On Friday I went with Katie to see the Barenaked Ladies at the Birmingham Academy and it was an amazing show. The doors opened really early when the support, Boothby Graffoe (Musician/Comic) came on at about 8, and the doors opened at 6pm. Eitherway, it was a long wait, but Boothby was good. He did a mix of jokes, and music, but it was all musically joined. There are a few videos on Youtube so worth watching them. Ed, Kevin, and Jim from BNL came on too and played (with Ed on drums) for a song or two.

So he left, then BNL came on stage and opened with One Week, probably the most well known song in the UK after its single release a good few years ago. Without recounting the whole set list, they played a good mix of songs from all their albums, the 2 Barenaked Ladies Are Me/Men albums, Stunt, Maroon, Gordon, Everything to Everyone, Born on a Pirate Ship, and Maybe You Should Drive. We also got a few special songs, namely Feliz Good Friday (it being Good Friday) sung by Tyler. It was a lovely seasonal song, and its probably on the internet somewhere by now. We also got, what could only be a song written that day, a track by Ed and Steve about Birmingham (where the post title came from). It was funky, makes you wanna dance, and laugh, as Ed exclaimed at the price of Agent Provocateur, and Steve complains about the litter in Birmingham, and declares he carries a shiv made from a spoon.

They saw fit to do two encores, and finished off with Alternative Girlfriend. One of the great things they do is personalise the show to the fans and the city. The song certainly did that. They’re all really friendly, and there was a great atmosphere in the room, together with an immense amount of heat. One of the things which I’ve never heard anyone else do, is offer the whole gig for sale in audio on a USB drive. They’ve already sold their most recent double album via USB on their website, which gets you all the tracks in MP3, without DRM, and some great bonus features (live tracks, and some extra songs). So we got one (to go with my T-Shirt and Katie’s mug), so we can listen to the show anytime (which is so great), and also the support from Boothby.

If they’re ever in your city, its worth going to see them. Also check out the Bathroom Sessions on Revver, and their website.

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