The Replacements at the Roundhouse

The Replacements
You Am I
Jesse Malin
Roundhouse, 2 June 2015

Paul Westerberg is a considerate chap. He keeps asking if we need to catch the train or the bus home. "I know about things like that now," he says. I'm pretty sure though that everyone in the crowd is thinking, "No, no play more! Play more!" That's because seeing The Replacements play their first London show in 24 years is pretty much the perfect rock n' roll show.

I never thought I would ever see The Replacements or even Paul Westerberg live. The band were a long time gone when I first discovered them and then when Westerberg badly injured his hand about ten years ago I assumed his touring days were over. So this whole reunion and tour have been a really lovely surprise, even though, of course, Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinton are the only original members (this never really bothered me too much in The Replacements case, just to hear Paul sing those songs again was all that mattered to me really). I'd heard plenty of the stories about their often shambolic, always ragged live performances in the past, that could teeter on the edge of falling apart and it turns out that not only are the stories true but it's also damn exciting to watch.

From the moment they hit the stage they are full of youthful energy. Westerberg looks like he's wearing the baggiest outfit ever and guitarist Dave Minehan even has a plaid jacket like the ones the band used to wear (and I think still do sometimes), which pleases me greatly. The first songs are just a full-on punk rock blast, mostly from the band's first couple of records (before, as Steve Albini claimed, they sold out to be "like Tom Petty" which to me just means they got more tuneful). It sounds fantastic. Everyone around me - mostly  middle-aged blokes but a few young women too - is just beaming in response. This may be a money-making endeavour for Westerberg and Stinton, full of fan favourites, but this certainly ain't no oldies show.

Things get really good for me about five songs in when they break out Valentine from my favourite 'Mats record, Pleased To Meet Me. It sounds exactly as I always dreamed it might sound live, just raw and fun and beautifully melodic yet ragged. I must admit I do get chills. They keep up the momentum with a slew of absolute classics and of course a few covers thrown in for good measure, as they famously did in the past. The songs sometimes completely fell apart or sounded like they were about to before recovering completely or sometimes they made it through the whole way, sounding utterly exuberant. Westerberg a few times forgot the lyrics to songs, bluffing his way through, which could be very funny and charming but always held with the spirit of the night.

The covers were the most chaotic, with their version of Lost Highway (the Leon Payne song made famous by Hank Williams) almost halting altogether with Westerberg in a laughing fit but, once it continued, sounded joyously ramshackle and full of country heartbreak. At another point they just launch into the blues, playing a very punky version of Dust My Broom. They even treat us to a genuinely cheerful and surprisingly good cover of My Boy Lollipop (even the security guards were dancing to this one). Whether they regularly play these songs I don't know but they make it seem like they only just thought to burst into them and the feeling of spontaneity of it all is so refreshing.

In between all of this they play brilliant songs from their back catalogue like I Will Dare and Androgynous (even more powerful and poignant today) and even constantly call for requests from the audience (albeit ones that were already on the setlist or so Westerberg claimed). But it was the last few songs of the main set that almost made me cry with joy starting with Can't Hardly Wait, perhaps the greatest power pop song ever. By this point everyone was just singing along and when they followed it up with Bastards Of Young I really don't think there was anyone in the Roundhouse not chanting "we are the sons of no one!" along with Westerberg. It was, in one word, glorious.

On top of this there is an equally thrilling Left Of The Dial and, an absolutely perfect closer, Alex Chilton, Westerberg's tribute to Big Star's mainman and the pure love of music. When we all sing "I'm in love, with that song!" along with him everyone, I'm sure, completely feels exactly what Westerberg felt when he wrote those words.

They quickly stumble back on stage for the encore with an absolutely beautifully shambolic If Only You Were Lonely and a truly heart-wrenching Unsatisfied, completing my wishlist of songs I hoped they would play (and of course leaving me very satisfied indeed). Giving us our full money's worth (especially me given my love for the Pleased To Meet Me album) we also get Never Mind and I.O.U. and finish up with, obviously, a cover of Another Girl, Another Planet, which actually sounds like they could have written it themselves.

During these reunion shows Westerberg has been wearing t-shirts with a different letter spray-painted on them every night and apparently so far it has spelled out "I have always loved you but now I must whore my pas" (I imagine the "t" appeared on his shirt at the second Roundhouse show). The message seems a cynical one but throughout the show neither Westerberg or Stinton seem to resent being there and they all give a thrilling show full of heart, soul and good feeling. It's the kind of show that makes you remember why you love music in the first place and anything that inspires such a fresh, innocent and genuine emotion is certainly the real thing, to me at least, in every way. 

Supporting tonight were two acts that both owe a lot to The Replacements although I was only really familiar with the first, Jesse Malin (who did a rather nice cover of Bastards Of Young on one of his albums). I first became aware of Malin's Springsteen-esque rock due to his friendship with Ryan Adams years back (he produced Malin's first solo record) and have seen his sweaty energetic live show before. Tonight he's mainly showcasing his new album New York Before The War, which sounds pretty good (and again, very Bruce) and Malin does he best to pump up the crowd even disappearing into the crowd at the end to sing Lou Reed's Sally Can't Dance. His bassist was pretty cool too as she looked like a cross between Juliana Hatfield and Joan Jett. Little things like that do impress me.

Also on the bill was Aussie rockers You Am I, who I really have no clue about but apparently they have been going since the late 80s and I think are hugely popular in their homeland. Singer Tim Rogers, was dressed in shabby Teddy Boy attire and looked like a cross between Perry Farrell and Ray Davies, and told us that The Replacements were his favourite band in the world. The influence was definitely evident in the music but it was a more rough and ready, macho and entirely Aussie version of that punk rock, alternative sound. They weren't for me but they were entertaining enough and the crowd, it can't be denied, certainly dug them. Rogers said it was a dream come true to play with The Replacements and you can't ask for a better support act than that.

Jesse Malin and his Juliana Hatfield look-alike bassist