It would be great to tell you about the first ten minutes of Thomas Truax’s gig. Unfortunately that won’t be possible. If you’re interested in how a certain girl got to Glasgow’s west end, or the research for her masters and PhD, and how she worked harder than anyone else in half the time, then that’s a different story. Because sadly for much of the show that’s all anyone in the back of the audience heard about.
Nobody would get too annoyed about a little chat. But when the act is contending with the fact that it’s a small room, with a through way to the beer garden and some serious sound problems at the start, it’s all the more annoying for the crowd that all they can hear is the foghorn-like tones of this completely oblivious girl. One audience member even tries to start a mass movement to the front so that people can get away from her – another politely points out people might like to actually hear the music. Still she blares on.
It’s such a shame that these things have distracted from the show – because Thomas Truax is a truly captivating performer. With his collection of bizarre home-made instruments (the Hornicator, Mother Superior and the Back Beater all make an appearance tonight) and news from Wowtown, the magical and mysterious place he dreamed up as a home for his music, he invokes a childlike fascination and joy in those listening. So it seems perfect when he breaks into ‘I Put A Spell On You’ – one of the numbers on his new album of covers of songs from David Lynch films.
On stage, he’s energetic and active, having fun dancing through the audience during ‘Full Moon Over Wowtown’ and even leaving the pub via the back door to appear, still singing away, from the front soon after.
Truax is an inventive and imaginative songwriter and his performance is charmingly haphazard and a lot of fun. It would have been much better if everyone could hear him.