Old Note
As the nights draw in, the weekends get more boozy and 2024 starts to wink at us it’s a good time to look back at a cracking years of gigs!
One of the themes of this year’s gigs has been seeing artists with a continuity and cache to my life. Blur for example being a band I’ve followed for decades . Another is Kristin Hersh - who I saw at the Acappella studio a few months back. I’d never been to the venue before and what a gem it is! It’s an old chapel so the acoustics are amazing and they serve the most delicious pizza, but back to Kristin.
I first saw her when she was fronting the third (citation needed) iteration of the Throwing Muses when Tanya Donelly was in the group. They played the Bierkeller (don’t look for it; it’s not there anymore) in Bristol in support of ‘The Real Ramona’ album and me and my bestest mate Matthew saw Kristin looking quite distressed being guided by a member of security before the band went on.
I dunno if I saw the Muses much after that. I did have tickets to see Kristin on her solo album ‘Hips and Makers’ tour - which still stands as one of my top 5 albums, but like a prick I turned up 24 hours too late for the gig! I was more successful at catching her a few years later with the reconvened Throwing Muses in Brussels. At the time I was adrift in life after spending some time travelling in an effort to get my head back together. I didn’t know it at the time but Brussels would loom large in my future, I remember being pleasantly surprised at how great Brussels’s was, and at how bohemian it is. That gig and the trip was the start of my journey home.
Most recently Steve Dixon and I saw her with most of the Muses at Clwb Ifor around 2 years ago, where Steve - bless him - finally managed to get my copy of ‘Hips and Makers’ and her book ‘Paradoxical Undressing’ signed . Great gig, but there was a really obsessional fan there, it wasn’t me.
Which brings us up to date, Kristin has a great new album out - ‘Clear Pond Road’ - and she and a cellist on stage performing the songs to a respectful audience. The songs sounded great, she was in a playful mood and she played around five songs from ‘Hips and Makers’ which made my heart sing. It was the perfect venue to see her in, some intense songs counter balanced with her banter between songs. She seemed relaxed and content, which was a joy to see.
What was my favorite gig of the year I hear you ask? Well, even in a crowded field it was - hands down - Lisa O’Neil at the Gate a month ago. The gig was magical. Another one in an old church, in addition to this what added to the special atmosphere was an announcement beforehand requesting that people not take photos or film the gig, everyone respected that (the photo above is Kristin Hersh!) and it elevated the night against the backdrop of a full moon. Lisa put context around her songs which added depth to the music, especially during ‘Old Note’, when the dialogue with her niece was played she walked around the audience blessing us with some lights, which was wonderful (Sian would have hated it). She also did a cover of ‘Brothers-in-arms’ by Dire Straits. Back in the day there was a vogue amongst bands for a cheesy cover version with a smile and wink at the audience. This was anything but, it soared across and through us. The gig was that most special of events, life affirming, and it’s flicked a switch in my head from liking to loving Lisa O’Neil’s music.