Concert review - Train in Birmingham

Train

O2 Academy, Birmingham

Concert review by Ian Harvey

Train, the American band that lit up the airwaves over the summer, brought some San Francisco sunshine to a chilly Birmingham.

Nine years on from their breakout hit Drops Of Jupiter, the five-piece scored again this year with the feelgood hit of 2010, Hey Soul Sister, a song which it's impossible not to dance, smile or sing along to.

Both songs brought the house down last night in a 90-minute set that covered Train's 16-year career and which was noteable for the exuberance and quirkiness of charismatic lead singer Patrick Monahan.

Whether he was leading eight young ladies from the audience on to the stage to sing She's On Fire with him, crowd-surfing during the magnificent This Ain't Goodbye or moving into the audience for the sublime Marry Me, you simply couldn't take your eyes off him.

He even paid tribute to his Midlands musical hero, Robert Plant, with an uncanny version of Led Zeppelin's Ramble On – Monahan used to sing in a Led Zep covers band – which briefly morphed into Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side, and allowed guitarist Jimmy Stafford to let rip.

The success of Hey Soul Sister meant a wider age range in the audience than might have been expected, teenagers mingling with 40 and 50-somethings. All were in good voice as they sung along with anthems like When I Look To The Sky and Calling All Angels, the venue bouncing along with the feelgood vibe.

Monahan apologised for the band having left it so long to visit Britain and promised to return to these shores as early as March or April next year. Make a date in your diary.