Had been looking forward to this since the unbilled and unapplauded appearance of WH at the Old Fruitmarket, supporting (no you can’t support someone if you com on after, can you?) The Chills during the Commonwealth chaos last August – (BM was the only person within 20 metres of the stage while the rest of the audience, well, they were sports fans, readers…)
So it is with anticipation and an empty tum that we roll up to N&S to sample some of their food before the gig (sorry, this will not turn into a food review) – unfortunately the kitchen was “closed” (although still miraculously providing food to some people at other tables, shades of Royston Vasey, perhaps you had to say the codeword). So we went next door to Broadcast and the appetite was sated, rival venues in the great Glasgow burger wars…
Support act tonight Woodpigeon, just a few words… From Alberta, Canada, best material sounds like Sufjan Stevens b-sides, other stuff just a bit moany, sorry…
So around 9.30 pm “The Hand” take the stage, Dan Willson joined by approximately the same band as that August night 2014, six of them (vocals/guitar, guitar, drums, bass, accordion and backing vocals/tambourine) in this pretty small venue.
BM is not entirely sure where WH’s career is at in May 2015, second album ‘New Gods’ released in early 2014 and nominated for SAY currently, following first one back in… 2009? ‘New Gods’ had a wider musical and lyrical vista than before, but did it give something up as well, not sure… Certainly this set mixes NG tracks with older stuff, both getting a good reaction from this crowd – (is it sold out, not quite maybe, should WH not be selling out this venue on a Saturday, is there something a bit wrong with the promotion, how do you promote stuff these days, dunno?)
Although they run through the gears BM can’t help but think there’s something a bit unrealised about this gig, there’s no real moment when it catches fire, WH has in the past done unexpected things onstage, but there was nothing unexpected…
That is not to take away from the songs, the eccentric lyrics, the bathos, pathos and knowing nods to things you might have thought but hadn’t dared to say…
At the time of ‘New Gods’ BM really thought WH was headed on a more Springsteen-esque direction, perhaps the titles didn’t help (‘California’, ‘Providence’, ‘King of Hollywood’) but this doesn’t sound so much like it. Highlights tonight were ‘Black Tambourine’ and ‘Horseshoe’, while “Religious Songs” always raises a laugh, in a good way.
So whither next for WH, can’t help wondering… and thinking about the shadow of Elvis Costello’s many mis-starts in America… ‘King of America’ was one of his best albums, but did it matter?