KT Tunstall rocks Sessions to a close
So here it is, KT Tunstall and the last Eden Session of the summer.
Having seen the likes of The Verve, The Raconteurs, Vampire Weekend and Kaiser Chiefs (plus some comic relief from the amazing Bill Bailey) take to the Eden stage, the consensus among many is that the 2008 Sessions have been the greatest ever.
Tonight's show from the Scottish folk-popstrel more than lived up to these high standards, and even the weather behaved itself.
Glaswegians Sons and Daughters kicked the evening off in fine style with Guillemots taking the reigns afterwards to continue the long tradition of Eden support acts shining in their own right (see: Editors, British Sea Power, Hard-Fi, Hot Chip, Dirty Pretty Things, Vampire Weekend, etc.)
Introduced by Eden chief executive Tim Smit, KT greeted the sell-out crowd with "Welcome to the womb of nature", a nod to Tim ("he's really cool") and proceeded to deliver a polished, varied set.
The St. Andrews troubadour was as comfortable strumming delicate, confessional tunes as she was with the downright raucus - most notably when Black Horse and the Cherry Tree seemlessly segued into a cover of the White Stripes's 7 Nation Army.
The crowd lapped up KT's banter and the songs, often nature-themed, fitted the venue perfectly. Suddenly I See, probably KT's most recognisable tune, and an encore of I Don't Want You Now drew the gig to a perfect close.
2008 has been a vintage year for live music at Eden and KT and co were the ideal mellow finale. We hope you enjoyed the gigs and we'll see you soon...
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The Verve
Indie giants The Verve continued their comeback at the first Eden Session of 2008 with one of the greatest shows the Biomes of Bodelva have ever seen.
Preceded on stage by DJ Wayne Griggs, the Wigan legends took to the stage at 9.15 and wowed the sell-out crowd with sterling renditions of Sonnet, Rolling People and the anthemic Lucky Man, much to the delight of the massed crowds in the Eden arena.
New material from the band's long-anticipated fourth studio album - entitled Four and due for release on August 18 - was present in the form of I See Houses and Sit and Wonder.
Recently-unveiled new single Love is Noise was saved for a dream encore, being preceded by undoubtedly the two most recognisable Verve tunes – The Drugs Don’t Work and a rousing rendition of Bittersweet Symphony.
With the crowd hyped and lead singer Richard Ashcroft on fine form, referencing formative holidays at Bedruthan Steps near Newquay and reminding the crowd of the cultural similarities between the Cornish and north-westerners (“As you know, Wiganers are fond of pasties and pies”), the 2008 Sessions have been kicked off in fine style.
The Raconteurs and Vampire Weekend
After a drizzly but euphoric start to the 2008 Sessions, the weather at Eden cleared up for the much anticipated American duo of The Raconteurs and Vampire Weekend.
Vampire Weekend lead singer Ezra Koenig set the tone for the evening with lighthearted banter about his all-denim attire and compliments on the venue (“Great place to have a concert”). The band’s Paul Simon-esque upbeat African-style guitar and quirky lyrics fitted Eden like a glove, with Oxford Comma getting a huge cheer and One (Blake’s Got a New Face) heralding a mass singalong.
The Raconteurs took to the stage with the light of a glorious summer’s evening fading over the Biomes and kicked things off with the stonking Consolers of the Lonely before launching into a rollicking set of tracks from both their albums, giving Jack White ample opportunity to show off his legendary guitar skills, most notably in the angst-ridden Blue Veins.
Bill Bailey
History was made with the first ever Eden Comedy Session as Bill Bailey took to the Bodelva stage in the miraculous sunshine (well, almost) and wowed the sell-out audience.
Opening with an introduction from God himself ("Good evening hippy scum, what have you done with my Eden?"), the show had a distinctly different atmosphere than that fostered by the wall of sound we saw from The Verve and the full-blooded rawk of The Raconteurs.
Westcountry native Bill delivered a stand-out set touching on all the important subjects: tribbles, untrustworthy joggers (they're always the ones that find bodies) and Asda. His musical talents were in evidence as he aimed his highly-skilled parodies at targets at diverse as Jay-Z, Chris De Burgh, God Save the Queen and emos.
The crowd, revelling in the unexpectantly pleasant weather, were in high spirits and obviously relished the opportunity to see one of the world's best comedians at the top of his game.
With the first Eden Comedy Session now behind us - and what a sucess it was! - we can now look forward to the final two gigs of the season. Kaiser Chiefs on Tuesday are sure to be a riot and KT Tunstall on July 25, the only 2008 Session with tickets left (01726 811972, www.edenbookings.com), will no doubt enchant the Eden crowd with her unique brand of sparky pop-rock.
Podcast: Bill Bailey's pre-gig interview
Kaiser Chiefs
Fresh from wowing crowds (and trading noise with Rage Against the Machine) at T in the Park and Oxegen, Kaiser Chiefs took to the Eden stage on Tuesday in front of a jam-packed arena and delivered a trademark barnstorming set. Anyone predicting a riot did not leave disappointed.
Support acts in the shape of the frenetic Late of the Pier and the Joy Division-esque White Lies warmed up the crowd admirably while the weather always erred on the right side of rain.
Ricky Wilson and the Kaisers took to the stage at 9.15 to one of the loudest cheers the Eden ampitheatre has ever heard and immediately launched into Everything is Average Nowadays, complete with a triumphant foray into the crowd.
They ticked off all the hits from their two long players - Ruby, I Predict a Riot and a singalong encore of Oh My God - along with a smattering of new material, most notably the dissonant Never Miss a Beat.
Ricky, characteristically energetic, ceaselessly bounced around and even took a couple of excursions into the crowd, at one point standing atop Eden's massive "Made in Cornwall" sign.
The band also took time to pay tribute to Eden promotor John Empson who signed them back when they were called Runston Parva.
The light show, while always a highlight of an Eden Session, was perhaps the most spectacular ever seen in the seven year history of the gigs with the on-stage rig peppering the euphoric crowd with multicoloured light while the two biggest greenhouses in the world were flooded by searchlights.
Thus far, the 2008 Sessions have been a triumph, with The Verve, The Raconteurs, Vampire Weekend and now Kaiser Chiefs all delivering top-notch sets in their unique styles. KT Tunstall and Guillemots take the reigns for the last of the season on July 25. We have a few tickets left, if you'd like to come along call 01726 811972 or visit www.edenbookings.com.
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