This review is from Joe Eldridge, a member of our street team who, in exchange for doing some flyering at the gig, didn’t have to pay for his ticket.
Richard Thompson Live @ Sage Gateshead, 23/01/09
1000 years of Popular Music
The cold January evening was secondly warmed as Richard strode onto the stage dressed in black, his head decked with a complementary black beret that had a slant to it that Che Guevara would have been proud of. Then with Richard cranking the handle of a hurdy-gurdy, the hall was regaled by with the beautiful haunting dirge like sounds not un-akin to the sonorous sounds of bagpipes gently buzzing, lifted by Richard resonantly singing a ballad that took you back to Ancient Britain.
Richard was joined on stage by his Debra Dobkin and Judith Owen. Both were equally dressed in the sombre black. Debra looking like a sombre court jester, Judith in a long flowing black dress that would not have looked out of place as an executioner in an Elizabethan court. With Debra Doblin taking to the drums and Judith Owen singing they opened with an old English song, written in 1290, 100 years before Geoffrey Chaucer. Praise Queen of Heaven, a paean to the Virgin Mary that set the magic tone for the rest of the evening. This song was followed by a Scandinavian song that was originally written in the 1600s. Richard’s version was delivered as a Scottish translation, depicting an amazing tale of three carnivorous ravens who banquet on the cadaver of a fallen 17th century Knight. The ravens feast without disdain as the soldier’s wife runs off with someone else, the Knight’s loyal companion, his faithful hound goes off on a nefarious hunt. Even his Hawk seizes the opportunity to find some tasty prey. Musically the song had a romantic feel to it with, with a slight, gently cascading ambience of bitter sweet, ironic melancholy. Richard’s sheer guitar playing brilliance was complimented by a huge LCD screen backdrop that displayed random images that ranged from Celtic Symbols, mediaeval Christianity, to modern trains and much more in between.
After a guitar change we were transported to Modena Italy 1590 to be entertained by a piece written by Choirmaster Vecchi who was not adverse to whimsical, secular profanities that would have got him sacked had the church authorities known of them. The song about cuckolding, sang in an indescribable renaissance Italian, with an underlying Spanish tinge, was bolstered by delicious, dark drumming, a lively song like a pavane or galliard suggesting the cuckolded party enjoyed his own way of getting revenge.
The following song was an amusing tale of a boy who on his way to school meets a Knight who asks him all manner of questions. However it soon becomes clear that the questioner is not who he seems and the boy unmasks him as the devil and sends the devil on his way. The Debra and Judith really try to send the shivers down your spine as the Devil bemoans his lot. Then onto Elizabethan England, {presumably of John Dee’s doing} to be treated to a work for three voices by Henry Ewells in the style of a Canzonet. Pipers Shepherd Pipe, a Madrigal, is a pastoral about the English countryside, and revealed it was not as idyllic as we have been led to believe. Melodious musings emanated as Richard and the girls informed us of the abundant human and animal excrement that was freely thrown at you as you wooed your betrothed.
RT on stage in Manchester - mere days before this review. Photo by Alan Martin
Richard comically suggested the doors be locked for the next song, as it was from an opera, however he was quick to assure us that it wasn’t a German one where the over large protagonists stumble across the stage wearing horned helmets screeching out profanities; in fact he informed us that it was by the English man Henry Purcell. Richard preferred to call him “Purr Cell” so as not to confuse him with a well known brand of soap! The aria was When I am Laid in Earth from Dido and Aeneas, a particular favourite of mine, so I was keen to see how they would render it. Richard spectacularly played the guitar, magically covering the Ground Bass and the Counter parts in a heavy emphatic portrayal. Judith sang the song with a curious accent, naturally to distinguish it from its obvious Early Opera roots but I am not convinced it worked. Although Richard’s lavish lush playing had the hall ringing with dulcet tones, Judith failed to yield any real passion that this famous piece of music so richly deserved. There were no new hidden gems revealed by this rendition though it was still pleasant to listen to.
From 1680 we were transported to 1700, not much travelling to do here, and witnessed a piece called Remember O Thou Man written by a certain John Ravenscroft. The piece is famous to musicologists as possibly being the origin of the later, more famous piece now known to us as the National Anthem. Richard’s concern being that this piece is in a major key and the Anthem in a minor key. However we were asked to listen to it and make our own minds up. The piece features stirring loud drumming with a subtle reverb and lush melodies with hammering and wild drumming supporting the rousing guitar. I was listening to the lyrics and wondered how it could have inspired the national anthem: “Long Live our Noble King, Long to rein over us” doesn’t sit too comfortably to a constant reminder that you are in fact mortal and death can remove you at any time! However the song was cool and I thought I heard certain phases that reminded us of the anthem.
This was followed by a famous American Sea Shanty that all American school children have to learn. Written in 1800 Richard rendered it with a bluesy feel. That was followed by a song that was closer to home if not in time about the Gateshead Mining community. The song berates the “blacklegs” who turned against their brothers in the seams by working during the strike and how they were hated for doing it. Murky drumming underpinned this song. As there was an impressive accompanying slideshow on the giant screen of miners and mines long since gone.
