Gomez really is the best band you have never heard of, but chances are you have heard them in the backgrounds of television commercials, TV shows, or in movies. The fairly small, but ferociously devoted band of Gomez fans knows a little secret that few others do. Gomez puts on one of the very best live shows out there. If you haven't heard of Gomez, "Out West" is a great introduction to the live Gomez experience which I have witnessed turn casual fans into raving fanatics of the band after seeing them in concert. Hearing Ben, one of the three lead vocalists, sing "Get Miles" live is nearly a religious experience for me, but that is the feeling oftheir concerts as a whole. "Out West" does a good job of reproducing the vibe of their concerts. Many of their songs have evolved through their relentless live touring, and for current Gomez fans, this cd offers distinctly different versions of their songs than are heard on the original albums.

Gomez approaches the live concert experience as an opportunity to win over new fans one person, one song at a time. They put it all out there on the stage in such a powerful and seductive manner that by the end of the show you have no choice but to love them and their music.

Having relentlessly toured the U.S. and much of the rest of the world for the last several years, the bluesy, psychedelic British pop-rock five-piece Gomez is renowned for its exceptional live shows. The band's latest release, "Out West," confirms that rep is well deserved.

The sound on this two-disc, 20-song collection -- culled from three sold-out concerts I attended at The Fillmore in San Francisco this January -- is stunning. It only gets better the louder you play it, capturing a band at the top of its game in front of 1,200 enraptured fans.

The career-spanning track list begins with "Get Miles," the trippy, synthesizer-laced first song from their 1998 debut, which won the Mercury Music Prize -- the U.K. equivalent of a Grammy -- for album of the year. From there, Gomez catapults into "Shot Shot," an eerie, frenzied, Theremin-heavy rocker.

"Get Myself Arrested," "Whippin' Piccadilly," "Here Comes the Breeze," "We Haven't Turned Around," and other favorites are included, plus more recent tunes like "Ping One Down," "Nothing Is Wrong," and "These 3 Sins." Big Tom Waits fans, they cover his "Going Out West," and their take on Nick Drake's "Black-Eyed Dog" segues into Gomez's own "Free To Run." Demonstrating the band's penchant for playfully altering arrangements, "Fill My Cup" sharply intensifies the differences between the studio recording's verses and choruses, stripping down the former and transforming the latter into explosive, distorted funk-metal stomps.

The group's three singer-guitarists -- Ben Ottewell, Ian Ball, and Tom Gray -- have wildly distinct voices and often trade leads within a song or explore epic, effervescent jams. Bassist Paul Blackburn and drummer Olly Peacock are unfaltering, bolstered here by frequent Gomez collaborator Dajon Everett on percussion, who also trades off with Gray on keys.

"Out West" does justice to this inventive ensemble's transcendent live performances, providing a solid overview of -- and, for new fans, an introduction to -- its output to date. If you've never listened to Gomez before or haven't been lucky enough to catch them live yet, now's a perfect time to hear what you've been missing.

(Originally appeared June 10, 2005, in the Idaho Press-Tribune)

Anybody who has had the opportunity to see Gomez in concert knows these guys from the UK rock. More interesting, inspired, timeless, and arguably more talented than many of their Britpop cousins, Gomez are the perennial 'best band you've never heard of'. Out West provides a great showcase of their diverse studio recordings, and includes a few classy covers in a double album that captures how awesome, energetic, and infectious Gomez are live. This recording will make you dance, sing, and want to learn how to play guitar. If you've been interested in seeing what these guys are all about, definitely get hold of Out West. And if you're a seasoned fan, here's a fix to tide you over till the next tour.

Into the new millennium and Gomez together with Muse, Mercury Rev, Elbow, Coldplay and The Flaming Lips (from "Soft Bulletin" (1999) onwards) were the bands that really excited me the most. (Previous to these recent years Kings X and Dream Theater "did it for me" in the 90's, Marillion were "my 80's" band together with Simple Minds, Big Country, Waterboys and U2. My 70's favorites were largely Genesis, Rush and Jethro Tull.

This live album from 2005 is, for me, a summation of what is great about Gomez. Two great and distinctive lead singers, fantastic musicians who play great rock music. The first Gomez album I bought was "Liquid Skin" (their second) in 1999 and shortly after that got their tremendous debut "Bring it on" from 1998. Six tracks from each of these are here live with, for me, the highlight being a stellar performance of "Here comes the breeze" (from Bring It On). Two tracks from "In Our Gun" (2002), three from their 2004 effort "Split the difference", a cover of Tom Wait's "Going Out West" plus Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog" (a "combo track with Gomez "Free to Run" from "Bring it on" and a B side track "Do's and Don'ts" round off a tremendous live album.

Certainly one of the great live albums of the new millennium from one of the great bands of these modern times, a tremendous experience in today's age - real musicians playing real instruments and playing with energy and passion in front of a very appreciative audience at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

Certainly one of my favourite live albums over the last 35 years here are some of my other favourites...
- "How the West was won" from Led Zeppelin (1972)
- "Made in Japan" from Deep Purple (1972)
- "Yessongs" from Yes (1973)
- "Welcome back my friends" from ELP (1973)
- "Too late to stop now" from Van Morrison (1974)
- "On your feet or on your knees" from Blue Oyster Cult (1975)
- "Live in London" from Bruce Springsteen (1975)
- "One more from the Road" from Lynyrd Skynrd (1976)
- "Frampton comes alive" from Peter Frampton (1976)
- "Live Bullet" from Bob Seger (1976)
- "Seconds Out" from Genesis (1977)
- "A Live Record" from Camel (1978)
- "Bursting Out Live" from Jethro Tull (1978)
- "Two for the Show" from Kansas (1978)
- "Playing the fool" Gentle Giant (1978)
- "Waiting fro Columbus" from Little Feat (1978)
- "Strangers in the Night" from UFO (1979)
- "Live Rust" from Neil Young (1979).
- "Paris" from Supertramp (1980).
- "Exit...Stage left" from Rush (1981)
- "Under a blood red sky" from U2 (1983)
- "Stop making sense" from Talking Heads (1984)
- "Live in the city of Light" from Simple Minds (1986)
- "Live adventures of the Waterboys" from the Waterboys (1986)
- "Operation Livecrime" from Queensryche (1991)
- "Without a safety Net" from Big Country (1992)
- "Secret World Live" from Peter Gabriel (1994)
- "Together in Concert" from Tim Finn, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga (2000)
- "Live Scenes from New York" from Dream Theater (2000)
- "Hullabaloo" from Muse (2002)
- "Out West" from Gomez (2005)
- "Instant Delivery" from Flower Kings (2006).
- "Okonokos" from My Morning Jacket (2006)

I really enjoy this album (especially up loud when driving), if you do get it I hope you do to.

I've attended multiple Gomez shows and this 2 CD set definitely captures their energy. Three January 2005 concerts in San Francisco were condensed into one show-length setlist for this release. Luckily over half the songs come from the first two Gomez albums, classics that the band has failed to match. "Here Comes The Breeze" and several others clearly eclipse their respective studio treatments.