As Good as it gets

14 February 2007

The Good, The Bad and The Queen - York Hall, Bethnal Green

WITH so many of our musical big-hitters refusing ever to come east, it was nice to find Leytonstone-born Damon Albarn hosting a "hometown" show with his new mates at the York Hall.

Despite being sold out, large parts of the hall were empty, and there are no raised areas downstairs for the shorta***s among us.

But such petty gripes were forgotten once Damon, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen strolled on stage for a full recital of their stunning debut album, The Good The Bad and The Queen.

Every track is a winner, and all sound far better in the live arena. Personal favourites are the single Kingdom of the Doom, with its trademark basslines, Three Changes, the beautifully haunting Green Fields and the closing title track.

The encore didn't include an airing for The Guns of Brixton, but there was still room for a bit of skanking.

- MARK TAYLOR