LONDON Brixton Academy - 27 Feb 98
LONDON Brixton Academy - 27 Feb 98
opening act: Rialto and Libido

From Adam Bettinson

Sleeper played Brixton Academy, London on Friday night and finished their current UK tour (which has lasted about 3 weeks??). Libido and Rialto were the two support bands and the gig had the same format as all the others on this tour.

I saw them at Leeds a couple of weeks ago and didn't think that Friday's gig was quite as good, there didn't seem to be as much energy as before. Louise says very little at the best of times but she really didn't say much this time. The playlist was the same although Statuesque was the second song and Inbetweener got pushed further back; the encore finished with She's a Good Girl and Vegas. The songs were well and truely thrashed out though and the gig was still brilliant. Louise introduced Vegas with something like "This will probably be our last song for some time" - read into it what you will......

From David Eve
Well i saw Sleeper again on Friday. Another great concert, i was at the front crushed against the barriers from about the 3rd song (i've got the bruised ribs, arms, and knee to prove it!). Unfortunatly even at the front, the stage (or rather the band) were miles away, though at least Louise did come closer at some points. Overall i preferred the Newcastle gig, probably because it was a smaller venue and hence more intimate- even the suppoort acts sounded better! The set list was exactly the same as at the previous gigs, maybe in a slightly different order though there were still 3 songs in the encore including She's a good girl and Vegas. This time she came on with a pint of white wine instead of a bottle of red for the encore! Just before Vegas she siad the usual fuck you to journalists and said that this would be the last song that they'd play live for a long while, thus fuelling the rumours of a split (maybe?). The bald guitarist was wearing a wig at this time, which was thrown into the crowd. As previously Louise walked off after the vocals finished on Vegas, whereas the remainder of the band played on and the bald guitarist climbed onto the drum kit and jumped off, and the drummer threw his sticks up in the air.

Overall a great gig, but somehow lacking the intimacy of the Newcastle gig.