Ordinary Boys ..Ordinary Boys - Nottingham Rock City, 21 March 2006

Ordinary Boys - Nottingham Rock City, 21 March 2006

Another year, another gig. The Ordinary Boys are back in town and you're buzzing as you make your way along a cold Nottingham street.

soul shoes ready

Fred Perry buttoned up, soul shoes ready for the action. A lot has happened since you last caught them live. Preston's Big Brother stint first and foremost. Plus the ensuing publicity. You hadn't expected to see the Boy on the front cover of “Now” and the usual expectancy is accompanied by the mildest of trepidation. Will the audience have changed? Will the music be different? Will the band still have its edge? A few lagers in the pub round the corner - after repeated plays on the jukebox of “Seaside” and “Boys Will Be Boys” - and you're entering the auditorium. The signs are good.

“Its good to be back”

The Ordinary Army is out in force and its make up doesn't seem to have changed noticeably since the first time you witnessed them nearly two years ago. Yes, there are a few additions to the ranks - but that is hardly a cause for tears. So its more Red Stripes and you position yourself near to the stage in time for the moment. You don't have to wait long. On they come and Preston walks up to the microphone. “Its good to be back”, he announces and the band launch into “Over The Counter Culture”. Its wild - as mental as ever - and there's a big smile on your face at the recognition that nothing substantially has changed. The sparkle which greeted early sightings is in evidence as soundly as ever. Preston makes reference to those earlier gigs. “Were you at the Social?”. “Were you at the Rescue Rooms?”. To which large sections of the audience responds in the affirmative. They run through the by now classic tunes with precision and an edge as razor sharp as the creases in one of Preston's Ben Shermans. There are the favourites from the first album - “Talk Talk Talk“, “Week In Week Out“, the classic “go mental” anthem “Maybe Someday” plus a selection from “Brassbound” - the title track, “Life Will Be The Death Of Me” and the inevitable “Boys Will Be Boys”. Then there's “Call To Arms”, a welcome rendition, which was absent from performances last Autumn. Then there are the b-sides. “Little Bubble” - always a live favourite - sounds better with every hearing. “We Soldier On” and “My Love's Coming Down” indicate the depth of the material the band has put out in a fairly short period and are instantly recognised by the Ordinary Army. That includes the penultimate song in the encore - “How Do You Sleep?”, one of the b-sides from Seaside, performed by Preston alone.

crafted classic tunes

Its preceded by “In Awe Of The Awful” and finally an awesome version of “Seaside” itself. You're conscious that before long there will be new material. And you have every faith that the sharp observational edge that crafted classic tunes from the adversity of the contemporary corporate culture will make a seamless transition into the realm of popular success. But all that is a long way from your thoughts as you sing along. Because, for the moment, all you have to do is stand and sway and bask in the knowledge that here is a band at the top of its game. With energy that has, if anything, been recharged by the short spell off the road. They're on fire. And long may it last.

Rob Massey ..MENU...