On Friday night, I went to my gig of 2018. Not my best gig of 2018: my only gig of 2018. Gigging takes too much out of me these days - physically and financially - but all the stars aligned for this one. A Friday night, in half-term, in Sheffield (where I now have a semi-willing gig-buddy), and tickets for just £30. Plus it was John Grant, the man who produced my favourite albums of 2013 & 2015... possibly of 2010 also, though I came late to his debut solo record. He may also have produced my favourite album of 2018, though the jury's still out on that one. Not because Love Is Magic is a bad record, I'm just not sure it's as good as the last three. It's "experimental" for one thing, which I'm always wary of. "Experimental" in this case means much less piano & guitar, much more 80's electronica and Space Invaders' sfx. It's still got the caustic wit that makes Grant the leading lyricist of his generation, but it also seems a bit more upbeat than his previous discs. J.G. is obviously in a pretty good place at the moment despite everything... and I'm not sure I relate to upbeat as well as I do bitterness, misanthropy and self-loathing.
Friday night went a good way towards convincing me about the glories of Love Is Magic though, even though John didn't appear on stage dressed like the album cover above. Instead, he looked more like a lorry driver who'd just discovered Ziggy Stardust. Which worked. Most of the set was devoted to the new record (with one notable absence: the ultra-bitchy Diet Gum, in which his voice has been vary-speeded to high camp), along with a few choice selections from his back catalogue. I suspect he saved GMF for the encore, but sadly I sacrifice encores these days in order to get home before midnight. Still, I did get to relish in the set-climaxing double-whammy of Glacier and Queen of Denmark with an amazing guest appearance by local hero Richard Hawley on guitar. And on the way out, I had to resist the temptation to buy a mug with the title of John's Donald Trump song on it. I mean, I couldn't drink from it at home (with a 5 year old who's just learning to read in the house) and I think it may also be frowned on at work. Oh well, the sacrifices we make once we're an adult...
A more pleasant experience than I imagined listening to that song. For some reason, Mr Grant's vocal reminded me of Kevin Ayers, but maybe that's just me. Anyways, this has piqued my interest and I'll investigate further.
ReplyDeleteI see your problem about buying that mug. Them's the breaks.
Sounds like a good night out. 2018 has seen me attend my lowest number of gigs in living memory. I've got two in a week coming up later in November, but even that won't bring my stats up to a respectable level.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the album/gig. I'm not as obsessed with Grant's music as you, so don't recall the mood of every album, but now that you mention it, I agree there's a bit of upbeatness, especially in the title track, Is He Strange, & The Common Snipe. Not surprised he skipped that new song at the gig. As I wrote in my review: "The contemptuous attitude towards his lover on Diet Gum is not very flattering"
ReplyDeleteI don’t get out to the shows much either these days. Very depressing. Makes me feel ooooold. Then again, seeing a new band with a mob of youngsters makes you feel old too.
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