It’s just a couple of weeks until Christmas. The days may be short, and the weather less than pleasant, but Margate is still very busy. Thankfully, the seafront has stopped being harassed by the tail end of the storm that has battered the west coast, but things feel less than calm and decidedly soggy. The weather hasn’t stopped most of the locals coming to Dreamland for a huge night out, however, and the Travis show is a sell out. The upstairs room – the Hall By The Sea – has seen many busy nights in the past, but few have felt as absolutely rammed as tonight’s gig. It feels as if the entire town has shown up to support the band, and that’s not entirely surprising since this is supposedly the popular Scottish band’s first ever visit to the seaside resort.

At just after 9pm, Fran Healy and the lads take to the stage, bathed in a deep red light. It isn’t a flashy set up, but seeing their figures swamped by the huge block of colour is very effective. Possibly a strange move considering the upbeat nature of their opening number – recent single ‘Bus’, played with enthusiasm, but rather bass heavy – but it seems to work brilliantly. Halfway through the track, Travis settle into their stride, and eventually slide into an equally strong – but, again, bass dominated – ‘Driftwood’ without a word. The hit single from 1999’s massive selling ‘The Man Who’ clearly remains a fan favourite. Huge pockets of the crowd can be heard singing en masse with the now very familiar chorus, and everyone is swept along in a moment of unity.

Following a brief hello, ‘Love Will Come Through’ cements the band’s tightness, and the sound levels have now been addressed, but it’s another new track, ‘Alive’, that actually provides the first of the night’s biggest highlights. Before that takes shape, Fran coaches the crowd through the melody of the chorus – not that most people need this lesson – but it ensures everyone will sing loudly when the opportunity arrives. On record, that wordless hook is infectious; in the live setting, it sounds like an old fashioned call to arms, showing off the Travis boys’ love of classic pop hooks. The jangle of the main melody comes through very strongly too, with a crisp lead guitar calling out above the smoother elements. Another bass-led throwback to the past arrives with the title cut of ‘Good Feeling’, with a chugging guitar part contrasting a smooth vocal, showcasing the band’s rockier side with some heavy 70s vibes, but that’s quickly outshone by the arrival of another massive hit. The intro to ‘Writing To Reach You’ has a much rockier feel during the Travis live show and a few of Fran’s vocals get a little lost beneath a wall of guitars, but in the main, once things hit their mark, the melodic strains of a still great number are more than present.

With Healy taking a long moment to address the crowd, ‘Re-offender’ is prefaced with a monologue addressing domestic violence. If it were not clear before, he is very comfortable at interacting with his audience, and it’s actually a pleasure to witness thoughtful banter that never feels in any way rehearsed. In some ways, his emotive speech overshadows the track itself, but it’s another example of an on form Travis showing a hugely professional approach. Another of the band’s finest hits, ‘Side’, arrives a little later; it’s played flawlessly, and showing off a perfect blend of ringing guitar and natural vocals. This is arguably the best of the ‘Invisible Boy’ era singles; it’s got a better chorus than the repetitive ‘Sing’ – which, in fairness, works about a thousand times better live, and on this night, Andy Dunlop’s banjo can be heard floating high above the guitar parts, whilst a sea of phones and a choir of voices soak up every moment with glee.

Despite this show having more than its share of enjoyable moments, it’s in the latter part of the main set that Travis truly shine. ‘Selfish Jean’ works drummer Neil Primrose a little more aggressively as the pop-rock seems to want to slide into Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust For Life’, before a trio of new numbers show why the current Travis album ‘LA Times’ is being hailed as a “return to form”. The brilliant ‘Raze The Bar’ – a tribute to the band’s beloved (and now closed) Black & White Bar in the US – sees Dougie Payne bringing out the double bass for an element of extra retro charm, on a number that trades in a more “typical” Travis sound for a slow and almost soulful groove, before ‘Gaslight’ ventures into a world of power pop with a classic stabbed piano motif and huge harmony vocals. Again, this is another number that shows how the band aren’t as formulaic as the casual observer might think, and despite the studio track’s heavily layered arrangement, it works almost as fantastically within the live set. In a change of mood, the low key, Radiohead-ish ‘Naked In New York City’ gives Healy a moment or two to flex his vocal chords and allows the audience a moment of reflection, before a chunkier sounding ‘Turn’ prompts another mass singalong. As with a couple of other older tunes, ‘Turn’ takes more of a rock stance when played live, but the melody – familiar to all – holds firm. When bidding the crowd goodnight, it feels as if the fourteen song set has gone by in a flash, but Travis – unsurprisingly – have a little more up their collective sleeve…

Returning to the stage for an encore, Travis receive an enthusiastic response from the crowd. Things take an unexpected turn with a (self-admittedly) wonky semi-acoustic rendition of the Britney Spears hit ‘…Baby One More Time’, which shares a really solid bass sound, followed by a really smart stripped down ‘Flowers In The Window’ which captures the whole band in great vocal shape. Whilst the acoustic rendition loses a pleasing ringing guitar part, the live interaction it brings is brilliant and the audience are clearly lapping up every moment. Predictably, the night comes to a dramatic climax with a full band version of ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me’ (labelled by Fran as the Travis “calling card”). In keeping with the bulk of the rest of the night, it’s handled brilliantly, with some great vocals augmented by a lot of crowd participation and a mass bounce. It’s probably the most physical that some of the older crowd members have been for some time, but it’s a pleasure to see – and those guys are probably thrilled to have access to a great local venue and not have to make the lengthy trek into London.

This has been a gig packed with great songs, but more than that, it’s shown how Travis still clearly love what they do. With ‘The Man Who’ celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary this year, the band could have easily staged a tour playing that record in full, going through the motions and packing in an easy crowd. Instead, they’ve really worked for this year’s success, delivering one of their best albums to date, and orchestrating a show that really champions the new material. At a time when some of the Britpop heroes are coasting on past glories, or about to embark on a massive comeback tour purely for the money, it’s a pleasure to experience a band with 90s roots who clearly still feel invigorated by new sounds, and are still more than relevant to the pop-rock scene.

Words by Lee Realgone
Photos by Katy

December 2024