FEEDER | LIVE REVIEW

Chepstow Racecourse, Fri 25 Aug

Feeder! Feeder! Feeder! Never has an audience been so pleased to see a band and never has a band been so pleased to be playing for that audience. Twenty-five years and this is the first time Feeder has played in Grant Nicholas’ hometown of Chepstow. Nicholas said, ‘It feels intimate.’ And it did. Like meeting an old friend.

Having never been to an event at Chepstow racecourse before, I was unsure whether to wear wellies and be prepared for standing a soggy field. But the venue was a hardstand and large enough to hold a thousand-plus yet small enough to ensure a decent view of the band. The gig started promptly with Newport indie rockers Wide Eyed Boy, who paved the way for The Dirty Youth, who did a rockin’ job of warming up the crowd even though dogged by equipment problems. Indie club night Propaganda provided the ‘incidental’ music and the audience did a fine rendition of Don’t Look Back In Anger. There wasn’t too much hanging around.

Feeder opened with The University Of Life, the single from their last album All Bright Electric, and it was all uphill from there, with tracks from older albums blending well with more recent material. An ever-changing digital backdrop and white lights added to the ‘stadium’ experience. There were more equipment malfunctions but Nicholas refused to let that spoil the evening and the band ploughed on through.

Of course, they played Buck Rogers and many might have thought that was the end of the evening but the band returned for a six-song encore, which included Figure You Out, from their new best-of album. The song began slowly and quietly and the crowd seemed a little bemused – until what can only be described as a musical explosion kicked in. Only a band that is confident in their songwriting and their ability to entertain would consider playing a brand new number at the end of a show – and Feeder have all that and more. It was a great homecoming. Hope they don’t leave it so long till the next time.

words LYNDA NASH photos ARABELLA ITANI