Unfortunately for me, I slightly overdid it on the Friday night, meaning that while they were chugging through their set in a packed out tent, I was asleep in mine, feet dangling out of the door (much to the amusement of Mr Besch and Ms Waterson when they found me in that state).
But anyway, anyone unfamiliar with the band might question the title of this piece. Meaning that they probably didn't see the afore mentioned set at the festival. Meaning that they didn't see none other than the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, join the band on stage to play the title track from this very album.
That's right. While I was snoozing off the litre of Jack Daniels that I drank because some guy dared me to for being 'the quiet one' sat at a little camp site, Springsteen himself was on stage with the band. I'm sure there will be footage on YouTube if you fancy taking a look, and it is more than worth it, as I'm not actually sure that he knows all of the words to the song. Treat yourself, go have a gander. Bugger it, I'll even do the hard work for you! The '59 Sound.
Honestly, the similarities between the band and early Springsteen are easy to draw. The fact that they are both from New Jersey does it no harm either, nor does singer Brian Fallon's voice. If he wasn't in a hugely successful band, he could easily make a good living as a Bruce impersonator.
The album itself isn't half bad either. If you watch the above video, you'll catch the kind of thing that the band are into, and although they don't differ a great deal from the formula that makes '59 Sound such a great tune, they have no real reason to.
Opening track Great Expectations rattles along in a similar vein, and the album is littered with songs that would make excellent singles. I suppose they are something of a cross between Springsteen himself and someone a bit more, urm.. Kings of Leon maybe, well, without being shite.
I'm definitely going to make sure that I'm awake, and in the crowd this year when the band take to the stage. Interestingly, they've been promoted to the Pyramid from the tent that they were in last time. I'm not entirely sure that's justified, or that their music doesn't sound better in a smaller, more enclosed space, but I'm more than willing to find out.
Unfortunately, I can't see Bruce turning up this time around, however much I, and almost every other fan of this band, wish that he would. But if this record is anything to go by, the Gaslight Anthem do just fine on their own, and that's more than enough for me.
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