Leading a renaissance of earnestness is the Scottish band Travis, whose December 20, 2003 concert at London's Alexandra Palace finds the young band onstage and on fire before a polite yet enthusiastic crowd of 8,000. It's a huge hall, almost too big for the band's intimate, introspective music. But Travis pulls off a high-energy show built around its 2003 12 Memories album, lighting songwriter Fran Healy's pure-pop cadences with terse arrangements and bursts of overdriven sound. The band plays tight and clean, commendably resisting the tendency among bands to get noisy when they want to sound powerful. If only director Matt Askem better understood this concept. The cameras are always moving, giving us almost no stationary vantage. Still, the picture looks great, with terrific use of black and supersaturated hues emphasizing primary colors. Travis at the Palaceis an exciting record of a band in its prime.
A 22-minute documentary, "Inside Travis at the Palace," is heavy on irreverence and light on insight. Concert sound quality is exemplary in all formats (Dolby Digital 5.1/2.0, DTS 5.1): clear and punchy, uncluttered, and appropriately ambient in a venue stretching 384 feet front to back. Instruments and voices sound utterly natural, and the drums are quite forward in the mix, a welcome throwback to 1970s production values. --Michael Mikesell
Recorded on December 20, 2003, this special sellout show before a crowd of 8,000 at London's Alexandra Palace captures Travis at their dynamic best-a full 22 songs, the soundtrack to an unforgettable evening. Along with live performances of their hits "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?," "Sing," and "Driftwood," TRAVIS AT THE PALACE also includes recent singles "Re Offender," "The Beautiful Occupation," and "Love Will Come Through." TRAVIS AT THE PALACE also features an exclusive behind- the-scenes film, Inside TRAVIS AT THE PALACE, that provides unique access to the band and the events that surrounded the concert. The film follows Travis from arrival to departure and includes exclusive sound-check performances and backstage footage.
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