Carbon/Silicon
Barfly, Cardiff

Moody stances and attitude may clog up the current music world, but Mick Jones and Tony James were at the forefront of punk rock so they're experts in those fields and on a mission to play with a smile on their faces, and even after three decades of playing to the public Jones still clearly enjoys the unique relationship he enjoys with an audience. Given their history the two J's could take the easy path and trot out the many favourites in their repertoires, but that’s obviously not in the Carbon/Silicon manifesto, this is a new venture with a fresh impetus and the four piece take the crowd on an adventurous journey where the only nod to the past is a clever sample of The Who’s anthem My Generation. Otherwise, the quartet are like Jones former incarnation Big Audio Dynamite - as the fusion of guitar led sounds are underpinned with an unerring ability to get the crowd dancing. Playing to an increasingly rousing response - the stories in between the songs adding appeal to the sonic surprises – the set is lengthy and lustrous as feet remain steadfastly on the pedal. The tunes are only currently available as a download at www.carbonsiliconinc.com but there is every chance a fully fledged album will gain a general release before the close of 2005 and for most of tonight’s crowd this eagerly anticipated event cannot arrive quickly enough, but then again neither can the return of the dynamic duo of Jones and James to the capital city of Wales.
Rob Jones

The White Stripes
Marlay Park, Dublin Ireland

Image. It's about image and trying to control that image. If I want to photograph the White Stripes I must sign a contract limiting photo usage to publication with my gig review.  So I'm in the photo pit at 8:30 pm when people in red, white, and black suits with bowler hats take the stage. Not to be excited, it's just the road crew. Red and white lights flood the stage as the White Stripes arrive fashionably late clad in black and white with their instruments providing the never-to-be-forgotten red. Jack's hair hides his face from the photographers except when singing into the microphone facing the drum kit.  Music-wise Meg's simplistic slap-and-punch-it drumming style provides both a solid grounding and a foil for Jack's astounding blues-rock guitar playing. This supposedly divorced couple has an amazing connection onstage and they instinctively fill in any musical spaces left by the absence of a bassist. Though her drum throne proudly proclaims her name, Jack insists on calling Meg "my sister" all night, which comes across as another attempt at image control. Their musical bond proven to be tight, they leave the stage hand-in-hand.  However just the very front of the crowd roars with appreciation, perhaps tonight the White Stripes forgot to connect with the audience.
Barbara Lindberg

Morrissey
Earl's Court , London

Seven years ago, it would have been unthinkable. Brought down by constant tussles with the press, a high court action with two former Smiths and the release of his weakest album, Maladjusted, Morrissey almost seemed like a spent force. Clearly, a six-year sabbatical in Los Angeles was just what was required, because 2004 has been more his year than anyone (and that surely includes the man himself) could ever have expected. Moz's best album for ten years, You Are the Quarry, and an almost indecent level of press interest have helped to enhance his audience with the kind of younger fans who aren't even particularly hung up on the legacy of The Smiths. It's to the benefit of Morrissey's live shows, however, that he has now made some sort of peace with his past - he emerges to guitarist Boz Boorer's rendering of the inimitable riff from 'How Soon Is Now?' and goes on to play a further four Smiths tunes, including a particularly vigorous 'Shoplifters Of the World Unite'. Quarry highlights like 'Irish Blood, English Heart' and 'You Knew I Couldn't Last' boast a similarly convincing swagger, the result being a dynamic 90-minute set and the fitting end to a vintage year.
David Davies

Blanche
Marlay Park, Dublin Ireland

Several surprises besides temperamental rain showers were waiting for those who arrived early for today's open-air concert. Sporting a Clockwork Orange-esque bowler hat with sunglasses, a black, white, and red-clad bloke arrives onstage. Five and a half hours before he's due to perform; Jack White walks out to introduce Blanche. If the White Stripes are the Detroit rockers, then with their rural, southern flair Blanche would be the Detroit rocking chairs. Their laidback, country-folk music brings to mind images of
lazily rocking a hot summer's day away on a back porch chair while watching the grass grow in America's deep south. A bona fide married couple provide bass, guitar and a visual focus for this tight band. A female drummer adds basic backing rhythms while two guys insert touches of melodeon, Autoharp, pedal steel, mouth organ, clarinet, and banjo. The youthful crowd (at 3 pm most adults were still at work) seem a bit shocked and at first they mock the yee-haw feel of the music. Several songs later the inflatable couch brigade kicks back and visibly starts to enjoy the refreshingly quirky, chilled-out music. When the band members stand together at the end of their set posed like an old fashioned family portrait, the audience know they've become part of the clan.
Barbara Lindberg

James Yorkston and the Athletes
The Venue, Edinburgh

Singer songwriter James Yorkton is one of a handful of performers dragging British folk music into the twenty-first century, and this triumphant Edinburgh homecoming show was a perfect example of why the man is becoming increasingly popular. Yorkston on guitar and harmonica was ably backed by his incredibly gifted band The Athletes, the three other musicians turning their band to harmonium, accordion, double bass, banjo and all sorts of other instrumentation to fill out and add colour to Yorkston’s atmospheric yet simple folk tunes. It’s clear that the man and his band have been touring a lot recently, as they now make an incredibly tight unit, and they squeeze every last drop of dynamics out of their varied set, from the plaintive and sombre melancholy of new song ‘Heron’ to the strident, hypnotic drone of ‘Sweet Jesus’. Yorkston’s second album is set for release this month and he showcased a fair few new tracks here. There is generally a more downbeat air to the new stuff like ‘Surf Song’ but there is still plenty of variety, ‘This Time Tomorrow’ featuring some handy banjo and a driving rhythm. But inevitably Yorkston’s older material went down better with the packed crowd, a feisty romp through ‘I Spy Dogs’ in particular. A great display from a brilliant talent.
Doug Johnstone

SikTh
The Well, Luton

Just before heading eastwards [to Japan no less] for their latest tour, SikTh warmed up with a more intimate, in your face sort of gig. They couldn’t have chosen a better venue, kicking, screaming and sweating on top of an ecstatic crowd who were so close they damn near onstage with the band. This was no ordinary gig for me, I’m a melodic strumming kind of guy but they soon had me jumping, po-going and screeching, harking back to my sad old punk days. Frankly I was astonished, and to say SikTh are good at what they do is an understatement, they give out as much feeling and sentiment as the best of the singer songwriters I generally go out to watch. Kicking off with ‘Hold My Finger’ they then blasted their way through a blistering set that included obvious crowd favourites like ‘Scent of the Obscene’, ‘Such The Fool’ and ‘How May I Help You’ from their recent The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out… album, which hasn’t left my car CD player since, hell they even did an explosive cover of ‘Wrath Child’ the Iron Maiden classic (oh OK, I was also a bit of an old rocker in the dim distant past as well). Converted? You bet I am.
Ian Roberts