Tindersticks
Performing: July 1, 2009
The unsigned Bobby Long follows along similar lines of heritage as Van Morrison, Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Buckley before him. Buckley associations aside, the lad has a gravelly whiskey soasked husk of a voice that Tom Waits would be proud of, not to mention some serious Dylan-esque harp (harmonica) playing. The beautifully plucked Americana folk of Sweet Mary Jane set to a blues rhythm showcased his true talent, and what with him already being beckoned by Hollywood after having a track featured on teenage vampire flick Twilight, I’m sure it won’t take long…
Here comes our first Jacko cover of the week (and turned out to be the last), from David Kitt with Blame It On The Boogie. Halfway through his set, which was peppered with tracks from his beautiful back catalogue, including Song For Hope Street, Dancing In The Moonlight and No Truth In Your Eyes. Always managing to find a balance between ambience and emotion and full of beautifully jaded jaunts blanketed with pleasant beats that occasionally and unexpectedly go off and on.
Big Star - if only they were playing outdoors their sun drenched Californian vibes would be lapped up even more. The guitars jangled with all the authenticity you'd expect from a power-pop band and Auer and Chilton's solos were impressive and recalled some licks forgotten by most musicians these days. Lead vocal duties were returned to him for the next two songs and him and the rest of the band continued to impress me throughout Kinks cover Til The End Of The Day and fan-favourite The Ballad of El Goodo.
September Gurls got the biggest cheer of the night, with the audience clapping with appreciation within the first few notes.
Having totally won over any people who hadn't known who they were by this point, when Chilton announced that it was time for Big Star's last song, there was a genuine moan of disappointment from the crowd, who had been having a great time.
The return after a lengthy sabbatical of the Stuart Staples-fronted Tindersticks, now with a rejigged and stripped down line-up delivering their lushly orchestrated, noir-ish and lugubrious ballads, that balance on a knife-edge of dark humour and brooding romanticism.
The band know that this is essential for the hardcore fanbase and respond to this with a devotee-friendly setlist, compromising of at least one track from each of their seven records.
For the encore, Staples dedicates a brilliant Before You Close Your Eyes to an old friend who died 10 years previously who "loved to dance". It's a touching moment, and one clearly close to the bands heart given the rarity of the song's airings in the live arena. Arguably the band's most well-known single, Tiny Tears, ends proceedings and Staples is clearly taken aback with the crowd's enthusiasm, ensuring them that they will be back very soon. It's a perfect ending to a unique evening and one that will surely rank among the band's best to the faithful following here.
