“This is being taped tonight,” Graham Coxon informs us. He lets this sink in a moment, before adding sternly, “So tuck your shirts in!”
Er, they can’t hear our shirts, Graham! It is important, though, that everyone sounds their best, because within minutes of it finishing, this gig at the London Astoria will be released as a live album online. A perfect souvenir for those who were there, or an essential new Coxon release for those who couldn’t make it. This musical miracle comes courtesy of Live Here Now, who have provided instant live albums for artists such as Mylo and Goldfrapp, selling the recordings after the show and online.
Not to be outdone, Coxon is going for a double solo album. That’s two hours, or 27 tracks’ worth of power-pop-punk goodness. Lesser back catalogues would suffer. But, armed with most of ‘Love Travels At Illegal Speeds’, ‘Happiness In Magazines’ and high points from the rest as far back as ‘The Sky Is Too High’, Coxon takes us on a rampaging ride through his many faces, from jovial Jilted John on ‘What’s He Got?’ to acid-tongued social caricaturist on ‘No Good Time’, leaving no breath for yawns.
While ‘Burnt To Bitz’ stands up as an excellent live album on its own, having been there gives it a special dimension: you can picture Coxon backwards-rolling into the speakers during ‘Who The Fuck?’ and hear the same screams that deafened you during ‘Standing On My Own Again’. Let’s hope it starts a trend, because this sure beats collecting ticket stubs.
Emily Mackay