By Julia Parnaby
Finally, after a long 4 year wait, I got to see the ladies again. Let me start by saying that the Mean Fiddler (Astoria 2 as most of us know it) is a stinker of a venue. Muddy sound, cramped space but worst of all a ridicuolous raised t-shaped platfrom right in front of the stage making the front of the crowd a good 4 inches taller than everyone else. Whoever came up with that must have been a genius. Still, Sleater-Kinney rocked long and hard in the sweatiest, wettest show I think I’ve ever been to. By about the third song we were drenched and
by the time I left my clothes were sopping wet through as if I’d got into the shower fully clothed. Carrie explained that they neeeded to take breaks between songs as they were just so hot which of course led to the inevitable gags!
This was the biggest SK UK gig I’ve been to, but far from being fly by night newcomers the whole crowd seemed totally dedicated and screamed along with every song. It was a One Beat heavy set - I think they played everything but The Remainder, Prisstina and Funeral Song (shame). AHOTBO and YNRNRF made an appearance as did Call the Doctor, The End of You, Dig Me Out, One More Hour, Words and Guitar plus the two new songs Giraffe and Entertainment (or whatever it’s called). Entertainment was especially striking - seeming largely a solo turn from Carrie who played her guitar one-handed whilst singing and pointing and gesturing like mad. If anyone has a proper set list I’d like to see it as I’m useless at remembering things like that.
Janet was her usual astonishing self throughout dressed all in black and aided slightly by a huge industrial sized fan right next to her drumkit (I doubt it made much difference in that heat). Her drum solo in Hollywood Ending was great! Carrie was in trainers, jeans and a dark grey-green (I think) t-shirt, Corin in a black and white ruffled dress (though I could barely see her from where I was standing). She seemed to be doing lots of flirtatious eye-rolling and shimmying from what I could see, plus a little of that famous head shake…
It’s really a shame that for me the venue spoiled the show quite a lot. I’m planning to arrive earlier tonight to try to get a better view, maybe even stand on Corin’s side of the hall for the first time….
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