Farewells

 

Mew played a show last night at the Camden Roundhouse. It was brilliant. 


Technically it wasn't just any show though - frontman Jonas Bjerre announced that after 30 years, he felt it time to move on from the band, so they were going to play some farewell shows in Copenhagen. 

This then became a farewell tour, which was due to end in London. 

Towards the end of the year, he lost his voice, so the shows got rescheduled, and the final show remained as London but it moved to February. 

I go back a long way with this band - they've been important to me off and on throughout the last 20 years or so, and I wasn't going to miss this show. 

I guess they were important to a lot of people there - it was an emotional show. 

It's weird going to a farewell show when it's only the singer saying farewell. 

In 2003, I spent a month or two in ny sisters spare room between houses - they had Sky, and there was a new music channel called 'The Amp', which played a lot of alternative music. That's where I first saw the video for 'Am I Wry? No" I loved this song from the first time I saw / heard it. 

We had tickets to see them at the ICA in the Summer of 2005, but the 7/7 bombings happened, and for a while we weren't comfortable going to events in London. We sold them to a chap from Scandinavia called Lars and often wonder how he is doing now. 

I wrote a Top Ten list for them for the Toppermost website. You can find it here. 

I remember going to London and finding some of their CD Singles in the Virgin Megastore - I think it was "She Came Home for Christmas" and one of the various iterations of "Comforting Sounds". That was still how you found music back then - a store with 5 floors devoted to home entertainment seems like it's a world away doesn't it?

They've only released one LP in the past ten years but their LPs and their live shows and their fans have always been special. They might not be international superstars but we all know they should have been. 

Jonas' voice was always one of the band's USPs. They will be a different band without him. I'm sure it will still be a great one. 

2003 - 2026. Thank you Mew x

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