This is live

British singer and songwriter Graham Parker and British pub rock band The Rumor both had their most successful years as Graham Parker & The Rumor. Albums like Squeezing Out Sparks (1979) and The Up Escalator (1980) were successful on both sides of the ocean because of their biting pub rock with the pointed energy of (post) punk and soul influences. Parker then emigrated to America where he… developed his solo career. In 2012, he reconvened his former accompanists to create Three Chords Good, their first studio album since 1980. They then worked on director Judd Apatow's feature film This Is 40. The DVD This Is Live is the full concert from which fragments were used in the film. Apatow shot the group in an atmospheric plush theater in Los Angeles. The hall is full of tables and chairs where people are served and makes a half-full impression. Where this may have a reason for the film, it seems a bit gloomy purely for a concert registration. And that while Parker and his newfound companions are in top form and actually deserve a full and delirious room. (MR)more