So, the Killers warmed up for tonight's Marlay Park gig at the Academy last night, in front of around 650 people. It was a great gig, but a bizarre one too. It's so strange to see a giant stadium band in a club setting. A bit like Tom Cruise in a primary school nativity play. But less creepy.
You can't fake it when you play to that size of a crowd, and the Killers got away with it. Flowers' voice was the best I've ever heard it live. He was brimming with nervous energy. The rest of the band barely moved or broke a sweat throughout (apart from, obviously, the drummer) so it was all on Flowers' head. He shook about, ran around the stage, and drew his awkward presence from a mixture of an undecided, insecure rock god, occassionally visibly mimicking Ian Curtis.
You can't fake it when you play to that size of a crowd, and the Killers got away with it. Flowers' voice was the best I've ever heard it live. He was brimming with nervous energy. The rest of the band barely moved or broke a sweat throughout (apart from, obviously, the drummer) so it was all on Flowers' head. He shook about, ran around the stage, and drew his awkward presence from a mixture of an undecided, insecure rock god, occassionally visibly mimicking Ian Curtis.
The band did an excellent version of 'Smile Like You Mean It', on piano and violin. 'When You Were Young' and 'All These Things That I've Done' stood out, along with the excellent 'Mr Brightside'. My highlight though was 'Under The Gun', my favourite Killers track. They played something else, which was probably a new song because I didn't recognise it, and it was awful altogether, but most of the tracks stood up.
All in all, a very interesting, special sort of gig. When you have anthems like they do, nothing else really matters.
The Killers - 'All These Things That I've Done' from Una Mullally on Vimeo.
Before the gig, I hit that fashion thing in South William where my mate Killian aka RedMonk had some rockin t-shirts he designed. After the gig, I went to the G to meet FionnTimes, Ragin, Brian and the Return of Lucy. Welcome home dude! Good to have ya back.
*update* didn't hit the Marlay gig, but a couple of people are complaining about the sound at the show in the comments section below.
41 comments:
it was so so surreal seeing them back in front of such a small crowd. loved every minute!
So pissed off tonight. The Killers gave it their all at Marlay (though played a way too short set) but the sound was SHITE. I was up the front and you actually couldn't hear the songs whatsoever. I'm mailing MCD asking for a refund.
I was also at Marley Park last night, the Killers were great 9yes, but I totally agree the sound was RUBBISH. I was at the front to the right and could not hear a thing ! The lead vocals were just about loud enough to hear but the rest of the band were ridiculously low. The band didn't come on until 9:15 and at 9:45 there was an obvious drop in the sound level. I was so disappointed and will also be complaining. I will NEVER go to Marlay Park again.
@ anon & Yvonne - that sucks. Haven't heard anything about bad sound at the other Marlay gigs.
Was anyone @ Muse or Metallica who noticed the same?
I was at Lenny Kravitz (And Alanis Morrisette who rawked) and thought the sound was great...although I was very near the stage. So no complaints here, but that sucks about the killers.
funnily enough, I've always thought the Killers were a bad band to see in a field. Anytime I've seen them in a big setting, they've been pretty crap, yet were very good @ the Academy, a small venue.
Maybe it's something to do with the band rather than the setting if the other gigs had no problems...
Academy was great, amazing to see them in such a small venue. First time in The Academy and I think to its credit the venue feels even smaller than its 800 capacity would suggest. Do you know people started queuing at 7 in the morning. I walked up a shortly before doors opening and got second row center...loosers :-P. How come most of the audience were swooning girls/women. Have The Killers moved from cool indie to indie on the verge of boyband terrritory?? Where were the nerdy know-it-all young guys. Was it because most tickets went to the fan club or is this the start of then end? Sexism aside its never a good sign of the music when a band start drawing more women than men. On first listen the new song Neon Tiger didn't sound great, if my ears are to be believed he sang of the "osaka sun" funny enough so does Chris Martin on his new record. Anyway lets wait and see if album number 3 is up to the standard of the previous 2, if it is then they have nothing to worry about
@ Chris: "How come most of the audience were swooning girls/women. Have The Killers moved from cool indie to indie on the verge of boyband terrritory??"
- eh DUDE, you're talking about a stadium rock band on a major record label! Hardly 'cool indie'!
"Sexism aside its never a good sign of the music when a band start drawing more women than men." - that's a really, really stupid thing to say. Do you honestly think that women don't know as much about music as men do? You do realise you are on a WOMAN'S BLOG? Right?
> eh DUDE, you're talking about a stadium rock band on a major record label! Hardly 'cool indie'!
But I thought it was Indie Rock n' Roll for them!
