Guided By Voices

Wednesday 5th June, Village Underground, London, Guided by Voices. So it’s been sixteen years since GBV last graced these shores. And by the way that the songs were sung back at them most of the audience were probably at that gig too. I am breaking my GBV duck tonight and clearly in the minority and after talking with some others present they have a very committed fan base reciting track and album titles at will which is even more impressive when you consider Pollard/GBV release three or four albums a year. It’s difficult to describe the GBV sound to someone who hasn’t heard them but they are a cross between Pixies, REM and a touch of Teenage Fanclub and it’s very much borne out the US guitar scene of the nineties.

Before my review a word about the venue. It’s terrible. It’s bad enough that unless you are pretty near the front the sight lines are atrocious on flat floor in this narrow room, the sound is often of dubious quality, they have about four spotlights on stage, only four urinals for the whole venue and no aircon. But tonight we have to queue for nearly half an hour to get into the place and I am sure that a number of people would have missed the start. Despite 21st technology they are checking off individuals names on a clip board and had no idea what to do with my eticket on Dice which wasn’t scanned.

Enough about the venue and onto the show. There’s no support and they are on promptly at 8.30 for what promises to be an epic set where they regularly play over fifty songs. Touring in support of just the two albums released this year! the set really does span the last twenty five or so years. The great thing about GBV is that no song outstays its welcome. If you don’t like something then with an average length of probably about two minutes you are not too far from the next great song.

The sound and pace to the night is relentless from note one and each song seems to get heavier thanks in no small part to the return of guitarist Doug Gillard and the back beat Kevin March on sticks and harmonies. Its breathless stuff and the occasional feedback feels like a defibrillator restarting your heart. The usual gripe about sound in this venue doesn’t apply tonight as the levels are set to eleven from the beginning and probably hit twelve.

There’s enough in the set to keep everyone happy with tracks performed from over fifteen different albums and they could still be playing now and still have hours of material left.

An epic gig and there’s going to be a lot of worn out middle aged men this morning, me included.

Till the next time keep on rockin y’all

Guided by Voices’ loud, psychedelic, garage rock is enticement enough to see the band live, but when they mix their music with their wild, incessant drinking habits, it makes for an even more fun and crazy time.
With the band’s gigantic catalogue of songs created by their prolific songwriting, there is no doubt that Guided by Voices will have a massive setlist. Some of their setlists have nearly stretched to as much as fifty songs long. The band is known for their lo-fi style of playing, incorporating the bare-basics of instrumentation, and relying more on their songwriting capabilities to create interesting and catchy songs. Large stacks of Marshall amps and cabinets are usually found on stage, through which Guided by Voices’ loud crunchy, rock riffs are projected. The members have been known to act wild on stage with Robert Pollard jumping all around and twirling his microphone through the air, and Mitch Mitchell is never seen without a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Guided by Voices is a hardworking band that speaks to the working class. The members worked part time jobs while they first entered the college rock circuit. They hit success due to their energetic live performances, which gained them a larger fan base and impressed the likes of notable bands such as Sonic Youth and R.E.M. The band still continues to be a hardworking band, already having released six albums since their reunion in 2012.
Robert Pollard is always charismatic on stage, interacting with the audience and inciting them to have a fun time. The whole band acts in a very carefree way and are not afraid to let loose and act crazy. They often tour with a neon sign with the words “The Club Is Open," which is a reference to their rock anthem, “A Salty Salute." This reference sums up Guided by Voices perfectly. They are just down-to-earth people that want to welcome the audience into their club with a cold beer and fun, exciting music.

The rumors are true: GBV comes out and rocks for two and a half hours, passes around booze and hands out beers. The setlist was maybe 1/3 songs from 1994-2004 and 2/3 from 2012-current (actually 2012-future because they played several songs from upcoming albums). As they got further into the setlist, it was denser with older songs that really got the crowd's energy level up and left us pleasantly exhausted from jumping and fist-pumping and singing along.

It's amazing that even at his age, Pollard can still rock and get the crowd really involved! It was amazing! The opening band BRONCHOS really killed it, I can see them becoming big soon!

Great show. Set list was mix of classic GBV songs, some deep cuts from Bob's extensive catalog and tracks off the new album Space Gun. Union Transfer is a great venue for GBV's sound.

Best band in the world, with an awesome current line up. Village Underground first night was a great combination of new material, some of the many classics plus some funny banter.

Rang in 2019 with GBV! The Bottom Lounge is an awesome small venue, great food, super nice staff and only a short walking distance to the L! Happy New Year 2019!!

They still got it. Bob and the boys are only getting better with age. The show kicked ass. Rock n roll lives on. It was a perfect mix of old and new.