Bob Mould 

Live reviews

• Bob Mould

  I never saw Hüsker Dü live, though I listened to them all through their heyday, and was a huge fan. I enjoyed Sugar to a certain extent, but something about the band just never connected with me, I guess. But Bob Mould's solo work always hit home. I listened Workbook to death, had Body of Song on endless repeat for quite a while, and love the more recent albums as well. I was incredibly excited to finally being seeing this legend live.

  And then the show started...and the stage was set with one amp, and one mic, and nothing else. No, no. I said. This is not going to be a solo show. Surely he has some kind of band. But no. No he did not. It was Bob Mould, his signature howling electric guitar, and nothing else. (Aside from the opening act, Katie Malco, who was fantastic, and I hope to see again.)

  Two things came out of this. First, I was incredibly annoyed that nowhere in the billing had it been made clear that this was not Bob Mould playing with a band. But secondly, I was incredibly impressed that he managed to pull it off. Standing in front of an audience, screaming into a mic with a fully distorted guitar, and no backing, would make just about any other performer sound like a cat in heat. Yet Mould screamed his way through a long set of classics — including plenty of Hüsker Dü favourites — and filled the venue with sound and melody. It was incredible.

  I'll admit that when it was over, I was ready for it to be over. There's only so much treble a person can take. And I'll miss being able to hear out of my left ear. But in the end, I was glad I'd gone. It was strange, loud, and intimate. And, well, just generally great. But next time...let's hope for a rhythm section.

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  by Nicodraxus

• Lights were down as I arrived at the venue and the stage hidden – giving no indication of what to expect. The legendary Bob Mould – alt-rocker, electronic and acoustic artist and part-time DJ – had announced a series of intimate venues on a 25th anniversary tour of his debut solo album 'Workabout,' and the show was about to start… The stripped back stage, low lighting, and seated crowd set the scene for a quiet night of imagined nostalgia but, as ever the unexpected, Bob Mould dismissed those expectations, opening with a typical energy, and not an acoustic guitar in sight.

  Joined by another guitarist/bassist and cellist, Mould performed a string of hits from his extensive back catalogue – opening with "The Act We Act" from the 'Sugar' days, before moving on and reaching back to fan favourites from the Hüsker Dü years. The line-up brought a fresh approach to Mould’s music – the cello adding a unique quality to the music that suited the intimate venue, without ever seeming out of place in the wall of sound, driving rhythms and distorted textures delivered by Mould.

  As Mould steered the audience through the night, we were treated to material off the new record ‘Beauty and Ruin.’ The self-deferential and uncannily aware "I Don’t You Anymore" and "The Descent" were fuelled by a stadium-sized energy in the intimate venue, and as the night drove on the seats were soon forgotten about in favour of dancing and celebrating Mould and his music.

  25 years after his first solo debut 'Workabout,' Mould shows the world he’s still going strong.

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  by sinsonskins

• We had the chance to see a living LEGEND last night (yes we chose him over The Pixies - who list Hüsker Du as a major influence). Bob Mould was a childhood staple for me because of my parents - I heard “Workbook” before hearing his earlier ”more influential” (I say this loosely as it’s not true for me personally) work with Hüsker Du. I used to basically stim loop the instrumental “Sunspots”, back when you had to rewind tapes. It’s one of my favourite albums to this day.

  We actually were fortunate to get paper tickets for this and when the lady tried to take my whole ticket instead of giving me back my stub i was like ummmmm no you didn’t.

  This 58 year old badass LGBTQ rocker was basically a one man show, easily out rocking his backing band with his energetic performance. His wall of sound left us deafened after the show (oops on the no earplugs decision). So thankful. We had to leave early because sick kid but thankfully he didn’t save the fan faves for last so we got treated to many of my favourites before we had to duck out, including “A Good Idea”, “Sinners & Their Repentences”, “See A Little Light”, and “Hoover Dam”, “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, among others!!

