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After the success and pin-up status Sam Preston won himself from this year’s Celebrity Big Brother, it was no surprise that The Ordinary Boys’ first night of their UK tour was upgraded to Manchester’s Academy One, much to the delight of the new fans and the annoyance of the old.
Now, I will admit. Before Big Brother graced our television screens, I had heard very little about The Ordinary Boys apart from their hit “Talk, Talk, Talk” which I found to be catchy, but nothing that made me want to rush out and buy their album. However, the charm and mischievous face of Sam Preston soon had me intrigued (like most of the nation) and so it was no shock when I found myself buying my housemates and I tickets for their tour. Such a sell out I know, but oh well, I am a young girl after all!
Walking into the gig (albeit a little late due to said housemates consuming copious amounts of cider), I was pleasantly surprised to see the diverse range of fans that the ‘Boys’ have acquired for themselves. From 16-year-old groupies, the self-styled ‘NME’ crew, the townies donning their Fred Perry logos and cans of red stripe, and we student-types who go along for the crack, and well, let’s be honest, what better way to spend a student loan?
Support from The Automatic! and Young Soul Rebels proved to be good, but the crowd were too intent on seeing Preston (not Sam, first names aren’t cool remember) and whilst the songs were good and catchy, you couldn’t help but want The Ordinary Boys to appear on stage faster.
You almost wouldn’t notice him at first. Yes, he really is that small. But height does not stop Sam Preston from being an energetic and enthralling front man. Opening with “Week In, Week Out” the crowd instantly started jumping around and singing along to the words, whilst engulfed in an impressive lighting display, something that too many bands seem to discard these days.
Not knowing many of the songs, I was pleased to see how fluent the gig was. It didn’t drag at all, as is so often the case when you see band that you don’t really know much about. You couldn’t help but fall for Preston’s charm and the way he moved around the stage like an excitable teenager with his first ever guitar. “Thank you Manchestarrrrr” became a trademark quote of the evening, followed by hits such as “Boys Will Be Boys”, the hand clapping “Over the Counter Culture” and the brilliant “Life Will Be the Death of Me.”
Knowing that he had had success before his 3-week TV stint, Preston was eager to remind us of the bands first album and treated us to not-so-familiar B-sides which he dedicated to “those who have been with us from the start!” Whilst it was nice to hear a variety, it did almost seemed like he was trying too hard to prove that he was first and foremost a musician, and not just Chantelle’s pretty boyfriend.
Yes there was an encore. Yes I generally hate them, because we all know they’re coming, so why don’t you just stay on the stage? But this was actually a decent one, a bearable amount of time with just 3 songs ending with “Seaside” during which the buzzing crowd gave it their all one last time for their pint-sized idol and cheered him admirable respect. An hour and a half set, and it seems The Ordinary Boys are back in business.
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article by: Kate Robinson
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| published: 25/03/2006 13:28 |
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