They came onto The chad who loved me, but I can't really remember the actual song list but I know they played all the singles except egg shaped fred. They took hardly any rest in between songs and didn't really speek to the crowd much but chad was jumping up and down with his guitar. Paul was quick to get off stage at the end and stove with no top on shortly followed, but chad stayed on playing the take it easy chicken riff for about ten minutes without stopping but it didn't get boring. Chad was also laying on the floor while doing this. I was right at the front in front of Chad so I had a really good view of this. All in all it was a really good gig but I wish Paul could of been a bit more chatty!!
By Katie Griffiths.
The only disappointment was Geneva who I thought were weak, but since I only had to suffer about 3 songs, it didn't matter anyway. Getting onto Mansun, what can I say, strolling on at the usual 9.45pm, looking pretty cool. Stove and Chad looked class in the traditional attyre these days of Military wear. Sparking up with Chad Who Loved Me followed by a mix of Ski Jump Nose & Lyrical Trainspotter. By this time, the tinny boppers looked exhausted and it was time for the hard core Mansunites to appreciate the true worth of a band whole are on a meteroric rise.
The Edge, Stripper Vicar, Grey Lantern, Naked Twister Drastic Sturgeon and Taxloss constituted the middle order, but it was the ending trio of Wide Open Space, She Makes My Nose Bleed and the absolute blinding personal song of 96, Take It Easy,Chicken which I thought brought the house down and completed a dream night. Hopes for the future do include a change in the set list as i realised I was singing the lyrics before the songs come on, to some peoples amazement, BUT quality Mansun neverless.
By Robsy Bakes.
There were no real surprise from the band cos no-one was wearing a dress or dog collars but I was surprised to se a GOTH!!!
The start was great!! The Chad Who Loved Me without lyrics was excellent and much heavier than on the album. I can't remember the play list as I was enjoying myself so much but I think that An Open Letter From A Lyrical Trainspotter followed but it only lasted for a min where it merged into Take It Easy. At the begginning of each song there seemed to be more people bouncing up and down. Then followed Mansun's Only Love Song. At the beggining of Tax Loss, I thought that I would get swept away as everyone went mad! The lads played a similar version to the one they played on TFI Friday the night before and it's great! Even better when you're there. Drastic Sturgeon followed and then the next one that I recognised was Stripper Vicar, She Makes My Nose Bleed, Wide Open Space. Egg Shaped Fred was in there somewhere but I can't remember when.
None of the band said anything apart from Chad who said "Ta very much" a few times. But at the first "end" he thanked everyone for following them and for turning up. They left the stage for a couple of minutes and then the chanting started and turned into a roar when they came back on stage. Take it easy turned up again and was better 2nd time round with the best use of lights all night and it went on for ages, with Paul playing his guitar towards the end by rubbing it against the amps and mic stand (which caused a roadie some hassle) I thought that he might trash some gear as he had done not so long ago in Japan but he restrained himself well. Stove was as reliable as ever and I'm grateful to him for not greeting us with his spital love. Andy Rathbone has got to be one of, if not the best, drummer about at the moment.!!! He put loads of energy into the gig - they all did. I suppose that perfroming in your home town at a big (ish) venue for the first time must give you an adrenalin rush.
It was well worth waiting an hour and a half for them - I'd do it again and I probably will. I just hope that they play SUPU next time.
By Neil.
I must say, Mansun is the best live band I've ever seen!!! They're really COOL. What do surprise me is that they had all the songs re-arranged. But then, the shit Hard Rock Cafe kept letting ppl going up and down the stairs (the stairs are located just in front of the stage!) which was absolutely ANNOYING and NOT RESPECTFUL. I could see Paul star at these ppl more than a several times. Just when the gig has been held for an hour, Paul began to throw things down the stairs, starting from the mic, and then the mug, the towels and the MONITOR! A someone-like-manager then rushed onto the stage and grasped Paul's hands. We all screamed for Paul, while the other band members kept playing. And there came the so-called workers pushing us fiercely to the back, they did the same thing even to the girls (strong protest! it's a kind of sexual harrasement!). Actually, we didn't push, but it's they who pushed! It's bad that the gig was ended up like this. But really want to tell MANSUN, they're cool, they rule and that we all support them! Hope they'll come to HK again, but choose another venue, no more the damn Hard Rock Cafe!
