The Pineapple Thief - Fibbers, York - 7th December 2011 (Live Review)
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Written by Ben Bland
The Pineapple Thief can be brilliant at times. Frontman Bruce Soord is capable of writing some utterly superb songs when the mood takes him. 2010’s “Someone here is Missing” was probably his finest collection of songs to date and this show at York’s (in)famous Fibbers is the start of one final jaunt around the UK to promote that record.
Sadly, from the offset, the band is hit by the unfortunate limits presented by the Fibbers sound system. Since the refurbishment of this venue a couple of years back it sadly seems impossible for anyone to coax this club into providing an adequately balanced mix. The bass and keys especially have a worrying tendency to dip in and out as if their players are taking the odd mini-break midway through songs. Still, at least the vocals are audible, which is never something one can guarantee here. The likes of “Wake up the Dead” and “3000 Days” from the newest record are highlights, as is the delicate back catalogue cut of “My Debt to You”, which in lesser hands would come across sickly but thankfully is allowed to be as disarmingly sweet as it should be.
With Soord spending a good portion of the set with acoustic rather than electric guitar, it could be said that maybe this show just lacks a little bit of the rock factor that some fans would appreciate. The crowd is mostly made up of middle-aged prog fans and thus, unsurprisingly, the venue is far from full as the middle-aged prog fan is not a species common in many towns. The fact is that The Pineapple Thief still suffer from the same things they have suffered from for some time. Their best moments are great, but they still lack a definitive personality. The influence of mid-nineties Radiohead especially is ever prominent, even on the brand new material showcased tonight. The thing about this band is that I cannot imagine how they could be the favourite band of anybody at all, there is something missing. Hopefully in the future that can be remedied, as at the moment it does mean that even a good show such as this one cannot help but feel a little disappointing.
The Pineapple Thief will release a new album in 2012.
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