Live Review: Sleeper at Bristol O2 Academy


Sleeper



It’s pretty easy to differentiate between those bands who have reformed; those that are in it for the money (and perhaps always have been) and those that are doing it for the love.

Naming no names (the Stone Roses) you can virtually smell the ambivalence from the crowd if relationships are sour and haven’t improved despite lengthy absences. Then there’s those that cannot take the smiles off their faces and are just happy to be doing something they love.

There’s no doubt which category Sleeper fall into. The Britpopiest of Britpop; featured on the Trainspotting soundtrack, frequent appearances on TFI Friday, they couldn’t be more 1990s if they tried. By rights, there shouldn’t really be a place for them in 2019. There was a reunion tour last year which sold out quickly, but one would assume that was the nostalgia thirst quenched for a while before another round of touring in a couple of years’ time. So good on them for not resting on their laurels; this year’s splendid The Modern Age album is as strong as anything they’ve ever put their name to, if not better, and to be touring just one year later with a new album in tow means there can be no cynical accusations thrown at them.

All that said, it would be naïve to assume this crowd is present to hear the new songs, despite their excellence. If there’s anyone present under 35 they must have had a tough paper round. Perhaps due to their age, the audience take a while to warm up. The jaunty Nice Guy Eddie, one of the hits from their peak, doesn’t get much of a reaction as an opener, so lesser known second song Delicious doesn’t stand much of a chance. Ironically the first slice from the new album, Paradise Waiting, gets more of a response, but the anthemic What Do I Do Now really kicks things into life and from there on it’s smiles all round.

Perhaps the mind is playing tricks, but your correspondent seems to recall that Louise Wener always played guitar back in the day, yet she does so very rarely tonight. The key line-up has been bolstered by a couple, so perhaps there is less requirement to do so. Wener makes the most of it; ever the star, she strides around the stage like she owns it, which frankly she does. Meanwhile, the Sleeperblokes (Google it) do their thing more than capably and are the solid foundation she can rely on. It’s a glib comparison but has some merit; her breathy vocals, particularly on The Modern Age, command the occasion and her resistance to the aging process brings to mind Debbie Harry. That their clever move of including the cover of Blondie’s Atomic, complete with mid-section mini-cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart, makes the comparison obvious doesn’t mean it’s invalid.

The new material is the most interesting from an objective point of view; the intense The Sun Also Rises is a perfect reminder of how powerful and heavy they can be while the wry, confrontational Look At You Now belies their generally sugar-sweet pop.

However, these occasions are about more than that. They are no-lose situations; new songs justify their existence and keep the band interested, the crowd get what they want with the old stuff and when you can see what are presumably their children at the side of the stage dancing with wilful abandon to the classic Sale Of The Century…well one realises that’s what it’s all about.

(Richard Bowes)


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