The playlist is as follows:
By Jess.
I went to see mansun last night, they played at hard rock cafe, hong kong. They're great! Excellent show! But I guess they were piss about the place they play, the stage was kinda strange, after the last song - take it easy chicken, paul started throwing things off the stage, first a beer bottle, then a mic-stand, n I guess he throw a speaker too, the guy from hard rock cafe was really angry, he jumped up the stage, try to stop paul, an almost had a fight with the band, which is cool! Before the show, they did a instore signing at HMV (I work there), well they supposed to have a half hour live show in the shop, but paul got a problem with his voice, almost 200 fans were there.
By Jane.
They kicked off with Egg-Shaped Fred, setting the pace for the night. Then proceeded on to Mansun's Only Love Song, Naked Twister and Wide Open Space. MOLS and WOS were clearly the crowd pleasers. The sound was excellent and the band was a tight unit. Contrary to other reviews, they were nice enough to repeatedly thank us for being there in between songs and Stove did not once bestow upon the crowd his salivary love.
They ended the set with a powerful Take It Easy. Paul left the stage after the last line, leaving Stove, Chad and Andie to do the extended jammings. Thereafter, Chad thanked the crowd again, and they left promptly. There goes my chance to get an autograph.
Or so I thought! Just as me and my pal got on the elevator to leave...the doors opened to find...Mansun right in front of us!! Reflexes snapped and we quickly whipped out our CD and tape sleeves. Everyone of them gave us a personalized autograph! They even chatted with us for a while and Paul let us touch his hair! Aaahhhh! Stove even gave my pal his pick which he was holdin' between his lips. (which both of us later took turns to put it between our lips, heheh) I chatted with Chad bout their band's website and the nice blue roses on his guitar. :) :) We then thanked them, shook their hands and left in a dazed state.
Back in the car, we screamed our hearts out..not believing our luck! Needless to say that I'll never forget this fateful night with the band that would be great...Mansun.
By Adeline Loh Yin Mae.
The band hit the stage to the strains of album opener, and James Bond theme pastiche, The Chad Who Loved Me - and that was the last we heard of the strings or keyboards for the night. Yep, the live Mansun experience is quite Rock - a two guitar, one bass and drums affair, and a bloody loud one at that! We were treated to an array of singles, album tracks and b-sides, many segued together and delivered with the minimum of inbetween chat - essentially the only audience interaction being the occasional mumbled "cheers!". Mind you the band didn't have much of an audience to react to - I think Medusa must have introduced them whilst I was in the loos, as the Corner's bastard pillars were more active than 99.9% of the crowd! Which just may explain why band leader Paul Draper and bassist Stove King (yeah, yeah - great name for a white goods store.) spent an inordinate amount of the night with their backs to the audience, worshipping at the feet of the great musical God - the Marshall stack.
Anyway, back to the music. Third major label single Stripper Vicar, sans Beach Boys harmonies, was probably the first song to get anybody's attention, a recent concentrated J flogging no doubt helping its cause. Future single Taxloss lost its funky dance bits, but still survived as a highlight, the brilliant Wide Open Space (surely this will finally get a local single release?) took on a whole new edginess, and the evening culminated with a frenetic rage through the Oasis-esque album omission Take It Easy Chicken, which kept building and building until something had to give. And it did - after a flurry of feedback and noise that would give Concorde a run for its money the band just pissed off, with no encores.
Whilst Mansun may have ruffled a few feathers with their indifference in local interviews, it is certainly hard to fault their performance musically. It just would have been nice to see a glimpse of personality added to the equation - mind you to half of the indie poseurs present that just may have been sacrilege...
