Neko Case at Bush Hall
Bush Hall, 23 February 2009
I can't tell you how much I had been looking forward to this gig: not only do I worship Neko, like the velvet-voiced, scarlet goddess that she is, but I had also been devouring a preview copy of her superb new album Middle Cyclone (absolutely one of the year's best, I know it's only April, but it is) and, on top of that, her show with M. Ward at Koko back in 2006 is one of my favourite gigs ever. It was going to be tough to live up to my high expectations, and did she do it? Well, pretty much.
The day before Neko had cancelled a show in the Netherlands due to illness so a lot of fans were particularly nervous this show would end up the same way. Thankfully word came that, for the last date of her brief European tour, the show would go on. Big sigh of relief. But how would Neko be, would her voice be affected?
After a fine supporting solo set from Eric Bachman (formerly of Archers Of Loaf and now of Crooked Fingers), where he sometimes sounded like a hipper, folkier Neil Diamond, Neko took to the stage sans make-up and looking older than her perfect-looking photographs. With but her hair beautifully waved, wearing a simple spotted blouse and jeans, she looked lovely and elegant as she launched into a Middle Cyclone-heavy set. Great for me, but since the album actually hadn't hit stores yet, maybe not so great for the rest of the crowd. That said the new songs all got a great reaction. particularly first new offering People Got A Lotta Nerve, a song about the perils of keeping wild animals as pets, and the lifting, swirling album-opener This Tornado Loves You (posted above, although the clip isn't mine). She introduced Vengeance Is Sleeping as "a song about how, if you’re a tomboy, you’re basically fucked" and the bitter sweet The Pharaohs as a song about an imaginary boyfriend: Neko obviously still working out her teenage angst in her music (she's holding on to that teeeen-aaaage feeeeeling - sorry!).
But it wasn't all a Middle Cyclone preview, there were some old favourites too, all from her previous two albums though, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood and Blacklisted, namely Deep Red Bells, Margaret vs. Pauline, Hold On, Hold On and a blissfully gorgous Wish I Was The Moon. Her illness of the night before certainly wasn't showing in her voice nor in the playful banter between Neko and her band, particularly with old friend, backing singer Kelly Hogan (who was also on hand to provide fans, sellotape and all manner of things from a big old bag she kept handy). But her musicians aren't just good at providing various useful knickknacks, they are also an extremely tight backing band, with Jon Rauhouse playing some mouth-watering banjo and slide guitar, and Neko-collaborator, guitarist Paul Rigby, allowing Neko to move out from behind her tenor guitar (which was still present on the older tunes) for many of the newer songs.
Neko begged us to come and see her again when she returned for a full UK tour in August, but after such a delicious show, she certainly doesn't need to beg, I'm already counting the days until she announces those new dates!
I can't tell you how much I had been looking forward to this gig: not only do I worship Neko, like the velvet-voiced, scarlet goddess that she is, but I had also been devouring a preview copy of her superb new album Middle Cyclone (absolutely one of the year's best, I know it's only April, but it is) and, on top of that, her show with M. Ward at Koko back in 2006 is one of my favourite gigs ever. It was going to be tough to live up to my high expectations, and did she do it? Well, pretty much.
The day before Neko had cancelled a show in the Netherlands due to illness so a lot of fans were particularly nervous this show would end up the same way. Thankfully word came that, for the last date of her brief European tour, the show would go on. Big sigh of relief. But how would Neko be, would her voice be affected?
After a fine supporting solo set from Eric Bachman (formerly of Archers Of Loaf and now of Crooked Fingers), where he sometimes sounded like a hipper, folkier Neil Diamond, Neko took to the stage sans make-up and looking older than her perfect-looking photographs. With but her hair beautifully waved, wearing a simple spotted blouse and jeans, she looked lovely and elegant as she launched into a Middle Cyclone-heavy set. Great for me, but since the album actually hadn't hit stores yet, maybe not so great for the rest of the crowd. That said the new songs all got a great reaction. particularly first new offering People Got A Lotta Nerve, a song about the perils of keeping wild animals as pets, and the lifting, swirling album-opener This Tornado Loves You (posted above, although the clip isn't mine). She introduced Vengeance Is Sleeping as "a song about how, if you’re a tomboy, you’re basically fucked" and the bitter sweet The Pharaohs as a song about an imaginary boyfriend: Neko obviously still working out her teenage angst in her music (she's holding on to that teeeen-aaaage feeeeeling - sorry!).
But it wasn't all a Middle Cyclone preview, there were some old favourites too, all from her previous two albums though, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood and Blacklisted, namely Deep Red Bells, Margaret vs. Pauline, Hold On, Hold On and a blissfully gorgous Wish I Was The Moon. Her illness of the night before certainly wasn't showing in her voice nor in the playful banter between Neko and her band, particularly with old friend, backing singer Kelly Hogan (who was also on hand to provide fans, sellotape and all manner of things from a big old bag she kept handy). But her musicians aren't just good at providing various useful knickknacks, they are also an extremely tight backing band, with Jon Rauhouse playing some mouth-watering banjo and slide guitar, and Neko-collaborator, guitarist Paul Rigby, allowing Neko to move out from behind her tenor guitar (which was still present on the older tunes) for many of the newer songs.
Neko begged us to come and see her again when she returned for a full UK tour in August, but after such a delicious show, she certainly doesn't need to beg, I'm already counting the days until she announces those new dates!
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