FRONT ROW CENTRE - Cake - 'Federal Funding'

You've listened to the songs...you loved the album...now you absolutely have to see them live...

FRONT ROW CENTRE

Cake - 'Federal Funding' (2011)

The Troxy, London on 18th March 2011

For music lovers out there, the ultimate thing to do is to see your favourite artist or group live on stage. Now, I go to a lot of concerts and for me the whole evening is an experience. Living just outside of London means it's a dreaded disgracefully long trek but it is such an amazing place, not only for music but for a night out so its worth it. Sprinkled with individual bars and restaurants hidden in every corner, it makes for a far more memorable experience! To save you hassling around, see my Gig Watch tips below! This is not a normal gig review, this is my experience.

LS and I were quite big fans of Cake back when they released their first album. I kind of lost touch with them over the years but when their album came out in 2011, I was happy to see they didn't lose their flare. We bought tickets to see them in the Troxy which id never heard of and found out there would be no support. That's strange? We got a room(!) in London's up and coming Docklands which is only a couple of stops down from Limehouse. While we decided where to get an early dinner, we grabbed a drink at a very welcoming funky pub next to the station called The Railway Tavern. Nothing nearby took our fancy but with our trusty vouchercloud app we saw Canary Wharf was a stones throw away so decided to hop on the tube and grab a pizza there!

The pub attached to the Troxy, The Brewery Tap, has seen better days but the wine was cold and the people watching second to none. We got into the venue and had great seats on the upper circle. I was mesmerised with the authentic art decor interior, what this place must have been like in its hey day!

Thinking the gig would be rather short with no support when Cake first walked on, we discovered it was going to be 'an evening with Cake'. Why have a support when the band you love will play an extra long set with an interval! Quite fitting considering the surroundings we were in!

As expected Cake played for the crowd including my favourites Italian Leather Sofa, Short Skirt/Long Jacket, I Will Survive and Mexico plus many more I'd forgotten. I love lead singer John McCrea's signature look with his trucker cap which matches his rattly Californian drawl. After a quick break they came back on and the first song was my favourite track from the new album, Federal Funding. What stuck out for me was the instrument he was banging against his side to get that distinct 'boing' sound. We found out later it's called a Vibraslap! Just excellent that he used it frequently throughout the set too!

John, givin' it a schlap

Before the end of the gig and the long awaited encore of the distance, the band brought out a tree in a pot. Everyone laughed but the idea was if you guessed which kind of young tree it was, you got to take it home! All sorts of answers were shouted out before finally a girl got it right, a cherry tree! I was sceptical that it may be a stunt but when we were waiting to get the tube back to the hotel, the girl and her friends were lugging this cherry tree around with them. Now that would have been a story! See the video below to see how it went or click here to see the Cake Tree Gallery!

In my opinion, Cake are a band worth seeing, not just for their personalised covers but for their individual style that seems to stand the test of time! No support necessary!

Gig watch (everything you need to know!)

Venue: The Troxy, Limehouse

Setlist

Recommended Pub: The Railway Tavern

Recommended Restaurant: Hop on a tube to Canary Wharf!