13/12/2008 The Quireboys @ The Forum

Subject	The Quireboys @ The Forum
PostedDate	12/13/2008
	It feels kind of ironic seeing the Quireboys at The Forum only a few days after seeing Ginger (who was fired from the Quireboys) and The Wildhearts at this same venue. It could be said that Ginger had the last laugh as he went on to form the Wildhearts - and they had a noticably larger crowd here four days ago. In fact tonight they don't even bother opening the bar on the right hand side of the venue. That's not to say that one band is better than the other as they are both so different. I think the Quireboys are at the peak of their game now, although their latest album doesn't do as much for me as the previous two. This is a pretty good show, and Spike is on fine form. Naturally, the 'hits' from their debut (and most would say best) album are trotted out - as they should be. There are songs from all five studio albums, including the latest 'Homewreckers & Heartbreakers' so there is plenty to keep both the older and more recent fans happy. The band play well, and are a highly polished, professional looking and sounding outfit these days - which it has to be said hasn't always been the case. The band are breaking in a new (ex-Tokyo Dragons) drummer who seems to be fitting in well. Although this is a good show by any band's standards, it's certainly not as exciting as the two nights the band played at the Borderline earlier this year - but there was something really special about those nights in such an intimate venue which I don't think can ever quite be captured in a larger venue like this. On the other hand it's nice to see the band in more relaxed and less cramped surroundings too, so I've no complaints.