This is a first for me in almost 16 years: a seated gig at the Brudenell. But then, this is quite an unusual night, and all reasons for it being positive. I can pretty much count the number of occasions I’ve witnessed spoken word performers opening for bands, and it’s a shame there’s such a division between the forms given that in reality, there’s considerable crossover. John Cooper Clarke opening for The Fall made sense, and The Sleaford Mods have clearly identified a certain symbiosis, with JB Barrington and mark Wynn opening on tours in the past (before more recently picking Consumer Electronics, who one could perhaps pitch as shouted word with raging electronics). So Tom ‘The Bastard’ Priestly warming things up for Kirk Brandon is a welcome and refreshing booking, and having had the pleasure to perform spoken word on the same bill as Tom in the back room of a pub in Leeds one Sunday afternoon last year, I was curious to see how he’s handle a big stage and considerably larger audience.
The answer is brilliantly, in that he manages to convey with aplomb the perfect demeanour of not giving a flying fuck. He opens his 25-minute set with ‘Poetry’, an anti-poetic spout about ‘poetic wank’, and it sets the bar for sweary rants about all the things he hates, which is mostly work, people, and life. It’s entirely relatable content delivered direct and with no pretence. He’s on form and the audience are in stitches in no time. Rightly so: he’s got some killer lines that take colossal balls to read in public. On his ‘Resignation’ piece, he slams his soon-to-be former boss as a ‘self-righteous waste of a kidney’.
Masturbation is a leading theme, and there’s an audible groan from the back of the room at the term ‘love paste’ in the middle of a dingy, depraved imagining of Disney in Armley. He leaves the stage leaving us wanting more and needing a shower.
Kirk Brandon, on stage with cellist Sam Sainsbury opens his set with an emotion-filled rendition of ‘Young Men’. Sainsbury’s cello adds a brooding depth, accentuating the emotional strength of the song, but also fills in the mid and lower ranges not covered by a sole acoustic guitar. While it’s not always immediately apparent, the fuller sound gives the songs a different kind of energy an means the absence of a full band is less pronounced.
There’s also something about the timbre of Brandon’s elongated wailing notes that's strangely affecting. And he’s in fine voice tonight: strong, full-lunged and clear, he’s a compelling presence as he belts out every song with passion and gusto. New song ‘Pay the Piper’ gets aired early, and it’s an atmospheric, dramatic piece, while ‘Monday Girl’ finds Brandon dredging personal experience to deliver a bittersweet tale of success and failure.
|
With such an extensive back-catalogue and an expanding selection of new material, it’s not always easy to keep up with the material as a more casual fan, and there are countless classics that are missed in favour of lesser known tracks. In this intimate setting, this is exactly what the fans appreciate. There’s a woman front centre with her arms up clapping every beat above her head and absolutely fucking loving it, and small wonder, as here we are in the presence of an artist who’s sustained a career of some 40 years and has soundtracked people’s lives.
After the intermission, they’re no more focused on the big tunes and continue to dig deep.
His anecdotes and back stories are insightful and delivered with an ease and accessibility. In short, Kirk is interesting to listen to, and his intros and reminiscences reveal his depth as an individual, demonstrating his songwriting prolificness is the result of keen observations and a heightened sense of engagement with life rather than a simple mechanical habit or process.
‘Long Live the Past’, pulled from his days in pre-TOH band The Pack is strong and ‘These days Are Gone and ‘Grapes of Wrath’ are aired as they enter the final strait in an immense set. Running close to eleven, they encore with a truncated ‘Never Take Me Alive’ and ‘Do You Believe in the Westworld?’ which both receive the rapturous response you’d expect.
It's interesting to hear the songs played in a stripped back format, and hearing Kirk’s voice so much to the fore is something of a revelation. And in all, it’s a good night. What more do you need?
|
