Live Review: Graham Parker & The Rumour

by | Oct 27, 2013

Graham Parker & The Rumour performed in London for the first time since 1979 and had a set list to thrill. With lights bright for the opening numbers of Fools Gold and White Honey the over capacity crowd, I mean it was crammed at the Shepherds Bush Empire, went wild.

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

In the last few years the Rumour have been backing GP in the USA and have even been involved in the film This Is 40 directed by Judd Apatow. The film features Parker, as himself, performing in a duo (with Tom Freund) and with the Rumour. “Getting to film Graham Parker and the Rumour’s first performance in 30 years was one of the highlights of my career,” says Apatow. “They rocked hard, and I must say Graham Parker as an actor is really funny.”

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Graham Parker has his initials worked into the fretboards of his guitars but somehow his performance is more marked and charismatic when he puts the guitar down. His vocal performance on Howlin’ Wind gets you deep in the heart and you know this is going to be a good night.

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Songs from the new album There Chords Good are mixed in with classic Parker material and what is very noticeable is how good the band still are. Martin Belmont throwing his guitar round and matching riffs to Parker’s vocal excellence. Brinsley Schwarz who originally formed The Rumour after his own band split up plays a reliable band leader. Bob Andrews jumps around at the keyboards and joins in with chorus’ as much as he can, all smiles he looks like he can hardly contain himself.

Brinsley Schwarz plays guitar with Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Brinsley Schwarz plays guitar with Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

GP tells a good story and after every few songs an anecdote to introduce the next. The moody Black Honey “set the place on fire” when it was played at the Roundhouse in 1976 supporting Andy Fairweather Low. Ironically he states that “we were England’s fastest band” From here on the hits follow and two of the all night favourite songs Moon Comes Down and Hotel Chambermaid turn memory lane up a notch or two.

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Of his newer songs Long Emotional Ride captures the spirit of the bands reunion and there venture into film, Don’t Ask Me Questions, a documentary on Parker by the Gramaglia Brothers (End Of The Century: The Story Of The Ramones), has been in the works for over ten years and captures the recording of Three Chords Good and Parker and the Rumour on the set of This is 40 in Hollywood.

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Graham Parker and the Rumour were a band that appealed to girls just as much and in a noticeable mix of the sexes it was good to see many round me were dancing to Local Girls and Stupidfaction which drew the set to a close. But they were not gone for long and a four song encore followed including Hey Lord and a Parkerilla version of I Want You Back.

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Graham Parker & The Rumour play Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday 26th October 2013 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

What a great night, what memories came flooding back. I had forgotten I had actually seen (from a distance) GP & The Rumour supporting Bob Dylan at The Zims Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome in 1978.
The band already have some UK dates lined up for June next year, this gig sold out so fast so get in quick.

Here is the whole photography set:

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000U7.JmfnsV6E” g_name=”Graham-Parker” f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”casc” pho_credit=”iptc” f_link=”t” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”t” f_fullscreen=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_mtrx=”t” fsvis=”f” width=”600″ height=”450″ f_constrain=”t” bgcolor=”#ffffff” bgtrans=”t” btype=”new” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” crop=”f” twoup=”t” trans=”flip” tbs=”4000″ f_ap=”t” linkdest=”c” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” f_smooth=”f” f_up=”f” target=”_self” ]

Words and Photography by Simon Jay Price. October 26th 2013.

Olivia Rodrigo @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Sophia Carey)

Olivia Rodrigo Proves That London Is Her Favourite City At BST Hyde Park 2025

British Summer Time is officially underway in Hyde Park, and the unbearable heatwave will continue to remind us all of...
ROSIN (Talia Zanger)

ROSIN Unveils Tender New Video Honouring Long-Distance Love

Berlin-born, London-based singer-songwriter ROSIN has shared the beautifully intimate video for her latest single just...
EMMMA (João Viega)

EMMMA Leans Into Reinvention With Cathartic New Single ‘Burning Bridges’

Rising alt-pop voice EMMMA continues her steady ascent with the release of Burning Bridges, a bold and emotionally complex single that marks a pivotal step towards her second EP. Following in the footsteps of breakthrough names like Chappell Roan, Holly Humberstone, and Phoebe Bridgers, the Westport, Connecticut native is carving out a sound all her own—one that fuses introspective lyricism with shimmering, synth-laced production.

The Churnups (Foo Fighters) @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

Foo Fighters Launch New Era With ‘Today’s Song’ As Debut Album Turns 30

As Foo Fighters celebrate three decades since the release of their groundbreaking 1995 debut, the rock titans have dropped a powerful new track that looks to the future while honouring the past. Today’s Song, released across digital platforms today, is the band’s first new material since 2023’s critically acclaimed But Here We Are, and it serves as both a love letter to resilience and a bridge to the next chapter in their storied career.

James Morrison (Tom Oxley)

James Morrison Shares Stirring New Single ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Loved’ Ahead Of Sixth Album ‘Fight Another Day’

Fresh off the success of his comeback single Fight Another Day, James Morrison continues his triumphant return with a second taste of his upcoming album—The Man Who Can’t Be Loved—a soaring, soul-stirring piano ballad that’s classic Morrison through and through.

Jessie Murph (Press)

Jessie Murph Unveils New Single ‘Heroin’ And Details Sophomore Album ‘Sex Hysteria’

Breakout star Jessie Murph continues her meteoric rise with the release of Heroin, a vulnerable and emotionally...
Halestorm @ London Stadium (Kalpesh Patel)

Halestorm Ignite London Stadium With Ferocity, Heart, And An ‘Everest’ Taste Of What’s To Come

Opening for British metal legends Iron Maiden isn’t for the faint-hearted, particularly at the London Stadium—in front of 80,000 fired-up metal fans! But Halestorm have never been a band to flinch in the face of pressure. On Saturday night at London Stadium, the Pennsylvania rock veterans delivered a blistering, defiant set that not only won over the die-hard metal faithful but teased the future of a band still ascending.

Iron Maiden @ London Stadium (Kalpesh Patel)

Iron Maiden Keep On Trooping At London Stadium And Celebrate 50 Years At ‘Homecoming’

You have to feel a bit for Lzzy Hale and her band Halestorm this evening, warming up an Iron Maiden crowd is a...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing