midlake live at mudd club berlin

i think it's been mentioned quite a few times on here that midlake is my current favourite band, and that i can't get enough of their album the trial of van occupanther (released this june). i catched the record right back then after reading a review and have been waiting ever since to hear those great songs performed live - waiting for yesterday, when they performed at the mudd club berlin.

midlake had two support bands with them. the first one was a singer/songwriter called robert gomez, who had a five-piece band with him. physically, they looked a lot like what i expected from midlake on stage: drums, keyboard, bass, guitar - and a violin. their music though wasn't really moving me.

the second support act was fionn regan, one guy with an acoustic guitar and a little help from the drums, and this worked out perfectly. his songs were extremly catchy and the lyrics very smart. one could compare fionn regan with jose gonzales, only with a more beautiful voice and humour and entertainment added.

even before midlake started their gig, they impressed me with all the instruments they brought on stage. five guys on four keyboard stands (with 6 keyboards) and a selection of at least 7 guitars guaranteed the right sound, but had one disadvantage: the atmosphere suffered from that. while it was wonderful to hear the songs and see midlake do their best to make them as atmospheric and eccentric as they are on the album, the pauses between songs, when they plugged out and plugged in guitars, always brought me back into reality.
but of course i'm not gonna blame them for stopping songs once in a while (singer tim smith said this probably was the show with the most technical difficulties ever).

they played all my favourite songs. started with they cannot let it expand, threw in young bride really early, played a fabulous balloon maker and then drifted into songs from their first album bamnan and slivercork, which i think most of the audience (including me) were not that familiar with. everybody except the drummer switched places and the show became more calm then, but kicked back in with the trial of van occupanther songs, which are more energetic than the ones from bamnan and slivercork. it was a collection of my favourite pieces saved for the last minutes of the gig: roscoe, bandits and head home.

chasing after deer, a very laid back acoustic encore closed the set and now i turn back to the record again, one of the most beautiful records i've discovered this year. the live experience added a different perspective to it, and i can't wait for a new record with a tour that brings out all the best of midlake.