9/2/2010 Backyard Babies @ ULU

Subject	Backyard Babies @ ULU
PostedDate	2/9/2010
	This gig was always going to be one of the highlights of early 2010. I first saw Backyard Babies in 1998 at ULU after hearing 'Bombed...' on the radio and thinking that the band would sound great live. I was right! I think I've seen every London show bar one since. I have to say I was a bit disappointed by their London gig last year (also at ULU) and thought they sounded tired and had lost their edge. They weren't actually bad or anything, but just seemed to have lost some of their fire. It's not surprising really - they've been doing this for 20 years now - amazingly without any lineup changes! I was disappointed by several bands last year in a similar way - Supersuckers (ULU again), Danko Jones, and Backyard Babies all used to be terrific live acts but left me underwelmed in 2009. Tonight Backyard Babies bounce back with an energetic and powerful show like they used to play a few years ago - they even had a good sound mix for once. This is supposedly the band's 20 anniversary and farewell tour - all the years of touring have finally taken their toll and the band are supposed to be splitting up and concentrating on their own seperate projects when this tour ends. Interestingly, no mention of this is made during the show - there is no final 'goodbye, so maybe they will be back someday? Even if they aren't, they managed to go out on a high with the best show I've seen from them in years. It was a real high powered show, with Dregen even crowdsurfing mid-song. And they played 'Bombed (out of my mind)' as well - which to my disappointment was dropped from their set for several years although they played it last year. As that was the song which turned me onto the band in the fiest place it always means a lot to me to hear it - and they turn out a cracking version of it tonight! At one and a half hours it must be easily the longest set I've seen from the band, but the setlist contained most of my favourites so I went home happy - as I'm sure virtually everyone else did. If this was the band's final bow - they certainly went out on a high. And who knows? - maybe in another couple of years or so they'll be back...