Live Review: Supergrass in Los Angeles

Taken from
http://www.livedaily.com/news/7167.html

The Oxford trio Supergrass, despite little U.S. radio success to show for its 10-year history, never fails to pack venues across the country.

Thursday (10/7) night's performance--in celebration of the release of the band's career-spanning hits collection, "Supergrass is 10: The Best of 94-04"--was no exception. Ending their short, six-city U.S. "Anniversary Tour" at Hollywood's Avalon, singer/guitarist Gaz Coombes, bassist Mickey Quinn and drummer Danny Goffey played all the fan favorites with the same enthusiasm and vitality they possessed when the Britpop invasion exploded in the early nineties.

Each song inspired mass sing-alongs and pogo-dancing from the avid fans in attendance. Loose and wild songs like "Lenny" and "Mansize Rooster," melodic tunes like "Rush Hour Soul" and "Seen the Light" and layered rock epics like "Mary" and "Sun Hits the Sky" were some of the best examples of the signature sound that's been keeping Supergrass alive--with no sign of fading away.

Within the evening's jumbled collection of pop-punk hits, the lads managed to insert a nice acoustic set from Coombes and Quinn that included "Late in the Day," "Seen the Light" and a surprise, stripped-down version of their signature hit, "Caught by the Fuzz." Soon after, the band came back in full force with rubber-armed drummer Goffey and his Keith Moon-inspired drum fills.

Though much attention is given to the band as a trio, let's not forget the unofficial fourth member, Rob Coombes--co-songwriter, keyboardist and brother to Gaz--who played inconspicuously in the background throughout the 75-minute set, keeping things together with his organ-and-piano mixtures.

Supergrass may play some of its former power-pop tunes at a slightly slower tempo these days, but the trio never fails to please with its happy blend of songs inspired by the likes of The Buzzcocks, XTC, David Bowie and T. Rex (to name a few). It's good to know some things don't change.