Planet Notion - Lenny Kravitz. Brixton Academy. August 13th.

Lenny Kravitz. Brixton Academy. August 13th.

15/08/2008

Hmm, hmm, hmm… Yep, he takes some pondering, Lenny Kravitz. This is Planet Notion’s philosophy (following a day of pondering): ‘Fly Away’ killed Kravitz. I know, I know, that’s quite a statement; one that’ll probably have the mountains of people that took it to number one banging on our door like deranged freaks from the 1500s, searching for a witch to burn – or in my case, a low-paid hack drinking black coffee because we’ve run out of friggin’ milk... again!!!

Sure, Kravitz retained the legendary status after 'Fly Away', but it greatly diminished. Let's face it, it was a wrong 'un. Krav turned his back on what his fans wanted to see by releasing a commercial song that the masses took to number one; The same masses that did the same for fucking Shaggy and Right Said Fred before giving them the ‘V’ sign, moving onto Chumbawumba, and leaving ‘em in purgatory until the End Of Time.

I reckon a fair few rock fans washed their hands with Krav after ‘Fly Away’ because it was so damn soft and commercial. Fickle? Maybe; but if it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it. So turning up to see Kravitz at the Brixton Academy, Planet Notion was feeling somewhat, um, I don’t know… nonchalant? Firstly, The Krav was almost an hour late on stage, and this creates two problems: (1) if the performance doesn’t live up to the unnecessary anticipation, you’re screwed; (2) you’re starting to piss off a fair few people.

So what was The Krav’s saving grace? Well, the fact that he can still play the friggin’ guitar with the best of ‘em; still has a ‘good’ range to his voice; the fact that his presence makes you want to go all Total Recall on his arse and step into his shoes; and here’s the biggy: The fact that his backing band were one of the finest Planet Notion’s witnessed.

It almost took us on a nostalgic, non-drug infused trip to the days when listening to Kravitz made you feel dirty in your scummy Converse, greasy leather jacket and stained vest (we imagine); back when he wasn’t playing friggin’ ‘Fly Away’ on a weekly basis to noughties teeny-boppers. The best bit of the night was probably the ten minute drum solo with a touch of ‘Moby Dick’ and the John Bonham’s about it. The worst bit was the encore of ‘Fly Away’ after already playing it twice already. Yep: Twice. Planet Notion went down the pub after that. Verdict: Good. But seriously Krav; ditch ‘Fly Away’ and stick to dirty rock-riffs. Dangerous

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