June 22, 2002Royal Festival Hall, LondonColdplay, Pete YornJune 27, 2002Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonBadly Drawn BoyPete YornAlthough most of the crowd came to watch Coldplay at the Royal Festival Hall, those in the know (mostly Americans) were here to check outPete Yorn: a tall, dark and brooding rock 'n' roll export from New Jersey, who exploded in the States with his smashing debut album"Songs For The Morning After."Once Yorn started to play his guitar with reckless intensity and drawled in Lou Reed fashion, it was easy to see why Rolling Stone magazine heralded him as one of the next big things to watch last year.Yorn's agenda was no fuss rock -- in between numbers, checking to see if the crowd was having as good a time as he was."You having a good time? What would you like to hear?"he asked,"Make some noise and we'll get everybody else in here!"The half-packed hall responded with wolf whistles and threw out a mixture of requests and he obliged with"For Nancy."Supported by a four-piece band, he packed a mean punch on lead guitar playing a string of whirling, melancholy-tinged songs like"Life On A Chain,""Black,""Murray,""Closet,"and"Sense,"which were a throwback to a young Bruce Springsteen. The acoustic on the road tunes"Just Another,""On Your Side,"and"Sleep Better,"had a surprisingly rockier kick to them than the studio versions. Pity, the venue wasn't made for dancing and the sound system wasn't great, although it was perfectly tuned for Coldplay later!By the end of his set, Yorn shifted his sweaty hair back from his face and told everyone he will be touring with The Vines over the next few months. Anyone who sees Yorn will love his sound for a variety of reasons: Catchy hooks, romantic lyrics and a raw, rock 'n' roll voice. And for female fans -- a great looker. Phwoar!ColdplayThere's something aboutColdplay's"Yellow"that arouses the senses, wherever they play. This was evident again at their performance at the Meltdown Festival. As soon as the band lunged into the familiar riffs of their signature tune, people got up from the seats and swarmed to the front of the stage like zombies.One cheeky lad who probably had too many lagers managed to jump on stage and do his own rendition, stealing the mike from lead singer Chris Martin. Martin didn't mind at all, shrugging off security and letting the lad have his minutes of fame. It was a funny sight that amused the other band members and showed once again that this haunting tune really has become the people's anthem.The former University of London classmates never fail to put on a good show. Whether they are playing in an outdoor arena or a small auditorium or an intimate venue, Coldplay just keep getting better and better every time I watch them live.Unlike Pete Yorn the band have the sound technicians to thank for bringing Martin's solid vocals to the fore. On piano, he passionately sings with a Ray Charles-like tenacity and morphs into a young Bono, buzzing around the stage, legs twirling, occasionally running along the ledge below the video screens, projecting a close-up of his closely-cropped, reddish hair.Most of their sweet melodies and swooning lyrics from"Parachutes"were performed with a couple of pleasantly surprising treats. Then there was a breathtaking acoustic composition called"See You Soon"from"when we were students"says Martin. A few beauties from their new album, which he oddly sums up as"our own 'Attack Of The Clones'"including the keenly anticipated new soaring single"In My Place."If you think"Yellow"is a rare jewel, Buckland's riffs here will blow you away!The most admirable thing was that they never seemed to lose sight of their origins. Martin joked about his modest non-designer 25 quid shirt and quipped,"We're not Red Hot Chili Peppers yet. Give us a couple of years."All modesty but these boys are going places... quickly.Badly Drawn BoyWatching Damon Gough on stage was like watching a toddler in a playpen full of toys.The tea cosy hatter made the most amazingly beautiful music, surrounded by a bunch of instruments and polystyrene cups filled with beer and cigarette stubs. And cigarettes played an important part in the Mancunian's act as he constantly searched for a cigarette, even asking the audience for a light. Not only was it badly put together and a bit disheveled but his appearance and set were deliberately, well... messy.Better known as his alter egoBadly Drawn Boy, the man behind the recent"About A Boy"soundtrack and Mercury award winning album"The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast,"Gough managed to keep us engrossed whether he's performing or cracking a few jokes in between his set.He tried to record a multi-track piece on his synthesizer whilst juggling his guitar and smoking."God, I hope this works,"he muttered with fag in mouth. When the keyboards malfunction he said,"Shit piece of equipment,"and half-kicked it, calling the whole idea off."Okay, not f**king doing this."The audience weren't sure if he was serious or not but they bought it anyway because it was just a delight to watch him muck around like that. Another illustration of his spontaneity happened when he sang"File Me Away,"from the soundtrack. He improvised a verse,"I'm trying to find a pretty lady in the audience"and picked up a bunch of roses from a bucket on stage."Just one pretty lady... oh, I can't be bothered to interact with the audience,"then tossed the roses to the crowd.Humour aside, his unplugged versions of"Silent Sigh,""A Peak You Reach,""River-Sea-Ocean""Walking Out Of Stride,""Above You, Below Me,"and"A Minor Incident"took on a fresh meaning, stripped of its studio arrangements while displaying his improvisation, versatility and imagination. On"Something To Talk About,"he spread it nicely with"I Love N.Y.E"just on pure acoustics. He sang, danced like Travolta, whistled, heaved, ad-libbed, played the piano and synthesizers, acoustic and electric guitars and harmonica and they all sounded good.There was an assortment of gems from his previous album"Pissing In The Wind,""Once Around The Block"including"The Shining". On the intro to"Shining"he received enthusiastic clapping and commented wryly:"People are pretending they know the song even though the album only sold 500 copies!"I wouldn't put it past him to do some stand up comedy one day such is his sense of timing and ability to manipulate a crowd.Thanking the audience for their patience, he got back to the grand piano to perform two breathtaking numbers from his new album out later this year. Announcing to the audience"this is a song from my new album"he was met with silence so he repeated the announcement with a whimsically threatening edge and this time gets the thunderous applause he was originally angling for."Golden Days"is a perfect summer piece while his final contribution for the night"You Were Right"is a beautiful and poetic piece of work. A sneak preview:I had a dream I was married to the QueenMadonna took a shine to meBut I turned her down for youProving once again that well crafted, not badly drawn, would be a better description of this musical anomaly.

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