>Do you honestly think that women don't know as much about music as men do? You do realise you are on a WOMAN'S BLOG? Right?
:) yeah its exactly what I'm saying Una, in general women don't take the same interest in what I would call "good" music as guys do. Obviously I'm not saying ALL women but I'm saying more guys are into "good" music than girls are. I only have to look around at gigs to see this. Or look at the forums. Or ultimately look at the sex of the band on the stage, the people who have been compelled to pick up a guitar by their very interest and love of the music they make...
LOL. And what do you mean by 'good' music? Because you clearly don't know your 'good' music if you class The Killers as a 'cool indie' band.
The myth of men knowing more about music than women is just that, a myth. By using your points about more men in bands, more men at gigs, or whatever, that's a societal thing - men are always more visable in recreational and artistic terms because they face less constraints to accessing those forums than women do. It has nothing to do with knowledge, which you have already showed yourself as a man to be seriously lacking in, so you're probably not the best example of Smart Music Boy.
Oooohhh I do love a good row! Was at the gig on Wednesday too and was well impressed. I was delighted they didn't just go thru the motions but really gave it socks. And as you say that nervous energy gave it a nice edge. I left with adrenaline pumping and a real sense of having been present at a memorable gig. Shame about the dreadful support act tho.
> you're probably not the best example of Smart Music Boy.
Wow where is this coming from??? the girl doesn't like the argument so she plays dirty. Did I ever assert to be anything but a music fan, when I spoke of good music I deliberately put it in quotations knowing the subjectiveness of the remark. I spoke in an Irish context, the Irish music forums I frequent, the Irish gigs I go to. I wasn't aware until now of the constraints Irish women face attending gigs or having online music discussions. In fact based on this new information I'm surprised they allow you blog at all. Bye.
Chris, I'm not playing dirty. You are the one who said, "its [sic]never a good sign of the music when a band start drawing more women than men."
You can't be mad at me for picking you up on a sexist remark. It's that remark that is dirty, not my rebuttal.
I attended The Killers concert in Marley Park last night. Unfortunately my enjoyment of the gig was completely ruined by the sound set-up. The vocals were inaudible above the crowd for most of the gig, drums muffled, bass too high and keyboard and drums virtually non-existent.
I did not pay in excess of €70 to hear the crowd play karakoke.
Whilst it was clear the band were giving their all their efforts were totally in vain as you simply could not hear them properly.
sorry should have said guitars virtually non-existent..drums were muffled..guitars non-existent..either way not good : (
@UnaRocks Ah well fair enough!
Sure everyone knows women only listen to Donnie Osmond and the Bay City Rollers.
As I mention far too often on the internet - I live right beside Marlay Park and can usually hear pretty much everything from the gigs. Couldn't hear much from the Killers at all last night but I presumed it was the wind - obviously not.
was at muse last week. sound was not good because of the wind pushing the speakers back and forth which caused massive level drop through the whole gig.
saying the killers are "cool indie" is weird and wrong. with hits on the radio, signed on a big label, thousands of fans, big expensive shows (but seriously lacking of efforts in the production though) you can't seriously qualify them as cool, and indie!
oh by the way, i am a woman, i go to gigs regularly, i work at gigs, and i think i like "good music".
Haha I love how some people think you can make a sexist statement okay by prefacing it with "sexism aside"!
lol, chris, you twit.
Comments from the above post related to this:
nerdrock said...
Think Chris was being a bit silly and mixing up music taste with music knowledge. From my friends I would say the girls tend towards the pop side of things (Kylie, Snow Patrol etc.) but that doesn't mean they're somehow musically retarded and it's definitely just a trend not a rule.
Just because you're into bands that no one has heard of doesn't mean you know more than someone else. It just means you like indie music. The Killers are a pop band with a young audience so you would expect lots of girls and guys. big deal.
Think Chris needs to acknowledge that there's no shame in still liking a band just because their fanbase now includes a bunch of teenage screaming girls. God forbid you like a little pop music Chris, what will the cool indie kids think of you!
12:05 PM
d rock said...
Gender specific marketing, not just in music, but in films and especially in books, is a really bad trend. It seems to bother guys for than girls, and I'd say it deters more fans than it attracts.
I mean, is one particular combination of guitar chords more appealing to a male ear than a female one?
As for musical knowledge itself, the nerdy craving for remembering trivia tends to be a male thing; this doesn't necessarily lead to greater musical insights or enjoyment though!
1:34 PM
Joe @ guesslist said...
I agree with nerdrock, I think it was an ignorant confusion of the difference between taste and knowledge. However, I wouldn't mind playing devil's advocate for a minute and pull you up on one thing you said:
"By using your points about more men in bands, more men at gigs, or whatever, that's a societal thing - men are always more visable in recreational and artistic terms because they face less constraints to accessing those forums than women do."
