iceLife The half heard mutterings of a Kiwi a long, long way from home.

17th July, 2007, Shepherds Bush Empire, London

Perhaps it was because it was Sunday, perhaps we were tired, or perhaps its mostly because this Frank Black guy is a) a bit past it and b) really needs a decent band to play in front of.

Cut it however you like, but Frank Black's gig tonight (solo, not with the Pixies!) was a bit of a disappointment.
Highlights were few and far between, but I'll go with the 4-5 song acoustic set he did towards the beginning.

Frank included a version of "Hey" during which he forgot the words - sounds unprofessional, but in actual fact it was the one stand out moment - Frank's cool handling of the gaffe showing something of his real character.

But, and there had to be one... once the electric backing band joined him, it reduced to more or less illegible punk screaming. Well that's how I called it, seems a bit harsh now I go back and read this review.


We left before the encore because a less crowded bus home was more appealing.

Adrian's gig score - 2 / 5. Really, this one was only for the fans.