Tour: 2008 with Isobel Campbell

2008 Dates with Isobel Campbell
Please scroll down for fan reviews

when
where
venue
reviews
5/31/08
Bologna, Italy
Estragon
6/1/08
Torino, Italy
Ossigeno
6/3/08
Frankfurt, Germany
Mousonturm
6/4/08
Geneva, Switzerland
L’Usine
6/6/08
Paris, France
La Cigalle
6/7/08
Brussels, Belgium
Annicenne Belgique
6/8/08
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Paradiso
6/10/08
London, UK
Shepherd’s Bush Empire
6/11/08
Brighton, UK
St. Georges Church
6/12/08
Manchester, UK
Academy 2
6/13/08
Glasgow, Scotland
ABC
Second Leg
11/19/08
Antwerp, Belgium
11/20/08
Hasslet, Belgium
11/21/08
Den Hague, Netherlands
Crossing Border Festival
11/24/08
Hamburg, Germany
Fabrik
11/25/08
Copenhagen, Denmark
Vega
11/26/08
Oslo, Norway
Park Teartet
11/27/08
Stockholm, Sweden
Debaser
11/29/08
Lodz, Poland
Camerimage Film Festival
11/30/08
Berlin, Germany
Quasimodo
12/2/08
Basel, Switzerland
Volkshaus
12/3/08
Paris, France
La Trabendo
12/7/08
Nottingham, UK
Rock City (seated venue)
12/8/08
London, UK
Union Chapel
12/9/08
Portsmouth, UK
Wedgewood Rooms
12/10/08
Bexhill, UK
De La Warr Pavillion
12/12/08
Barcelona, Spain
Auditorium(Primavera)
12/13/08
Madrid, Spain
Joy Eslava(Primavera)
12/14/08
Edinburgh, UK
Picture House

 


Reviews

Paradiso, Amsterdam, June 8,2008
review by Lungsey

Bloody brilliant it was

I’m not one for reviews and stuff but i did manage to keep a tracklist Much like Maidli’s list and i was very happy indeed.
Theres one or two i’m not sure of as i haven’t listened to the sunday at devil dirt thingie yet.
1. Seafaring Song (i think)
2. Deus Ibi Est
3. Carry Home (woah….)
4. Who Built the Road
5. The False Husband
6. Broken Seas (this song has really grown on me, i remember them doing this first time round and i absolutely disliked it)
7. Saturdays Gone (not at all enjoyable but i have no love for Isobel Campbell) – she did get a huge applause, and i do mean huge.
8. ? (one of the nights mysteries)
9. Back Burner (pretty fuckin cool this – Lanegan’s voice filling this old church building is just amazing)
10. Little Sadie (yes i do feel very lucky and it was lovely)
11. ? (the second mystery of the evening)
12. Honey Child
13. Salvation
14. Keep me in Mind Sweetheart
15. The Circus is leaving Town
—–
16. Revolver
17. Come On Over (Turn me on) – amazing lights at this one, i felt totally stoned out of my head but was completely sober (or was i)
18. Ramblin Man
19. Wedding Dress

Tonight’s 3rd mystery is Lanegan’s right shoulder movements…. i’ve had some serious aches in my arm these past few weeks (cos i fell off my bike a while back) and watching Lanegan moving his arm and shoulder all night long kind of made me think he must own a bike too and he must of fallen off at some point cos he’s doing the same thing i keep doing but really mark, its not helping much is it?

Tonights 4th mystery is why can’t i find any fuckin jaffa cakes anywhere? I need them to buy someone off.

Overall a very good night. The Paradiso is simply the best venue ever and it was lovely not having a full house cos of the heat outside., It stayed nice temperature-wise and i had my eyes fixed on Lanegan for most of the night without having to kick people over left and right to get them out of the way. He seemed mellow and relaxed, Campbell was chilled out compaired to the first time i saw them (and she irritated the hell out of me, no offence etc).
No One Whiskey shirts there though… and i did look. I wonder who else was there. C’mon people, pictures pictures pictures. Just because i can’t be arsed to carry my camera around, doesn’t mean you have to be lazy bastards aswell

Oh yeah, they started round 8.35 and finished about 9.50-ish. 


Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Manchester Academy 2, UK, June 12 2008
review by Foz

A strange experience for me – a Mark Lanegan-flavoured show where I had no real expectations whatsoever.
I have always felt that I knew what was in store for me when going to one of these sort of things, whether it be as Mark Lanegan, as part of the Mark Lanegan Band, as guest of the Twilight Singers or member of the Gutter Twins, even as member of Soulsavers. But tonight was a new one on me.

I liked Ballad of the Broken Seas (albeit in bite-sized pieces) and really like Sunday at Devil Dirt, although the latter has been out for too short a time for me to really get into it. So to be in an absolutely packed – right up to the back doors – Manchester Academy 2 on a comfortably warm Drinky Thursday was a rare treat.

