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Ricky Warwick @ The Underworld, Camden, London

 
Editor rating
 
9.3

Artist

Ricky Warwick

Date

July 1st, 2009
There's something particularly vulnerable about seeing nothing more than a man with an acoustic guitar standing on the stage of Camden's legendary Underworld in front of nothing more than a tiny amp, a stage that is normally rammed to the rafters with a full band and all of the accessories that come with it.

That's exactly what greeted those cramming through the doors to see Almighty frontman Ricky Warwick return to London with support from Supersuckers frontman Eddie Spaghetti.

The stripped down surroundings, and in no small part the banter of the pair themselves during their respective sets, gave a very intimate feel in a venue that at times can be just the wrong side of personal. Spaghetti pulled in many a crowd favourite, including taking requests throughout his set - both from the crowd, and his wife on the side of the stage who delivered her request in note form - while a tribute to Johnny Cash certainly never goes amiss in my mind.

The star of the tonight's proceedings though is Warwick himself, a man that has been in many circles a leading figure in the UK rock scene since the late 80's. Despite the fact that he's touring in support of his latest solo album Belfast Confetti, the set focused both on tracks from the new release while also including classics from the Almighty back catalogue, and interspersed with a level of anecdotal banter that you simply wouldn't find at an Almighty concert.

If you were there, you now know all you probably ever wanted to about the toxic stench of chicken shit, and how to make decisions between strip bars and traktor museums.

Warwick is a man born to perform, born to entertain, and tonight he did both, drawing the audience into his web, encouraging riotous sing-a-longs to both old and new material, before bringing Spaghetti back on stage for more Johnny Cash, and promising that the pair will tour together soon, the sooner the better I say, they made an excellent partnership.

If you missed the gig because it was acoustic, you missed out, this was a super nights entertainment from start to finish, and that's something you don't find as often as you should these days.

When Warwick announces his next tour, snap up the tickets early, you simply won't be disappointed.

Editor review

-
Overall rating:
 
9.3
Performance:
 
9.0
Sound:
 
9.0
Crowd Response:
 
10.0
Overall:
 
9.0
Reviewed by Mike Elliott
July 06, 2009
 
 
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