and does for the briefest of moments leave you wondering where they’ve got left to go.
It’s seemingly by the book from here on out. They play a not-unexpected set; ‘The Age Of The Understatement’ was and will always be brilliant, live or otherwise, there’s just something classic about it. Tonight, however, it’s the other moments that really shine.
Johnny Marr with The Last Shadow Puppets at Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl, July 2016. (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever Media)
‘Separate and Ever Deadly’ hits harder than normal, a track that comes to life when played live, it’s powerful stuff. They contrast this with moments like ‘The Dream Synopsis’, which is beautiful, or ‘Bad Habits’ which even the band know will explode, and steady the crowd for it.
The evening is a wonderful concoction of sounds, everything from thunderous rock, lush Scott Walker-esque troubadour moments and 60’s Merseybeat pop all intertwined together. If it hadn’t worked, people would still admire the ambition, but The Last Shadow Puppets are a lot more than just ambitious, they’re quite stunning to watch.
What seems to make it work, other than the brilliant songs, is the blend of personas. The bristling tensed coil of Kane fuses well with Turner’s current schmoozy, lackadaisical, louche raconteur thing. Admittedly, this doesn’t really suit him and feels somewhat temporary, but their chemistry is clear, regardless of what outfit Turner’s in.
On ‘Standing Next To Me’ you can see this chemistry in full flow. It’s a wonderful thing and is great to watch live. Now, normally this or ‘Bad Habits’, or even the opener with Marr, would be battling it out for the moment of the evening, but here’s where we get to truly moving into something special.
When they return for the encore, it’s again with Marr, and again in tribute to a Manchester legend. This time, it’s The Fall with a cover of ‘Totally Wired’. They throw absolutely everything at this, it’s something else, stunning on every level.
If there’s one criticism of the evening, it’s that this moment stops. There are even a few more tracks after, possibly in some attempt to bring things down gently, but all anyone wants is ‘Totally Wired’ to continue until the band or the audience collapse.
Tonight The Last Shadow Puppets took risks, pushed themselves and truly moved past being a pet project. Their music is a homage to British musical history, but live they seem more like the future of it.
The show oozes confidence and exuberance, all done with a tongue firmly in cheek, but that never stops it being anything less than brilliant.