I had a ticket for a gig in (I think) 2014 that was cancelled and they'd been so quiet over the last few years that the chances of seeing them seemed to have been filed under 'Missed'.
So, when I read there was a new album coming and a one-off gig to support the album was being held at Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush, I got in quick and got a ticket.
I'd never seen Bush Hall and I was a bit skeptical about the gig happening at all, but the 28th February rolled around and all seemed well, so I drove up to Westfield to park and walked the half mile or so down to Bush Hall.
I hadn't planned to arrive especially early for 'doors open 7PM', but when I arrived, there was a small queue outside (at 7:15) around the corner in the road alongside the Hall. They opened the doors shortly afterwards and I made my way in, dropping my essential coat (it was cold, forecast to drop below zero later, outside) in a makeshift cloakroom and then walked into the main part of the hall.
The venue is, these days, rather like a large, ornate, village hall. The ceilings are high (there's a small bar with a balcony at the back on the first floor), but the floor space is modest, if not as tiny as somewhere like Aldershot's West End centre or The Boiler Room in Guildford.
The support act was a band called "Coco and The Lost" and when I'd done a quick search on YouTube I thought they sounded pretty good, so I was glad to be there in time for their set.
The band are Coco (presumably), a dark haired young woman and three young men. They were, Coco informed us, playing a stripped back acoustic set with limited instruments, but they were pretty good live and I'd be interested in hearing them in full band form sometime.
The sound was good, too, suggesting the room had good acoustics, which bode well for the main event.
After 30 minutes or so, Coco and The Lost departed the stage and the roadies took away their limited equipment leaving a considerable amount still on the stage.
The Ting Tings are Katie and Jules, that's all they've ever been, so the plethora of instruments and microphones was a bit of a surprise, but one thing you could always say about The Ting Tings was that they never stayed one thing and I already knew that the forthcoming album (their 5th) was taking a diversion into 'Yacht Rock', inspired, they said, by bands like Fleetwood Mac and Steeley Dan.
I did wonder if, perhaps, I'd find this change in style one I wouldn't enjoy, but there was only one way to know for sure and after waiting all this time and giving up hope of seeing them, I wasn't going to miss the chance to find out for myself.
Around 9PM the stage filled up with Katie and Jules initially to be joined by a female backing singer, a bass guitarist, another 2 guitarists, a man on keyboards, a drummer and another percussionist - The tiny stage was packed, this was not going to be a 'backing track' set, it seemed.
In their social media, The Ting Tings promised this would be a set of new songs and old favourites and so it proved, with a twist.
They started with the well known single "Great DJ", but it was definitely a version of the song, rather than a straight performance of the original version from their first album.
Importantly, though, they sounded good. The backing musicians were tight and the overall sound was powerful, even if the version of the song had a mellower sound than the familiar one.
The next 3 songs were all new ones (unless I've missed something).
"Song For Meadow", we were told by Katie, was inspired by meeting a young girl and "Good People Do Bad Things" proved to be a natural long term favourite on first listening, with a very Fleetwood Mac feel to it.
What has always impressed me about The Ting Tings is their ability to make a big sound from two people. On record that's easier to do with multi-tracking, but in this tiny venue, they managed to produce a 'stadium-rock' sound in an intimate setting, which struck me as both impressive and remarkable.
"Good Bye Song" and "Winning" were also new (I think) and sounded pretty good live and then we had a very different version of their iconic "Shut Up and Let Me Go", very slowed down and melodic, but actually, great!
The next couple were new songs and then we had a version of "We Walk", which again was different to the original, being more acoustic, but closer to the original than some of the older tracks.
"Danced on the Wire" was one of the first of the new songs released and followed by the old favourite, "Be The One".
New songs "Dreaming" and "Down" rounded out the main set nicely.
Of course, the audience bayed for an encore and, in case you should think they'd lost the ability to rock, they came back with a very true to the original rendition of "That's Not My Name" that pleased everyone!
I'd waited a long time to see The Ting Tings live and I can only say that it was a pleasure.
Maybe a little part of me regrets not seeing them in their earlier, louder, form, but even if I had I would have loved this gig.
As a comeback, it was triumphant!
Setlist:
Great DJ
Song For Meadow
Good People Do Bad Things
Good Bye Song
Winning
Shut Up and Let Me Go
In My Hand
Home
We Walk
Danced on the Wire
Be the One
Dreaming
Down
Encore:
That's Not My Name
Someone has posted this YouTube playlist of the gig.
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