The Longsands launch Us & Them @ The Cluny

‘Live music is healthy’ – John Lydon

It’s not secret that the release of geordie rock band The Longsands second album has been long overdue. Their debut Meet Me in Spanish City (released in 2012) was a huge success and critically acclaimed by fans and the music press alike. Of course like all of us life can get in the way and jobs, kids and all that other grown up stuff takes over, not to mention the curse of the ‘difficult second album’.

Thankfully, when second album Us & Them finally arrived, it was a very much a case of ‘late but worth the wait’ and they celebrated with a sell out gig at The Cluny in Ouseburn on Friday 12th August 2016. Supported by fellow Crameltonian Craig Redpath (who incidentally I used to babysit when I was 16, which didn’t make me feel ancient in the slightest). Craig warmed up the crowd nicely though and when the boys took the stage it’s safe to say the crowd went mental (in a good way!)

Craig Redpath: Support act and grown man

Tickets to the launch came with a free download of the new album Us & Them which enabled fans to get some words in  before the gig, which paid off because because this lot had done their homework. The setlist was a perfect mix of new album tracks and fan favourites and judging by the sing-a-long factor an outsider would never know which was which. Their ever loyal fan base knew every word to every song, old & new and the room was bouncing from opening number powerhouse anthem Adrenaline Junkie Flu (if it’s not on the cards to be a future single then it should be).

The laid back atmosphere of the Cluny in Ouseburn proved the perfect venue for the band as well, Ang and I served as Max and Paddy on the door and a handful of people who were just regular punters in the bar heard the music and came in and bought tickets, a true testament to the accessibility of the band if ever there was one.

Everything clearly under complete control

Crowd favourites were hard to pin point, as everyone seemed to hang on every word Trevor sang however personally I’ll never tire of hearing the satirically apt Tomorrow We Vote or the beautiful Standing in the Shadows and their stripped down bluesy version of Worlds Collide was nothing short of magical – Stan on lead guitar particularly shone on that arrangement.

Call me bias (I’ve been called worse) but dare I say although Meet Me In Spanish City contains Let Love Rain On You, probably one of my top ten songs of all time by anyone ever, Us and Them is as good, if not better than their first offering. And judging by the success of the launch gig, album number 3 is surely compulsory?

Thanks to Teri Galloway, Neil Jackson, Amy-Rose Stonestreet, Callum Thompson & Steve Wraith for letting me use some of their awesome pictures!

Set list (which was interrupted 2/3rds of the way through when Callum’s guitar broke however ever the professionals improvised with an acoustic set while it got mended:

Adrenaline Junkie Flu
Tomorrow We Vote
Streets and Pavements
Shut Your Mouth
Choices
Bully
Berlin
Affair in Manchester
Nothing to lose
Where’s My Daddy Gone?
Done Deal Town
Time
University of Life
Scissors and Stone
One in the Middle
North South Divide
Us and Them
Done Deal Town
Spirals
Let Love Rain On You
Standing in the Shadows
Worlds Collide
Little Britain

Check out the official video to brilliant lastest single Choices: