Inspiral Carpets have been out on the road this week on a mini UK tour, calling in at some of their favourite venues in Scotland, England and Wales. The opening night – at Carlisle's Old Fire Station – celebrates the 10th anniversary of the venue. Stuart Ralston enjoyed a phenomenal twenty song set and an impressive opening performance from new 4 piece Malcom.
Malcom hail from Manchester. They dress well, look the part and can play a bit too. They have a proper old school rock n roll drummer who plays a big drum solo before their final number. Singer Caz has a rich soulful voice, with touches of Dr Feelgood to their sound. The set contains excellent new single Aeroplane and they play some yet as unreleased tunes too.
The looping intro tape of Commercial Rain gets the main event underway before the band take the stage to a warm reception from the capacity crowd. It's a slow building six minute opener with Kev Clarke picking up the beat before Graham Lambert adds his magic on guitar, Martyn Walsh bringing his grooves and Clint Boon augmenting the piece with his sparkling Farfisa touches and finally Stephen Holt, who has been po-going around, adding his vocals.
Commercial Rain gets the party started and tonight is a real celebration of both the band and venue - Inspiral Carpets are no strangers to Carlisle and state this is the 3rd time they have played Carlisle on the 22nd of May. Clint asks the crowd to start a petition to get the date recognised as a bank holiday; Inspiral Carpets Day. That's a campaign I'd happily get behind.
Tonight's set is a celebration of the past and a nod to the future. We are treated to some of the band's best singles – Generations, She Comes In The Fall, Spitfire, Weakness and Move follow in quick succession, barely pausing for breath. When Kev Clarke joined in 2022 he had an impossible role to fill but every single night, he has smashed it out the park. There’s massive love, respect and admiration for him within the band, from the audience and in the broader music community. His drumming seems to reach new heights every time we see him play. Clint lauds praise on him after another epic drum solo on She Comes In The Fall - “The Big K, Special K, K class” provoking hilarity from the band.
Spitfire and Weakness keep the tempo high. Spitfire in particular sounds magnificent, with Clint playing the lead on his trusty Farfisa. Weakness has a proper garage sound to it before a triumphant Move. Third Inspirals album Revenge of the Goldfish from 1992 is one of my personal favourites and I always describe it as sounding like a singles collection, with Two Worlds Collide being amongst the best of those. It shines again this evening and is one of those darker songs lyrically that they transform into an uplifting anthem.
It's then straight into the almost raw Let You Down. From 2014's self-titled LP, Let You Down showcases absolutely everything we love about the band. It has groove, driving guitar lines, pounding drums and that almost unique Farfisa sound taking it to the next level and separating Inspiral Carpets from the rest. 2025 has seen the welcome return of Beast Inside to the set, which shows a completely different side to the band. Beast Inside hasn't featured in the set since 1992 yet it deserves to be heard.
1989 classic single Find Out Why is the highlight for many in the all-ages crowd, some of whom wouldn't have been born when it was released. A perfect two and a half minute post punk single which sees Clint and Kev compete to see who can finish first. We are then treated to the excellent Drag The Bag, which Clint announces as the next single. Opening with a funky electro piano, and carried along with Kev's funky drumming, it has a strong vocal interplay between Ste and Clint too. Out front, Martyn underpins the whole thing with another driving bassline.
“I'm going insane on the train again...the night was heavy and I'm feeling frail” laments Ste yet as the song progresses, they turn it into another triumph and it is well received by the Carlisle audience. Drag The Bag is followed by an equally impressive dark yet uplifting Sackville. Sackville shows the versatility of the band. A powerful social comment.
The Martyn penned pop classic You’re So Good For Me is up next. It has always been a personal favourite and ranks as one of their best singles to date. This Is How It Feels follows without any introduction and sees the first audience singsong of the night. Out the back, Kev's drums impress again whilst Graham's guitar licks are subtle yet crucial.
Starting out as a b-side, Directing Traffic was so good that it was later re-recorded for inclusion on the Life album and is a welcome addition to the set with powerful Farfisa throughout. It once again shows the depth and the quality of the Inspirals back catalogue. The closing trio - I want You, Joe and Dragging Me Down – further highlight that too. Each one delivered at a frantic pace and adored by the crowd before the band leave the stage. Dragging Me Down has a commanding Ste vocal, sees Martyn owning the stage again and is another triumph. A perfect end to the set.
There's still an incredible encore to come though, starting with the classic Skidoo – another b-side that was added to the recently reissued Beast Inside album. Skidoo is a departure from the pop side of the band. Running at around six minutes, it's more of a jam and sees all five members shine. It challenges both the audience, the band and is one of this evening's highlights before Saturn 5 sees hands in the air and ends the show in a real celebration.
“We'll be back” announces Clint as the band depart. There's a real camaraderie within the band. It is clear that they have impenetrable bonds, they have a love of each other and a love for what they do. That's evident throughout the whole show. With their biggest tour for decades coming up in November and December, and more than one new single in the pipeline, these are exciting times for both band and fans.
Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at @eventhestarsuk and like our Facebook page for all the latest updates
No comments:
Post a Comment