| The Boss Romford Saturday 23rd March 2002 |
| My first experience of �The Boss� took place at a most unlikely venue. �The Wheatsheaf� in Romford was what an estate agent would describe as �compact� and �homely� and had a stage against the front wall that was 6inches high and looked as though it had been made out of shoeboxes. It had in fact been constructed earlier that day by the landlord, who after seeing them once had booked them immediately and thought about insignificant technicalities later. As we were herded into the end of the pub that the Boss had begun to set up, the atmosphere was dumbfounding. Although this was the first time I�d seen the band, I was immediately greeted by the usual entourage as an old friend, and made to feel at home. The regular mob was there, those I�d heard so much about; Chimpy & Mrs. Chimpy, Hedges, and of course, the boys themselves, Danny on vocals, Mark on lead guitar, The Silver Fox smiling away at his drums and new boy Matt ready to dazzle, bass in hand. And those who I know well, loyal �Uncle Fester� aka Paul, who later mentioned that he�d seen them over 200 times. |
| After much chatting and many introductions, they started. And what a start! I sat there, not knowing what to expect, as the lights dimmed and the disco ball began to spin. I almost hit the ceiling when �Can�t explain� announced its presence with a meaty guitar riff. I knew it was going to be a good night. As the sounds of �The Who� faded back into the pub, Danny announced �this one�s for the scousers�. Their harmonious rendition of The Beatles� �You can�t do that� put a smile on the faces of their fans. There followed an astounding set consisting of some of the best guitar-driven R & B ever written, and a handful of original tracks that make you wonder why you�re not fighting for the new Boss single at HMV. Matt proved his worth with the powerful beginning to �Start� which transpired into a top performance of the classic Jam track, with an inspiring guitar solo from Mark. The first of their own material, �These Days� was presented as a song from their �new-old� album. With a mellow intro and a heavier follow-up, this track was a great opening to their own stuff. �Kids Forever� pounded into the pub and filled it with the secret of eternal youth, as well as a friendly helping of teenage heartache. �It�s alright� ended this short taste of Boss-made music. With this track, you can�t help but listen to the lyrics, with clever reflections of the banalities of real life and a rocky guitar sound, one of my favourites of the evening. |
| The night continued screaming along the tracks like a runaway train. Little, unexpected winners from Primal Scream, including one loved by the Silver Fox, �Jailbird�. �Rocks� or, as Danny suggested, �Socks� had a truly gritty rock sound, and more than did justice to the original. Dedications were flung out all over the place, the politically and emotionally charged �Joseph Green� was for �Joe and Rachel� who were bopping around the pool table. Incidentally, the song was preceded by Eddie & the Hotrods� �Do anything you wanna do� with the appropriate line �Don�t need no politician�. �Wake up children� was announced to be �for Uncle Fester� who was smiling like a Cheshire cat. The song quietly snuck into �Police and Thieves� but eventually returned safely! An angry, passionate and faster version of �Substitute� ended the first half of the set and they had to go for a cup of tea and a lie down. Worried that they wouldn�t come back, I was pleased to have a chance to really suck in the atmosphere. Surrounded by excited faces and many Fred Perrys, accompanied by strange juke-box offerings, I began to collate my emotions. This was the first time I�d seen The Boss and I felt as though I�d known them for years. Most of all, I couldn�t believe I was watching them with a handful of people in a poky little pub in the nether-regions of Romford. As far as I was concerned they should be big. Hell, they had a duty to the public to let them hear this fantastic sound. |
| Suddenly, without warning, they were back, with �Eton Rifles� screaming out into the room. The second half flew by with grace, the melodies gently hammering against my heart and the lyrics reaching into my soul and fiddling with it. All the teenage angst I try to conceal was brought kicking and screaming to the surface and expelled in entusiastic singing. Silver Fox�s stunning vocals took over for the Ray Charles number, �Allelujah, I love her so� and the crowd were swept away by Weller�s �Changing Man� with its superb middle eight. The bass start to �A Town Called Malice� nearly broke the disco ball, but apart from that, the evening was successful and a great first time to see the Boss. The finale of �I fought the law� was the perfect end to an unbelievable night. All of us stood around chatting and basking in the wonder of the evening. We reluctantly made our way out of the pub, vigorously shaking the hands of the band, and I left, awe-stricken and in love. But after all, it�s all right, �coz it�s Saturday! Review by Park End Princess |
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