[ some elements originally published 26/03/2014 and 05/12/2014 ]
THE WHITE STRIPES
Anson Rooms, Bristol - 20th November 2001
Support: Von Bondies
It was just typical that a time in my life where I couldn't go out as much due to having very young children, as well as relocation to a completely new town, coincided with the most exciting band in years breaking through and taking the world by storm. God knows how many times I would have seen the White Stripes if the circumstances were different. This was my first and only experience of the hurricane that was Jack and Meg live.
This was also the first gig we went to after moving to Wales, even though it actually took place back over the bridge in England! We'd never heard of the support band before, but even before the end of their set, I had a "wow" moment. The Von Bondies were just raw and loud and bluesy and soulful and loud and full of energy and raw and loud. Plus they had the lovely Marcie Bolen on guitar. I bought their CD from the merch stand immediately after and continued to follow them right up until they split.
Having been introduced to The White Stripes in the summer, I quickly became obsessed with Jack and Meg White, but it wasn’t until this show that I really understood what the fuss was about. They were immense. The sound they produced totally belied the sparseness of the stage setup – a basic drumkit, a couple of guitars, a Rhodes electric piano and some mics. Jack tore around the stage in a frenzy, blurting out deranged vocals in the style of a crazed blues singer with some hefty scores to settle. Meg somehow kept apace with her rudimentary drumming skills, like a female Ringo Starr only much prettier. No wonder there was such a media storm around them at the time. It was truly mindblowing stuff. Eighteen months later they released Seven Nation Army and conquered the world.
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