Hawksley Workman at The Borderline

Hawksley Workman

Roken Is Dodelijk

The Borderline, 14 February 2011

I've always wondered just why Hawksley Workman isn't a huge star. He writes clever, funny and incredibly tuneful pop songs that are just on the right side of offbeat, sung with a powerful, soaring voice and in concert he's a true showman, full of amusing stories and slightly surreal banter. I can only assume it's because he's not as classically good looking as the Jeff Buckleys and Rufus Wainwrights of the world, especially now with his slightly chubby face and receding hairline. But live he's somehow transformed, he looks younger, like an adorable little schoolboy who can't believe what he's getting away with. "I get to live inside my head for a living," at one point he admits grinning.

Last time I saw Hawksley I felt he was coasting it a bit, partly because he was ill that night, but tonight he's back on top form and again trying out something a little different. This time, he explains, he's going to perform songs in chronological order of the albums. Of course, given the amount of talking between songs he fails miserably to fit them all in but it's a gallant attempt nonetheless.

Tonight he's by himself, with his usual accompanist Mr Lonely back home in Canada celebrating Valentine's Day with his loved one, leaving Hawksley to rely on just his guitar and his voice. Not that that is a problem, since both are in superb form tonight. True to his word he begins with songs from his first album, For Him And the Girls, giving us a little romance for "Valentimes" (how he likes to say it, he tells us) with Safe And Sound and Don't Be Crushed, the audience singing along in full chorus with him at times. That's the thing about seeing Hawksley live: be prepared for audience participation because his fans know all the words to his songs and love to sing along with him, like a less cheesy, alternative Neil Diamond I guess. This is in no way a bad thing, it's fun, especially on the upbeat songs such as Your Beauty Must Be Rubbing Off and Smoke Baby, but the best example has to be the joyous We Will Still Need A Song, which sees a bunch of lads in the middle singing in big deep cockney voices "WE WILL STILL NEED!" It's so ridiculous and funny that it stops Hawksley in his tracks and he has to stop singing the song for a moment for laughing. Of course the whole crowd cracks up with him. When he finally has gathered himself together enough to resume singing the song the guys with "the gnome voices" continue their parts, making an already hugely enjoyable song even more fun than ever. It's a great moment and shows Hawksley's natural rapport with his audience.

One of the best moments of the night though for me was a rare outing for, what I think, is one of his greatest songs, Ilfracombe, written for brother. It's one I've always wanted to hear him sing live but hasn't sung in London as long as I've been going to see him, and it was worth the wait and a wonderful moment.

I can't even remember all the weird ramblings and diversions he goes off on, everything from a rap/rock group whose mum wrote all their songs to his memories of being the go-to support guy at the Borderline years ago. He also probably spends too long with the songs from the songs from his third album Lover/Fighter (six in all, but they do sound great), meaning that he overruns (there's a Valentine's Club night directly after the show) and has to cherry pick just a couple of songs from the remaining six albums, deciding upon a moving and powerful You And The Candles from Treeful Of Starling and a far more jaunty and danceable Warhol's Portrait Of Gretzky ("really fucking sexy!") from his last album Milk.

Maybe sensing we had laughed just a little too much during the show for his encore he ends on something a little more mournful, the song No Beginning No End, which shows off his voice to stunning effect. I would have preferred something a little more positive and upbeat, in keeping with the fun nature of the rest of the show, and singing something fast and bubbly like Claire Fontaine would have left on a much more high note, but it's a minor note. This was a fantastic show and if you have a chance to see Hawksley live, whether you know his material or not, run don't walk, because you'll without a doubt have an amazing time and laugh more than you have at any music show you've ever been to.

One small note about the support band, Roken Is Dodelijk, a French band from Lille whose singer reminded me, looks-wise, of a cross between Jake Gyllenhaal and Wayne Coyne and had the confidence of both. They started off in the power pop vein descending into more tortured fare. They were definitely unique but I would have enjoyed them far more if they had cut their set by 20 minutes. Almost an hour for a support band, especially an unknown one, is too much of an indulgence but they are definitely an interesting band to look out for.