Walking Papers – Ruby Lounge – Manchester – 5th November 2012
Remember remember the 5th of November because that is when super group Walking Papers played their European debut, not in London or Paris or Berlin but in Manchester. Given that this band are from Seattle there is a certain artistic poetry in the playing such an important show in Manchester, both cities being the birth place of musical genre’s that have shaped modern music. So when the invite to such an epic event as Jeff Angell (The Missionary Position), Benjamin Anderson (The Missionary Position), Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees), and Duff McKagan (Guns ‘n’ Roses, Velvet Revolver… come on guys the man is a legend do you really need me to list all of his work?) playing their first ever European gig together lands in the WG inbox how could we refuse? So with enough clothing crammed into our suitcases to last us a fortnight in Alaska, the best hotel and transport booked….. Well a decent 3* and economy coach tickets anyway…. We were off to new horizons and to boldly drink in pubs where we had not gotten drunk in before… not within recent memory anyway (it’s surprising just how much of a reputation you can build from one night out on Tequila…)
So as the smoke scented fog swirled through Manchester’s darkened streets we made our way down into the depth of the Ruby Lounge in the Northern Quarter. The bar is surprisingly warm and welcoming once you’ve gotten past security and negotiated the stairs, there are plenty of comfortable couches to slouch on while you wait for the bands and the drinks are served with lightening speed though I’m not sold on their ladies toilets which are clean well stocked with loo roll and even have doors on the stalls….a strange and unusual experience in any club! After chatting for a while with the guys on the merchandise stall we made our way to the front of the stage as the band took their places. Now there weren’t too many people at this gig, around fifty to sixty, as there hadn’t been a huge amount of publicity for it. Debuts are tough and no one wants a few hundred people for their first gig no matter how experienced as individual musicians the band members may be, it takes time and practice to really get a good on stage chemistry going and even the band stated that they have played more live gigs together than practice sessions.
I’m not going to lie here I am an uber fan of these guys and their music so I was seriously looking forward to hearing them live and not having to squeeze between people or getting stuck behind the tallest person at the gig (guaranteed no matter where I stand usually) was a really nice change. They opened with my personal favourite and the opening track from their self-titled debut album ‘Already Dead’ a soft and soulful beginning which Jeff sang wonderfully. They then moved it up a gear with ‘The Whole World’s Watching’ before exploding into the epic ‘Your Secrets Safe With Me’ and the small crowd went wild. We danced and bopped and cheered our way through the rest of the set. They even treated us to a new song which they had written only that day on their way up from London as part of the encore before replaying ‘Your Secrets Safe With Me’ as Duff had requested they do it again, at a guess I’d say it’s one of his favourites. Throughout Jeff was the consummate front man engaging with the crowd in a bit of cheeky banter and his trick of flicking the mic stand towards the crowd made a couple of us in the front row jump on occasion much to our and his amusement. With such a stellar line up it would have been far too easy and all too disappointing for individual ego’s to cause disharmony during the performance but you can really see and feel the affection these guys have for one another and their passion for the music they make. They did have a couple of problems with their equipment and static reverb and a mistake or two during some of the songs but really it didn’t matter in the slightest and only the perverse would hold them accountable and run them down for it. The gig was great, the guys played well, the crowd had a fun, isn’t that what live music’s all about? Good music, good friends, and good times, the rest is just journo twaddle. So go along, see them play, listen to their album, and decide for yourself. Personally I couldn’t have asked for more from the band and chatting with them afterwards they seemed pleased though they said they would have liked it to be a little tighter musically but most of the people I talked to were as blown away as I was and showered congratulations on the band members as they signed merchandise galore and chatted away until the early hours. 8.9/10
Helen Todner