A little tableau followed with 1880’s London being re-enacted via vaudeville music hall shenanigans. A jaunty song about someone who despite sleeping rough in London still manages to assume he is a toff. Think Tommy Steel. Thank god TV killed Vaudeville! William Butler Yeats wrote the lyrics of the next song, one which was set to a traditional Irish tune. Judith sang an astringent, melodic, poignant, evocative, chilling song with an equally astringent, melodic, poignant, evocative, chilling voice whilst playing the gloomy notes of the lower end of the piano. As the notes descend on the ears and palls the soul, the guitar is gently introduced to soothe and calm, faithfully realising the character of the song about wistful yearnings of the heart. The song had a beautiful balance of guitar, singing and piano. Taking us to the break was an unusual rendering of a song by Gilbert and Sullivan; yes that’s right, Gilbert and Sullivan! Taken from Yeoman of the Guard, “A man would woo a fair maiden” had us laughing as Richard’s rendition was more like that old Two Ronnies show, The Phantom Raspberry Blower. Although the piece had its “folksy” aspects it was still funny.
Back from the intermission and we are in the 20th century. First up is I Love Coffee I Love Tea with some lush playing and lush singing. A Cole Porter number followed, Night & Day. Really a dinner supper jazz number, all we needed was in the dimly lit hall was some candles; after all the backdrop was displaying a dancing couple from the 1930s overlaid with a semi-transparent love heart. The jazz age theme was complete when the image changed to a picture by Leger. Then we were onto rock and roll. A song attributed to Jerry Lee Lewis via Sonny Magee. Richard played a blinder. With the guitar and drums he was able to shake the hall to its foundations. It sounded as he had a whole orchestra there on stage with him. Debra and Judith accompanying him on vocals lifted the place. Even though he was playing an acoustic guitar, it sounded as if it was an electric one, right down to its tremolo! I was electrified. Fusing country via Hank Williams came next. Here, again Richard succeeds with his genius playing. He carried this difficult genre brilliantly with the vocals of the girls lightly swaying in the background. The whole song had a bluesy, folksy country feel.
Richard grew up in London in the ‘60s and one of the bands that greatly influenced him was the Kinks. There is a rumour that the Kinks were the first band to have Indian harmonies in their music, long before the Beatles et al. Apparently, when Ray Davies was on a Far East Tour in the ‘60s an Indian fisherman sang one night outside his window. Ray was so impressed he started writing rock music that included Indian influences. Richard ably demonstrated this with a fabulous rendition of See My Friends. From the long, deep resonant drumming which was fused with lovely swirling of the guitar, to the rich harmonies of the singing. Added to this was a psychedelic light wheel that eddied large swathes of muted golden light across the stage, bathing the performers in an eerie radiance, a glow that was reflected back in music, as the guitar sounded more like a sitar as the song progressed through its melodic mysticism. A song by ‘60s Australian band Easy Beats followed; it too had that hip ‘60s feel though more like Prog Rock. It retained its folksiness with the vocal harmonies beautifully supporting the drumming and the guitar. Richard’s vocals had a Welleresque quality to them, artfully keeping the tones informed of the harmonizing sounds. The song was pretty well summed up by the visual display of flashing, colour changing flowers on the screen.
Next we are off to 1970s Sweden for a slice of Bjorn and Friends, however this was not a tribute but I think a send up, a spoof or maybe Richard is coy about being a closet fan. Money, Money, Money WAS on this occasion quite funny.
Onto the Eighties; Richard is still in his comic role, goading the crowd to make a request for Petula Clarke, or Teddy Johnson. He then began an amazing version of I Need Your Loving. The keyboard , really a synthesiser pushing itself through a laptop computer, was now using its violin voice instead of straight piano. With the soothing violin voice wafting through the hall Richard added to the peaceful sound with his guitar playing virtuosity.
We then finish with a song by Nelly Furtado, the feisty modern popstress. Initially they beat out Maneater in a modern rock version, as the song progressed, it took on a life of its own and slowly became a medieval church motet before morphing back to the rock song it started out as. The drumming was pounding out some anthem of the doomed.
The show was over. But the audience didn’t think so. As the trio took their bows and thanked us for our appetite for them, the lights dimmed. They left the stage but the audience wasn’t having it. With the chants for more still ringing out, Richard returned to the stage. He made a joke about music from the future; that he was going to play a song from 2050 – he made strange computer noises. He made a joke about those two stalwarts of Star Trek, Spock and Kirk, their strange instruments and even stranger sounds.
Richard sang a ballad from the time of Richard I, 1190; The LionHeart, from when the LionHeart was a prisoner whilst on his way home from the crusades. He sang the song in the style of a troubadour. He followed this with a fantastic rendition of the Classic Cry Me A River. With his sole guitar he was able to flood the hall with the sounds of a full Jazz Orchestra. Judith sang with guts, and the passion poured out. The drums were fun, brushes on the snares and cymbals bristling with crispiness. The evening concluded with two Beatles songs rolled into one. We were encouraged to sing along but none dared. Although the last song was I Want To Hold Your Hand, everyone wanted to hold on to the songs, and we all went home holding an outstanding evening in our memories.
