Candlebox and The Verve Pipe

It seemed that everyone and their dogs had tightly packed into the Showbox Theatre for Candlebox's return to Seattle. Heading back to the place that made them famous, the pressure was on. However, there was no doubt in my mind that this would be a show to remember. The lights dropped, the band struck a few anticipatory chords, and Kevin swaggered on stage. Usually, the beginning of concerts are slightly awkward – noone's quite drunk enough and the band aren't entirely comfortable – but we were put at ease right from the word "go." Kevin playfully frolicked between the band and the audience, wearing his heart on his (well-tailored) sleeved with a voice filled with both energy and agility. All that was required of the other musicians was to follow him with understated confidence. Fortunately the venue was large enough to accommodate Kevin's voice and stage presence, yet had the same sense of intimacy as in smaller venues that I've seen them perform. Although the group was elevated above the crowd, Kevin was poised right at the edge of the stage and kept us involved. Hackneyed it may be, but "Far Behind" was the highlight without a shadow of a doubt. A fairly bias view as it's a personal favourite, but Kevin's note-perfect rendition against the strobe lighting and the passion of the audience and the band palpable in the air made for an experience that will stay with me for years to come. I will never tire of hearing it live. Frankly, the songs, the sweat and the strobes were sometimes corny and some unheard material wouldn't have gone a miss, but nevertheless Candlebox delivered an electrifying performance to their legions of avid followers.

It’s important not to confuse The Verve Pipe with their similarly, but ultimately more simply, titled British counterparts, fronted by Richard Ashcroft, but honestly, there’s probably not too much danger of that; whilst the ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ men have enjoyed the lion’s share of their success in their native UK, so have The Verve Pipe seen most of their highs take place on their own side of the Atlantic. In 1996, the Michigan outfit released their first major label album, Villains, and saw one of its singles, ‘The Freshmen’ go to number five on the U.S. charts; ever since, they’ve maintained a strong cult fanbase. After follow-up efforts The Verve Pipe and Underneath both fared strongly in terms of radio play, if not on the charts, they spent time pursuing other interests before dropping the children’s album A Family Album in 2009. They toured intimate venues in support of it, with the shows markedly different from their usual, noisy affairs; the acoustic guitars came out as they put some distance between themselves and their grungy, nineties sound. They might well return to it, though now that they’ve released their first proper record in over a decade, Overboard, this past June; they’re planning to tour in support of it, so nineties nostalgists should look out for UK dates.