"No-one told you to come to my concert, and that's what I appreciate the most. There's no sheep in this crowd." -Richard Ashcroft, prior to his embarrassing Splendour fiasco.

Ashcroft
is the soul of an era once past, one of the few britpop legends
managing to survive with the same dignity they once possessed. His
face alone, glorified by the public for its jagged cheekbones and
ant-like uniqueness, has been something I have wanted to see with my
own eyes for a very long time. Here for the first time as part of a
new band, promoting their debut album Are You Ready, RPA & The
United Nations of Sound played the Enmore Theatre with all the
attitude and arrogance you'd expect from a dirty British rock band.

Supporting
RPA & UNS was the Zooey Deschanel-esque Katy Steele, of Little
Birdy fame. With a half empty theatre to play to, christmas lights
strung across the amps in an awkward lighting setup, Steele was no
doubt under a lot of pressure. Clangy guitar melodies were rather ear
piercing, resonating throughout the theatre in a sort of intensely
painful way, no doubt a result of a fucked up soundcheck. Accompanied
by only a drummer, she was all alone in this one, despite attempts to
engage what little audience she had (“this is when you all sing!”
*silence). Awkward. Taking the grim
reception rather well, Steele played on with a strong defiance and
even commented on the “tough crowd” and the rip in her “slutty
dress”. With or without
Little Birdy
, her music is definitely
something to look out for - she plays her indie tunes with genuine
love, and all the cutesy charm and spirit we know. Even after she'd
left the stage, I could hear a couple of people muttering the lyrics
to her last tune.

With
the eruption of an immense roar from the audience, Richard Ashcroft
strolled onto the stage in socks, a sneaker held in each hand waving
above his head - a living legend in derelict 90s sunglasses.
RPA &
The United Nations
dove immediately into their title track, Are
You Ready, as Ashcroft slyly removed items of clothing – first
the jacket, then the socks, and lastly the sunnies. 

The set included
songs from Ashcroft's previous three solo albums, as well as a few
from Are You Ready. Fat middle-aged balding men in the audience
tossed their dignity away and kept the security and myself well
entertained throughout Music is Power with their red faced
frenzies of excitement.

Seeing
the blatant adoration from the audience prompted a lot of sheepish
grins and shy smiles from Ashcroft, proving that all the showy
rockstar arrogance doesn't dominate his manner. He was into his music
more than anyone else, and hearing the opening chords of Bittersweet
Symphony as he confidently declared that “this song will live on
forever and ever and ever” sent the emotions rolling. 

 With
deafening feet stomping and a near-riot on their hands,
RPA & The
United Nations of Sound
returned for an encore, of which The Drugs
Don't Work was the highlight. Played during a piercing silence, to
an awe-struck audience, the moment was so beautiful I felt I had no
right to exist alongside its flawless beauty. Ashcroft knows rock
better than anyone else, whether it be with a band or alone, music is
always being driven with the husky power of his voice.