  Also super thankful for the GREAT opening set by Chilliwack’s Mystery Machine!! I’ll be adding them to my current listening rotation - props for keeping me entertained while anxiously awaiting Bob ❤️

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  by jaynekarmalamo

• 18th November 2014. Village Underground. Bob Mould. This is going to be loud was the first I said when I met Graham before tonight’s gig. Recent set lists show it’s a Husker Du heavy set with a sprinkling of Sugar and the new album. The Village Underground is a relatively new venue. It’s a long narrow room with bare brick walls and skylights. A sold out show meant we were quite near the back and for what was to follow it’s just as well. We were treated to a full on assault of our senses. Bob clearly turned everything up to ten skipped over eleven and went straight to twelve. It’s a nonstop blast of the simplest of rock setups, bass, drums and guitar. No time for banter as they career through 24 songs in a little over an hour and fifteen minutes. The oldies in the audience left happy with nine Husker Du songs from all over their back catalogue with a little Sugar thrown in while there enough quality from Bob’s current and last album to keep the newly converted interested. Highlights too many to mention but ‘Hoover Dam’ and ‘Something I learned today’ stand out for me. It’s exhausting to watch and so how a 54 year old can perform like that on stage every night is impressive. A rockin good night.

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  by garyw66

• The venue is great, a bit of a squeeze when it's sold out as it was for Bob Mould but not overcrowded. I have seen many bands over the years, including punk and metal acts and I have to say that this was probably the loudest gig I've been to. The distortion was cranked up and it was so noisy I couldn't recognise songs which I know every word and chord to until they were half way through. But I loved every minute of it. He kicked off with three Husker Du classics with an energy that any up and coming band would struggle to match. The rest of the set was a healthy mix of his latest album, Beauty and Ruin, and a few from the previous album, Silver Age interspersed with tracks from his Husker Du and Sugar days. The intensity was amazing throughout - 23 songs in an hour and ten minutes with barely a pause separating them - and an encore that left everyone wanting more. This show was proof that the godfather of melodic punk rock is still the best at it after more than 30 years.

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  by markaj

• I've been a fan since my early high school days listening to Land Speed Record. I was in disbelief of what I was hearing. So fast, raw and aggressive. I loved it. I reconnected at the end of my college days with Workbook. It's a regular listen and brings back so many great memories of starting life on my own. Now I'm middle aged, married with kids and in the burbs and have fallen in love with this guy again with "Beauty" and "Patch". Bob was outstanding Saturday night. He had enough energy to fill the room. Bob's voice was right on and the band was tight. The venue was awesome. It was intimate and really allowed us to feel like we were part of the show. I can't wait to see Bob again. Last time I saw Bob, he was with Sugar at the International Ballroom north of Atlanta. Can't wait that long again or both of us will be using walkers to get around the show. Cheers!

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  by tpeyton

• Bob put on a hell of a show; lots of energy and a good mix of his new album Sunshine Rock and stuff from his back catalog.

  The only real criticism I have is that it was so *LOUD*! I don’t know if it was the FOH still dialing in the sound for the new tour or the venue’s PA but the sound was very distorted and a few times painful. It wouldn’t stop me from seeing him again if I had the chance but I might have to bring earmuffs as well as plugs.

  My wife, who is new to Bob’s music, put it like “I could tell there was a melody under there somewhere” but she had to leave towards the later part of the show.

  All in all though, I’m really glad I went!

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  by jaime-marschalk

• It’s 34 years since I first saw Hüsker Dü and in the years since I’ve been a regular attendee. Never been dissatisfied, never been let down. But last night at the Electric Ballroom was different.

  It was joyful, astounding, really fucking loud, with Bob, Jason and Jon in total harmony. The set list was not my personal faves - it was better - a coherent narrative of song, with a couple I’ve never expected to hear, and a version of “Sinners....” from Workbook that brought a tear to more eyes than mine.

  If you weren’t there, then I’m sorry for you.

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  by godstar53132

• Impassioned, unrelenting and pitch perfect front to back. This was my third time seeing Bob Mould and the addition of Jon Wurster on drums is a game changer in the best way possible. Although they play and advertise under the frontman's moniker, this trio is a true band in every sense. Air tight, powerful and locked in from the first note, they pause only for a second or two between songs before tearing into the next one. Great selection of Husker, Sugar and Mould's prolific solo career material. Not to be missed!

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  by mitaliano

• A small crowd waited out a rainstorm and were not disappointed. Bob played a variety of old standards and new material, playing for an hour straight racing against more rain. It was almost frenetic; possibly he was concerned about the outdoor venue. He has plenty of energy left, and belted out the songs with gusto. Interesting side note, he still has that classic 80's punk swagger when moving around the stage, fairly quickly into the show I was ready to slam dance. It was a good time, from a good artist.

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  by 1adam12ks