Northampton Soundhaus 6th March
A word of advice: If you come to a Halo gig expecting the band to sound exactly like they do on CD; you're going to be disappointed.
Halo are one of a minority of bands that sound even BETTER live than they do on record. The energy and emotion that they produce onstage is impossible to capture in a recording .
After cancelling several dates due to illness, it was touch-and-go as to whether tonights gig would go ahead, but fortunately Graeme recovered in time to play a storming live set tonight.
Kicking off with crowd-pleaser and EP title track "Still Here" , Halo proved that they are still on top live form with each soaring falsetto and chord, note perfect. Without stopping for between-song talk, the set moved on to Still Here EP track "Half Formed Thoughts" followed by debut single "Cold Light Of Day", but it was the slightly stalker-ish Cold Light Of Day b-side "Bedtime" that got people moving.
"Never Ending" showcases the bands impressive three part harmonies , with Steve and Iain singing separate parts at the end of the song. With minimal chat between songs, Halo's set moves along quickly, keeping a fairly fast pace throughout.
Next up was my personal favourite and soon to be Sanctimonious b-side "Only For You" a slightly kinky little number with a massive bassline. This song has one line that never fails to draw a collective breath from many female members of the audience, a pre-chorus, perfectly timed "I wanna kiss you at the top of your thigh..".
Chasing the tail of "Only For You " was self-confessed disco song "Incinerator", a song about Graeme Moncrieff's apparent favourite subject, the art of burning things. "Incinerator" bounces along, and gets the crowd bouncing with it... At this point, with the set at an apparent end, the band leave the stage, only to reappear shortly afterwards to return with the anthemic "Angst" with the self-deprecating lyrics of "I am no big deal". The finale of the night was the worryingly titled "Vampire Song" a blinding song introduced as being about cunnilingus.... I say no more....
It was all over.
One night, four men, and ten songs......
When's the next one?
Jen