Live: The Dandy Warhols @ Academy 2

The Dandy Warhols
Academy 2
20 April
3 stars

Having been together as a band for the best part of 20 years, yet only having- let’s be honest- one real ‘hit’ to show for it, you could be forgiven for thinking that The Dandy Warhols’ gig at Academy 2 might have consisted of a group of 30-somethings stood nonchalantly at the back, waiting for them to play ‘that song.’

And, if I’m being honest, it kind of was. Thankfully, however, over the years The Dandy’s have managed to build themselves a fairly loyal cult following, and although their set could be described as anything but energetic, an Academy 2 packed out with die hard fans stood, albeit as still as a mill pond, and appreciated a mammoth 2-hour, career-spanning set from the Portland band.

It soon became clear though, that those who weren’t avid fans were at some stages bored to tears, as towards the back of the venue where I was stood- curse those Student Union bar queues- even some of the more well known tracks like ‘We Used to be Friends’ drew, at best, half-hearted applause from many. The fact that I felt self-conscious about singing along to ‘The Last High,’ as everyone around me could hear me over Courtney Taylor-Taylor’s distorted vocals, also speaks volumes about a large proportion of the crowd.

However, those closer to the front appeared to be enjoying the show, and when ‘that song’ finally came on- ‘Bohemian Like You,’ in case you were living under a rock during the early Noughties- some fans even felt compelled to make the most of 4/20 and light up.

1998 single ‘Boys Better’ capped off a solid performance from The Dandy’s and, although parts of the crowd left disappointed, with the loyal fanbase the band have it’s unlikely they’ll be losing too much sleep over it.

The Dandy Warhols – Bohemian Like You