One thing that becomes immediately apparent is the chemistry between the two main performers. They work incredibly well together, and every single song in the set benefits from this. The respect that each artist has for the other’s input is impossible to miss and a joy to witness, as the very best is brought out in each and every song. Both Mark and Isobel’s voices were impeccable throughout, helped in no small part by a mostly excellent sound mix (although Isobel’s cello kind of got lost after the first song, which is a shame).

The set began with a confidently-delivered Seafaring Song, followed by an excellent Deus Ibi Est – a song that seems to be equally loved and hated by most on record, but there’s no denying that live, it works incredibly well. Who Built the Road builds on the album version by showcasing the talents of both vocalists, both as individuals and as a pair. And so it carried on through the evening, with an extensive set culled from both albums plus the added bonus of a top-notch rendition of Little Sadie and a Jeffery Lee Pierce cover (Free to Walk), both of which fitted well into the evening.
And after an outstanding encore (Come on Over, Ramblin’Man and Wedding Dress), it was over. The large and very appreciative audience went home happy, and this scribe woke up this morning with a hangover the size of a decent-sized international airport. Certainly a strange gig, as the music doesn’t lend itself too well to jumping about like a loon, but nonetheless it was a welcome change and a great night out.

Manchester Academy 2, UK, June 12 2008
review by albinorage

It was amazing I got a set list at the end and I think it was pretty much the same as the other shows but I’ll put it up just incase.

Seafaring Song (lovely)
Deus Ibi Est
Carry Home ( )
Who Built The Road
The False Husband
Broken Seas
Saturday’s Gone
Flame That Burns
Back Burner (Didn’t like it on the CD but pretty good live)
Little Sadie! (One of my faves from last night, the arrangement was brilliant)
Free To Walk (This was a cover right? Wasn’t really paying attention as my camera stopped working)
Honey Child What Can I Do?
Salvation (Another song that is so so on the CD but I really liked live)
Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart (Another one of my faves)
The Circus Is Leaving Town (Brilliant)

Revolver
Come On Over (Best song of the night)
Ramblin’ Man
Wedding Dress (The guy that jumped in beside me at the encore was getting really into this one, loved it.)

And that was it, I was right infront of Mark at the front and it was amazing, his voice sounded really good. Isobel looked gorgeous but seemed to be unwell and in the first few songs she looked a bit unhappy but then she got into it. She fluffed up her whistling part in Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart, but it didn’t seem to put her off and she kinda just done her giggle and continued on. I loved Little Sadie it is one of my fave Mark songs and it was made even better by Isobel and the band. Come On Over was brilliant, I got goosebumps.


Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Bexhill-on-Sea, UK, December 10, 2008
review by Foz

Bexhill-on-Sea. A lovely, but odd place. It’s a bit like Hitchcock’s The Birds but with benches with people’s names on them instead of seagulls. And a crazy golf course that was more clinically depressed than actually crazy.
But what the place certainly does have is a beautiful venue for the arts, which was the setting for this show. So, on with the surprises.

Surprise 1: The appearance of ex-Eastender Francis Magee (Claire’s real Dad, Liam. Boo! Hiss! etc! Well, it is Christmas) in the audience.

Surprise 2: The support act. The Miserable Rich were astonishingly good. Baroque is a word that has once more become a bit hip in a world with Fleet Foxes in it, and I guess that this lot will also be painted with the same folky brush. Beards will no doubt also be mentioned. But there’s a bit more of a modern pop sensibility to The Miserable Rich’s beautifully-orchestrated stylings than the more antique sounds of Seattle’s 19th-Century musical Waltons. The frontman is incredibly confident and engaging, and the audience were completely into it. And it’s not often that support slots can try for a bit of audience participation and get away with it, least of all with the sort of idiotic grins that we were all pulling. This certainly won’t be the last time I see them, and if there’s any justice, then this won’t be the last time that you’l hear about them. Something very special indeed.

And then it was time for the main act (which wasn’t surprise number 3 for anyone still paying attention). The set performed was similar (almost identical) to the performances of earlier in the year, but the band this time around had a much more airy and light touch to the subject matter – Honey Child What Can I Do? in particular coming across almost like a Belle and Sebastian number. The overall sound was really good, lighting was – even by Lanegan standards – incredibly minimal, and it all could have come across as being a bit, well, workmanlike. That is, if it wasn’t for
Surprise 3!: The chemistry between the main performers was an absolute joy to watch, and made each song really come alive. Constant sideways looks at each other and an ease of delivery of their songs certainly warmed the audience, but the clincher was Isobel’s almost constant attempts to make Mark laugh, which I’m happy to report worked wonderfully – it’s not often that you see him having to dab his eyes with a towel after an especially prolonged bout during (Do You Wanna) Come Walk With Me? although this was not an isolated incident. Although he did seem to get his own back during an especially excellent Wedding Dress (the bass sound during this was amazing), when he left Isobel and the band hanging for absolutely ages until he decided to start singing again.

Bonus points however were lost when Creeping Coastline of Lights wasn’t dedicated to Eastbourne, whose very own creeping coastline was visible from the rear of the venue, but that’s just me being picky.
Overall, it was another great set from these two, and it was genuinely charming to see people enjoying each others’ company and allowing the rest of us to laugh along. A great show in a great venue.