By Jarvis James.
There are not many ways in which I can start this wonderful story but to say what the first thing I saw when I walked in the door. The room was what you could say 'small' and surely Mansun of all people were not going to play on a stage that size, but surely enough, when the time came, this was the stage I would see one of Britains best bands play.
We fighted our way up to the front and actually managed to not only get near the front but to be literally wedged against the stage, this was an act we nearly regretted, but not entirely. What we did regret, however, was being at the front one hour before Mansun started. This was because 500 people, wedged together, gave of a great amount of heat, and that was before the band even arrived.
When Mansun finally did arrive everything went crazy and it's hard to remember what actually happened, but the more exciting moments that I will never forget, include Stove singing directly to me and a friend, Chad staring at me for half a minute, and Stove spitting mineral water all over me. But it certainly was fun. The music itself must have one of the best live bands I have ever heard, yet also the loudest. Of the course, I found the most well known song, the best, with Wide open space.
There were very few problems with the band, but the music levels being far from perfect. Infact, I could hardly hear Paul. But the evening certainly finished on a good note, with me being both headbutted and kicked by a crowdsurfer at the same time.
To have something this good in a place this rubbish was certainly the highlight of the Isle of Man. To Mansun, I say "thank you"!!
By Steven Lyth.
The Isle of Man doesn't see much of the music industry. The closest we've gotten to anybody remotely famous in the past milennium has been Darren Day at the "grand" opening of the new HMV last summer. So, you see, the situation, until recently, has been pretty pathetic. That is, until Mansun, our saviours made the trecherous journey across the Irish Sea.
The night of the gig, the 17th of Feb. I was one of the first people in. Now, let me make it clear that Toffs is not exactly what you'd call large. Take your main bar at your local pub and divide it in half. That's probably close to the size of this place. Now, picture 500 people including goths, ravers and the bastard ginger haired crowd surfer who kicked me in the head and imagine them in your local. Packed? That's nothing.
The support band appeard at about 8:30. I think they were called The Immediates (why didn't Travis support them on this particular night I do not know). There were a few people bouncing around at the front but the majority were frantically trying to down their pints before the bass shattered their glasses in their hands. I can't really remember them as I was one of the people stuck at the bar trying to neck as many drinks as possible (and at around �2.10 that didn't last long).
Finally, sometime around 9:30 Mansun arrived. By this time I was right at the front. Not just among the people at the front, I was practically "at one" with the stage. Mansun passed right next to me (there was no stage door, they had to fight their way through the crowd.....with the help of some rather massive bouncers) and immediately started off with a mind blowing The Chad Who Loved Me. Gratuitous moshing ensued. Mansun flew through Ski Jump Nose and Lyrical Trainspotter until they reached Stripper Vicar. What had passed for moshing before suddenly seemed very feeble indeed. I have never known such pain.......................
........................or such brilliance. The rest is a sweaty blur. Wide
Open Space and Naked Twister were amazing. By this time everybody was
soaked in mineral water, sweat (their own plus many other variations) and
Stoves dutiful contribution of spit and water which, I might add, hit me
right in the forehead.
Yummy.
They finished with the stunning Take It Easy Chicken. If anybody was too tired/hot/drunk/bruised to mosh, they certainly didn't show it. The whole place lurched into action once again to show their appreciation in true Manx style.......whatever that is, and no, it had absolutely nothing to do with livestock of any sort.
And with that, The Mansun Experience, as it has come to be known, was over. One hour has never seemed so long, not because it was boring; it was the best live gig I have seen ever; but because of the amazing atmosphere. It all started with 500 semi-ordinary music fans and finished with a roomful of 500 bruised and sweaty, but satisfied Mansun fans. All I can say to Mansun is thank you for the best night most of us have ever had. Lets do it again sometime.
By Leah Black.
