Went to Somerset House. The venue was great; a really beautiful venue
outdoor arena replete with squawking Thames seagulls.

Let me preface my comments by saying that I really enjoyed the songs from
the Radio 1 session. New Cobweb Summer was a particular favourite and
Lambchop circa How I Quit Smoking is about the best music I've heard.

Having said that I thought that the gig was very dull, especially in
comparison to the Queen Elizabeth Hall show of last year. Much of the new
stuff is very low tempo and there was very little attempt to mix it up. It
wasn't until a belated Up With People that things (briefly) picked up.

They also suffer from the lack of horns and strings that give them their
lushness. I thought the songs sounded too naked and fragile without. It
probably sums things up when a guest trumpet player appeared for the finale
of Up With People and was greeted with shouts of "Bring him back!" after he
disappeared and the band started another deeply mellow song.

There were some nice songs but it made for a very dull gig.

All the best,

Jon