I'm not going to pretend for a second to understand how the music industry works - there maybe the industry's equivalent of a "glass ceiling" for female artists, there may not be. But in terms of 'recreational terms' women do not face any extra constraints in accessing music in comparison to guys. To be fair to Chris (and as I stated above I believe this to be a reflection on the difference in tastes between genders, not knowledge, intelligence, value or anything else), it's quite obvious that there are more guys at gigs and, for example, on music forums. There are no female restraints on gig tickets or website logins, music is as accessible to girls as it is for boys. Now it is, perhaps, arguable that should there be a perceived restraint on female artists within the indie/rock/alt genre that this in turn has a knock on effect in that it alienates a potential fan base, but that's a suspect argument in my opinion.
1:43 PM
spoilt victorian child said...
As a girl who loves Neu! as much as Kylie . I reckon it must be utterly depressing and completely limiting to be an apparent “music” loving boy. They will never know the quicksilver joy and sugar rush high you can experience from a glossy carefully crafted pop song. Their heart will never skip a beat at the sassy click of the best Sixties girl groups and they will never skid onto the dance floor giddily to celebrate the latest faux-disco offering from Girls Aloud et al…
My only specifics about music is that it makes me feel something whether it’s the addictive motorik of Deutschlands finest, the bilious spitting lyrics of Mark E, the grimy dancehall groove of a forgotten rocksteady group, or the sexy cooing of one Miss Minogue.
Now breathe, lighten up and have some fun y’all.
1:53 PM
UnaRocks said...
"music is as accessible to girls as it is for boys" - is it really though? Because clearly by this discussion, the men commenting generally view music as a 'man's thing', like football, politics or maths.
I'm not talking about direct visible constraints, like a sign at a gig door saying 'no chicks allowed', I'm talking about the invisible historical shield preventing the involvement of women in recreational activities including music. Women have been traditionally sidelined from music - both as artists, followers and experts - because like everything, their opinions and involvement wasn't seen as valid as a man's.
"There are no female restraints on gig tickets or website logins", in theory, yes, like everything. But then, why are women not on an equal footing in everything that is accessible to both genders? It's a much bigger question.
And it's something that men don't have to deal with or notice, because they never come across it. Any female musician in a band will tell you they are frequently brushed off with the 'token chick' slur, and female music fan will tell you that in a discussion, they will always presume to know less than the man, any female music journalist will tell you that they have to work harder to be taken as seriously as their male counterparts, even if they have superior skills and knowledge.
Look at the shock Chris expressed that there were WOMEN at a GIG! If that doesn't show a deep set prejudice about the involvement of women within the culture of musical audiences, then what does?
1:57 PM
"any female music journalist will tell you that they have to work harder to be taken as seriously as their male counterparts, even if they have superior skills and knowledge."
i totally agree una. every time i'm working with a band, or a new colleague, i have to work even harder to show them that yes i'm a girl but i am good at what i do.
Well I don't see why Chris' comment should be taken as the mantra of an entire gender, and I honestly don't know any guy who would 'look down' on a female music fan.
I don't think we're going to come to any real consensus on this because our experiences are different, but the one thing I'd ask, again just to put it out there, is to question whether this 'invisible historical shield' actually exists anymore, or is it a perception and assumption that it is there that could limit girls from feeling like they can get involved? Like, is there any girl who genuinely likes a band/music scene and doesnt participate because she doesn't feel welcome?
One final point; the 'indier than thou' type music fan, the 'Jack Black in High Fidelity' character doesn't discriminate based on gender - he/she looks down on whoever they may be in conversation with - guys can and are patronised by these types too.
As I said, not pretending for a second to have any insight to the music business, but on the fans' side of things I've never met a girl who likes or is passionate about music who feels put off by a male dominated environment. PLEASE don't take Chris' attitude as typical of men!
@ Conor - I, and I'm sure anyone who has worked at a bar could regale you with "Now I'm not racist, BUT" stories from drunks who think that anyone whose name has no Irish version should be run out of town :D
Agree with Annie about the sound. I live by Marlay too. I could hear Muse, Kravitz and Metallica very clearly from my house, but could hardly hear The Killers. I dont think it is a Marlay Park thing, it must have been the fault of their sound engineers.
@Lindsey - it does seem like that. If every other gig was fine, and the Killers one was low, then it's probably to do with the set up they had, PA, engineers and so on.
Total bummer though. It's so annoying when the sound sucks at a gig. Unless you're a massive fan and just want to see the band do whatever, it completely takes away from it.