The support band come on early at about 9:30, we have no knowledge of them and nor did we want to, as they are nothing special. The crowd eagerly await Mansun, who eventually strut on at 10:30. They do not disappoint. The dress theme seems to be milatary. Chad donning his khaki jacket is looking particulary gorgeous. He appears even more dazzaling when he strips to reveal his short sleeved white shirt and tie. None of them are wearing dresses, which although we have never witnessed ourselves, are told is common.
The crowd are mad, the atmosphere is electrifying, mass croud surfing commences, although most of us prefer to stand and listen in awe and admiration. Mansun play magnificently. They play everyones favourites, 'Take it easy Chicken', 'Wide Open Space', 'Stripper Vicar' and our ultimate preference 'Drastic Sturgen'. Their new song, which we have criminally forgotten the name of, was also of the excellence we have now come to expect.
Maybe the most shocking moment was when Paul addressed the audience. His
Christmas message to us all was:
"Thank-you very much for supporting us over the past year, and all of those who haven't can fuck off!"
This was supported with a single finger jesture, pointing victoriously
to the heavens. They then proceeded to dance eratically around their
guitars, in thier almost legendary fashion, well to Mansun fans anyway.
Chads party action was to hurl lager into the crowd, which we are prowd
to say splashed our hot faces.
We are now worried that the word will get out about their outstanding preformance, that they become so popular that we will no longer be able to aquire tickets to see them. That will of course be extremely disasterous, for us the ardent fans anyway.
By Annie Ravazzolo & Andrea Risvold.
Anhow, SilverSun did their set and Mansun came on. It seemed that me and only a few others had actually heard/listened to Mansun as the crows were majorly pre-pubescent / teenage Sleeper Fans. They did Wide Open Spaces which was ace, Stripper Vicar and I just love Take It Easy Chicken and was jumping up and down to it singing with loads of kids round me just staring arms crossed and nodding their heads!
There was a cool moment when, on the solo for T.I.E.C, Paul starting doing like a sawing motion on the Chad's neck as he did his solo! Steve was reliable as usual and Julian was cool (ending by hitting the cymbols while releasing his grip from the sticks so they flew all over the place!).
Anyway after their set, they buggered off and half an hour ensued before Sleeper came on. Now this is where the review gets better, cos after half the sleeper set i'd had enough of standing on wee girlies feet so went to the bar at the back of the Apollo and saw Steve there! (with his beauty girlfriend) and got him to sign my ticket!
It was most amusing cos no-one recognised him except me. I only wish I could have found the rest of the band and got a total autographed ticket but oh well...
By Gavin Hough.
I saw the Mansun Gig at Southampton Joiners in September 1996. It was shortly after their appearance on TFI Friday and the release of Stripper Vicar. The Joiners is a great little venue with a capacity of no more than a couple of hundred. It was full on this occasion and the atmosphere was great. The support act Ether were (I thought) pretty incredible. Rarely have I been as impresed with a support act as I was with this three man indie-baggy-sixties type outfit. I was therefore in a good mood when Mansun came on.
Arrogance is a word that can be used for a number of famous people; Liam Gallagher, Maxim from the Prodigy, Richard Ashcroft of the Verve. This term could easily streatch to Mansun who managed to play for an hour or so without looking at or acknowledging the crowd once. I was impressed. There was no banter with the crowd, no embarassing jokes and no indication that they really wanted to be stuck in a pub in the heart of Southampton playing to a room full of Stripper Vicar fans. However they got on with it and played a great set and never let the image slip. My best memory is of an electric, and gloriousely extended version of Take it easy to finish.
To conclude, they played well, looked great and left a mark.
See you in the next one (have a good time)
By Alex Bell.
This was one of those strange nights. I didn't really expect very much from the band, and although impressed with Take It Easy Chicken, I still wasn't sure about them, although it is difficult to tell how good a band is without seeing them live- that was why I was there.
