Elvis and the Imposters play London in 2016

[Man out of Time]

A reliable source has confirmed that Elvis and the Imposters will play a show in London this year. Details will be announced on Friday 13 May.

Watch this space....


MOOT

[verbal gymnastics]

As long as it's not at the Royal Albert Hall I'll be happy!

[Goon Squad]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeehhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !

[sheeptotheslaughter]

I hope it's not a support slot on one of the big outdoor shows, although I cant see who he'd support.

Its been a while since he played Hammersmith although that is a trek from Southend

[Goon Squad]

I must admit a few weeks ago I said to VG I could see him doing the Radio 2 Festival in a Day, but I'd obviously prefer a proper gig. Hammersmith would be good, but wherever it is please have standing !

[verbal gymnastics]

I wonder how this will fit in.

Will it be a London date in July which will be short notice? Therefore it could be a small venue (Shepherds Bush Empire?). If not, will it be part of a longer or different mini tour later in the year? I can't see a one off date later in the year.

I would hope it's not a festival show. I doubt it will be unless they are added to On Blackheath or something. That would be OK with me as long as they play the day Squeeze and James are playing.

[the_roofdog]

Its been a while since he played Hammersmith although that is a trek from Southend

Mandatory riverside pub crawl for all SE England-based forum members if so.

wherever it is please have standing !

Seconded.

[FrankieJ]

YES! GET IN!!!!!!!! SO happy about this. Post-gigs blues soon to kick in, but probably won't now. One happy lady here!

[Goon Squad]

A reliable source has confirmed that Elvis and the Imposters will play a show in London this year. Details will be announced on Friday 13 May.

Watch this space....


MOOT

I'm still "watching this space" and waiting with bated breath ! The tension is unbearable !

[the_roofdog]

Maybe he'll announce it on stage tonight...

[verbal gymnastics]

Let's hope we're not getting Friday 13th is not getting mixed up with April 1st.

[Goon Squad]

Maybe he'll announce it on stage tonight...

Who ?.............MOOT ?

[verbal gymnastics]

Maybe he'll announce it on stage tonight...

Good thinking. Don't forget to email me as soon as he does!

[verbal gymnastics]

Not a lot of excitement generated yet...

So what will the first song be? Hopefully Elvis will have read the Worst Song thread and chuck a few of them into the set.

Therefore the opening number will be Tokyo Storm Warning!

[verbal gymnastics]

http://www.roundhouse.org.uk//whats-on/ ... imposters/

Goon squad/FrankieJ - Please note the doors now open at 7pm! Looks like there is no support now.

The start time is 8pm and the curfew is 11pm. Let's hope it is a 3 hour set!!!

[sheeptotheslaughter]

Is there a pre show meet decided on yet?

[sulky lad]

Just a few reflections on the U.K. mini tour ( which is all I can comment on - as I didn't venture overseas to our colonies and ex -spouses !!)

Pluses -

a) The Imposters are still one of the hottest bands currently circulating - just like The Attractions they can switch effortlessly across musical genres.

b) It's the first proper Imposter gigs without either supporting or being part of another set up or having the SSS breaking up the shows since 2005 in the U.K. It was great to see them in a proper gig environment and to have them following a more structured way of playing.

c) As previously cited, I don't know if Bruce's quote of the band being "a bit pedestrian" ( or words to that effect) in "Rough Notes" was like a red rag to a bull but there were some extraordinary performances of an intensity I'd not seen since 2005. I'm a huge fan of Steve but Pete seemed to be hitting the drums ) especially his floor tom-tom with enormous power and venom.

d) Elvis seemed to be enjoying himself without the sometimes overly intense anecdotes and his voice was the strongest since 2003 and the North tour.

e) The band themselves looked like they were having a ball - lots of eye contact and knowing looks across all four of them - though the look Steve gave Elvis when he took over the Steinway at the start of Bedlam at the Roundhouse had to be seen to be believed !

Minuses

I can be objective here - I hope
a) There were still too many doodlings on the guitar by Elvis - the end of Bedlam and WTD were prime examples but others seemed a bit too drawn out - Stations Of the Cross sticking in my mind as one example.

b) The wonderful range of different songs played at The Roundhouse made us anticipate a wider range of songs than were actually played - even though we had some amazing treats and surprises - and I loved the way new technology allowed them to experiment and really bring old songs back to life - especially the pre-programmed waltz on Sunday's Best and the drum machine on Pills And Soap. However, when Elvis said he didn't know any of the "colour songs" requested at one of the shows ( Blue Chair, Red Shoes) it seemed a bit hard to believe that this would have been beyond their compass

c) No contact post gig - these wonderful musicians don't owe us anything. My life has been transformed by my love of their collective musicianship and the amazing song writing of Elvis and they're as entitled as anyone to just want to disappear at the end of a hard- working day (or evening) but I felt really sad that at all 4 gigs they scooted away from the gig with almost indecent haste. it wasn't 1979 with Jake pulling the strings and people waiting afterwards for a selfie, a signature or just the chance to say Hi, thanks again aren't going to be belligerent or any more obnoxious than maybe in the late 70s . I know VG and I were acknowledged at both the Roundhouse and Bristol but maybe we're being a bit precious in hoping to say hullo again to the band and Elvis.

As I say, this might seem a bit trite after the pure joy of seeing the band all together - The Roundhouse was such a relief and a reassurance about the music I particularly love much like my sensation seeing The Attractions at Shepherd's Bush in 1994.

Let's hope 2017 brings a version of IB and associated songs to the UK with a horn section and songs that lead to and away from Get Happy - some hope !

[johnfoyle]

Well said , Sulky .

After seeing three shows in five days in this island , I saw pretty much the same points. Expansive as the SSB format may have seemed , being able to focus on a set amount of songs seemed to give the ensemble a confidence that they built on . Elvis seems to be very dependent on lyric sheets , what with the screen by his mic stand and the lyric sheet that was pointedly stuck on the piano as he started even something new like A Face In The Crowd. Maybe he just doesn't want the stress of possibly corpsing on a unfamiliar , off the cuff try at a obscure song.

[verbal gymnastics]

I agree pretty much with everything you've said sulky.

It was great to see a proper Imposters gig without flow being broken by the songbook. The Imposters are a fantastic band but I think there was a bit of rustiness as they haven't played for a while. A longer tour would see more visits to the back catalogue. Similarly, a lot of the looks to each other were not only about them having fun, but making sure they all finished the song at the same time!

I was also disappointed about the lack of post gig meet ups with them. As Elvis had the twins with him perhaps this provided a reason for not sticking around afterwards. I don't know the deal with the Imposters - we were told they had walked back to their hotel straight after the Bristol gig. I was a bit surprised at this as they are usually very happy to speak to waiting fans.

I think we also have to recognise that the band are older now so I can understand Elvis's use of the screen, although he doesn't seem comfortable with this (or the earpiece). I guess the Face in the Crowd music sheets were there as this was a band version rather than when he played it solo in May.

I'm just happy to have seen them again.