...But he can be mad at you for stooping to a [sic] point despite letting your "visable" slide!
I think Chris has a point: music should be a universal appeal and good bands draw a varied range of fans across the board. When fans tend to be of one sex it means their music is lacking and they're failing to reach the other side of audiences.
I don't see where he questioned women's knowledge of music. When The Killers burst out on the scene they had an army of fans from all walks. I think blokes saw a youthful masculinity and vibrance that drew on rockstar dreams but never really delivered once they made it.
Now the appeal is waning. We'd still love Hot Fuzz if it wasn't boring. These days they're just another pop band like Scissor Sisters.
So total overreaction Una.
Isn't overreacting what blogs are for?
Amen!
"I think blokes saw a youthful masculinity and vibrance that drew on rockstar dreams but never really delivered once they made it."
LOL, did you get fired from writing ads for Coca-Cola?
Yeah, no one seemed to mention that The Killers are a shite band anyway - an opinion on which all right-thinking MEN and WOMEN can surely agree?
"As a girl who loves Neu! as much as Kylie"
Wow can I have your number? As a well informed guy, I have this great CD you might like, plus I reckon you are the only girl on earth who has such diverse taste in music.
The Killers' first mistake was getting popular. Second was wearing eyeliner. Those are two things guaranteed to create animosity amongst the males of the indie bar generations. Kind of silly to give out about too many women at a gig though. It'd be like a woman complaining that there are too many men at a Sunn O))) gig. It's just the way it happened. It doesn't mean that either of the bands has music that is "lacking" as one commenter said - if everyone tried to appeal to everyone, it'd be boring.
I personally don't think there is a wall holding women back in indie music at least. Good music, in the internet age, is picked up on in a very democratic way.
Also, I'm not sexist but: girls have cooties.
Men are nerds. It doesn't matter what the subject is; video games, music, football results.
They catalogue every minute detail so they whip out the information in the pub or on the internet and claim to have the superior knowledge.
It's sad, it's pathetic but 100% of men are nerds about at least one thing.
So, yeah, men know more about music if you use those parameters because there are more soft-arsed muse-o male nerds out there than female.
These battle of the sexes arguments are tedious as fuck though, give it a rest.
The original comment isn't even sexist, it's just idiotic. Twat.
Young'flas grow out of this sort of crap and you've got to keep in mind, how insecure do you have to be about your taste/knowledge/experience to try to make silly assertions like Chris did? Says more about him than it does about chix who are into bands.
I feel like such a prick doing this.
"was at muse last week.
...
i think i like "good music"."
I'm sorry, I really hate them.
i find that the big problem here stems from believing in the fiction that a persons taste in music is an indicator of their personality.
i like brilliant music and am an utter goon who can't be depended on to behave in anything approaching a suitable manner.
this extends far beyond deportment at gigs.
PS. "deportment" is not a hot new cool indie combo from Dublins southern suburbs.
No offence Chris, but you do seem to be insecure about your love of the Killers that it won't withstand girls liking them too.
I think this is more about liking an awful commercial band and being secretly ashamed of it than about girls at gigs.
Go on, just admit it - The Killers are just plain dull.
Go on, admit it.
You know you want to.
It'll be our secret.
It'll feel really good.
Nonetheless:
Revolution! Girl style! Now!
" Ian said...
I feel like such a prick doing this.
"was at muse last week.
...
i think i like "good music"."
I'm sorry, I really hate them.
10:40 AM"
you are totally allowed to hate muse and you don't sound like a prick saying that. i'm totally confident about my tastes and knowledge in music and i'm not ashamed to say that yes i like muse.
i went to see muse because i love their genius production work which works perfectly with their music. i've been following them for more than 7 years now and i've never been disappointed by one of their live shows. their technicians are amazing.
and that's why i like muse. not especially for the music they create.
p.s i really hate the killers though. don't like their dull music and their uninteresting live shows.
p.s i really hate the killers though. don't like their dull music and their uninteresting live shows.
Here here.
I think Muse are in general terribly overproduced. A nice seperation of sounds is all well and good but they feel lifeless to me. But I've got a serious grá for lo-fi and scratchey sounding shit. Or maybe I just don't like their songs.
Except for Sunburn, at least, I liked it years ago when I last heard it.
The year they headlined Glastonbury I went to see Bill Bailey instead, I'm happy with my decision.
OK kids, time to put the cat amongst the pigeons.
"Women, even in a supposedly 'right on' indie enviroment, regardless of talent, only generally break through this supposed glass ceiling if they're easy on the male eye." Discuss.
The counter to that is probably, "Man or woman; musicians, if you're into the music they make automatically become more attractive than they would be if you saw them working in Centra."
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