Tonight’s sold out show opens with an acoustic performance from Adam Thompson of We Were Promised Jetpacks.
His six song set includes material from both ‘These Four Walls’ and ‘In the Pit of the Stomach’ with ‘This is My House, This is My Home’ and ‘Pear Tree’ particular highlights. Such is the enthusiasm in the audience; the usual talking during the support act prompts much “shushing” from various corners of the venue. Adam closes with an excellent rendition of ‘It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning’, its closing lines “I have to say goodnight / I’m leaving before you’re punching out my lights” – no reflection on tonight at least, given the rapturous applause.
The Twilight Sad are on form at the moment. Fresh from headlining Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom in December, this evening’s stripped-back gig is highly anticipated. Without their usual layers of distortion and feedback, the strength and quality of the band’s song writing is really given a chance to shine. Cult film ‘Donnie Darko’ provides a fitting backdrop on the big screen for Andy MacFarlane and Mark Devine’s melancholic melodies, played out on guitar and organ, backed occasionally by drum machine. Usually buried in the mix, James Graham’s vocal is brought to the fore, making his lyrics and the emotion in his delivery audible, giving the songs a greater depth and power. It’s a show full of interesting re-imaginings including ‘Alphabet’, ‘I Became a Prostitute’ and ‘And She Would Darken the Memory’, with the band relaxed and in good humour. They close with a spine-chilling version of ‘Cold Days From The Birdhouse’, introduced as ‘Sheep Dug’, perhaps in reference to its “red sky at night” lyric. It’s a fitting end to an intense and accomplished performance.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
(See more photos of the show here)