The Urbane
Rising Sun Arts Centre
Reading
16 February 2002
So the Urbane continued their tour of readings fleapits with a stop off at the amusingly named Rising Sun Arts Centre. Strange building, very dark outside, so dark in fact that we walked round three times before finding the door. Closed door. Small poster "Inside - The Urbane - Tonite!". We knocked three times and the doorman opened the door with a creak. I was impressed with it, it was an 18th century solid brass creak that must have set the venue back a few thousand pounds. For that alone I didn't mind paying the steep £2.00 entry fee. It emerged that the Urbane were top of a three band bill. First up was somebody who played some songs that he'd written himself and a cover of an Incubus song chucked in for good measure. He went down well. He needed to. He was followed (a bit too closely for my liking) by a mandolin player, who hopped on and off the stage very quickly. It was at this point that I appreciated the venues "outside around the back) attitude towards urination. A blessed relief, I can tell you.

So, back in time to see The Urbane strut their rocking stuff. Ironically kicking off with the old favourite "Fading Out" the crowd lapped them up, and really dug the cool fade into "Don't Stand So Close To Me", the first Police cover of the evening. And the last. They then lunched into "Give it Away" a song from their new CD "Glitter" which was available for download from their website last year. (If anyone wants a copy, email us here...). After that, the band ploughed their merry way through "Immaculate (The Dutch Ho's Song)", "Loop", "Staring At The Sun" and "Mary Jane". All good stuff, though "MJ" is getting on my nerves a bit now...

Then they ran through a couple of new songs, namely "Cut The Wire" and "Glitter" which are damn fine songs and leave me waiting desperately for the album to come out. Anyway, wedged between these two was their superb cover of Cyndi Laupers "Time after Time". Shame they dropped the equally brilliant "Suffocate" again. Anyway, they left the stage, but the massed crowd urged them to come back for just one more number, to which the band obliged and treated us to the "Try".

So, in the end, a good gig, marred only by some young prog fan spilling a cup of lukewarm coffee over the bar. He'll not be welcome there again.

Some gig news from the band, they're playing an acoustic show (Scooby's staying home, probably auditioning for another top prog band, like Porcupine Tree) at The Lucky Stage in Rijssen, Holland on Friday 1 March, supporting prog giants Asia, even though they're not prog. Should go down well there. They'll be better recieved at Gossips Lap Bar, in Dean Street London on 1 May and 3B's in Reading on 9 May. They'll be back at Pavlovs Dog in Reading on 13 June. Rumour has it that a high placing on this years Whitchurch bill is in the offing too...

 

Charlie O'