Support band, Ether were reasonably impressive, as support bands go, managing to set the mood for the rest of the evening. From begining to end, Mansun shone like the brightest star on a clear night. The crowd seemed to be getting into it more and more as the gig went on and before long a small moshpit had developed in the front of the crowd.
When Take It Easy Chicken brought the gig to its final notes in glorious fashion, I was dripping wet and waiting eagerly for the next chance to catch them live.
By Dave Dimmer.
Mansun have finally thrown off the Oasis tag and new single Stripper Vicar, along with a superb Nose Bleed, Flourella and the usual savage live attack on Take it easy... blew me away.
I interviewed Paul Draper and Chad before the show and although they were utter bastards at first, when they found out that I was in a band on their label, Parlaphone, they were quite a laugh.
Mansun are headed upwards now if they can stop falling apart internally, you should of been there!!
By Sam Scarper.
Here's the setlist for the above:
By Jon Lawrence.
I went into the place open-minded, hoping to be entertained by two decent British bands. I'm always open to new stuff to listen to. The support band were the tenants (please note: lower case letters, this is the way they like it). The tenants were a three-piece from Sheffield, as they opened their first number I thought they were covering 'Confetti' by the Lemonheads but instead it turned out to be one of their songs that sounded almost exactly the same as it. The tenants took us through a set which sounded just like all of the Blur albums, they were pleasant to the crowd, patronising them whenever they could...and they acted like they were the Who or the Jam, the bass player and the singer/guitar player hopped about on their feet a little like Ryan Giggs does when he's warming up for a match, and they tried so hard to be Pete Townshend (both of them). The guitar player treated us to songs which were Kinks-like in title ('Mr Potter', 'Tomorrow's World', 'Entertaining Mr Jones', 'Kleenex' and 'Last Bus' for instance), the guitarist only knew two chords, A and G, and surprisingly enough, he managed to overuse the A-chord. The record company were supposed to come see tenants tonight. I bet they had a great time.
Mansun came soon after the tenants, taking the stage to a cheer or two from the semi-filled Leadmill. The singer/frontman reminded me a little of Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and he wore a hat like one of those doooodes from Cypress Hill. Mansun are a five piece band, two guitar players (one doubling up as a singer) a bassist, a drummer...and an EMF like sampler. As I said I didn't know anything about them prior to this, and I can't tell you what songs they played because they didn't announce any song titles and I couldn't recognise what they were singing. The frontman had a really good voice but seemed to waste it eighty percent of the time by whining like Oasis do.
Mansun played a shorter set than tenants for some reason, and all of their songs started like Depeche Mode and then went on to sound like a hard-assed Oasis. One thing that annoyed me about Mansun was that their sampler used his drumbeat samples in-between songs to 'fill in'. I couldn't understand why he did this because they had a drummer anyway...and the drummer must have felt really second-class as a result of this. The songs Mansun played weren't as bad as those of the tenants, but I couldn't hear what Mansun were saying. They sounded just like Oasis and the drummer managed to skilfully use the same beat for the whole set, a trait Ringo Starr never even managed to master. Mansun's guitar player looked like a member of Blur (as did the rest of them) and his guitar had more FX on it than Eddie Van Halen's.
The set lasted like a half-hour, none of the songs sounded very good and I was disappointed (you'd never have guessed) and Mansun left us without even playing an encore. This isn't fair - they're ripping kids off, they never even said 'hi' to the crowd, never even spoke to them, never thanked them, they seemed to forget it's these kids' hard earned money that pays their wages. Mansun left us and failed to make a lasting impact on most it seemed. They were atrocious, nothing but a set of Oasis pretenders, they sounded even worse than Oasis (if this is possible)...and they should know that if they're going to 'copy' anyone they should at least copy someone good like the Clash or the Stones. Mansun were horrible tonight. I said I liked to hear new stuff coming from new bands but tonight I wasn't impressed. I hope (for their sake) this was one of their off-nights.....If this is the future of British music......then......then shoot me down...cos' I don't want to hear it.
By Ian Wigley