Morning:
8°c
David Smyth's rating
Damien's company is something to treasure
By
David Smyth
28 Mar 2007
The artistic temperament, a prickly, potentially monstrous thing that values the art above all else, can make it hard for a musician to get along with his audience and even his bandmates.
Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice, who possesses this disposition to such a degree that one day he will probably finish a gig by slicing off an ear, has long been difficult in direct proportion to the loveliness of his balladry.
His media profile in recent years has deliberately been nil, and this was his first British gig in support of his second album 9 that came out in November.
Most worryingly, he appeared without a crucial member of his band, co-vocalist Lisa Hannigan, and never mentioned it, although a new post on his website states that their six-year professional relationship "has run its creative course".
When someone shouted "Where's Lisa?" and he gave a sharp "I dunno" after a tense pause, it was as if he had just finished disposing of her body.
Yet it was this kind of tension that made being in his presence so gripping.
Every extra second that he didn't flounce off seemed precious, and his restless wrestling with his own songs was a fascinating battle.
It was as if he had deliberately filled his two albums with fragile, pretty heartbreakers with the sole purpose of confounding the expectations of anyone who buys his concert tickets.
Volcano moved from a languid groove to a crashing crescendo as he experimented with multiple effects pedals.
The folky strum of Coconut Skins ended with Rice battering the body of his acoustic guitar while two drummers made as much noise as possible.
It is so rare, rather than watching yet another band churn out their hits just as they are on record, to see someone really making music right in front of you.
He sang in French, allowed cellist Vyvienne Long to perform a bizarre comic ditty entitled Random Man On The Motorway, and downed three glasses of red wine in quick succession to bring some realism to the drunkard's lament, Cheers Darlin'.
Searing rockers such as Me, My Yoke + I were exhausting to watch, but the reward was a final moment of genuine crowd-pleasing.
He performed Cannonball solo, unamplified, and the entire auditorium seemed to hold its breath at the simple sight of a small man singing out in the darkness.
You wouldn't want to work with him, but two hours in his company is something to treasure forever.
Damien Rice will play Wembley Arena on 6 October.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (4)
It was just great and an unmissable experience. Damien Rice is one of the few artists who sounds even better live.
The previous two postings are spot on in their reviews and although I paid over the odds for a ticket on ebay it was worth every penny.
- John Howard, London, Uk, 28/03/2007 21:11
Report abuse
WOW, it sounds mind-blowing... wish I'd been there. I'm a fan of his music.
- Di, London, 28/03/2007 20:26
Report abuse
Watching Damien Rice last night was an extra-sensory experience. The lights blinded you, he disappeared at times and sometimes you wondered if he remembered an audience were there in front of him. The beauty of it for me as someone who'd heard the tracks from both albums countless times was the concert merged the familiar with the unknown, keeping you guessing. He began to play Dogs and stopped just as the applause died down to swap his guitar as that one he "wasn't in the mood for". Or so we thought. But he started singing a completely different song altogether. Leaving the audience to puzzle as to why...
It is so rare to see someone who can breathe so much life into their own music that it seems almost to consume their very being until the two become indistguishable. Such is the case with Damien and I would thoroughly recommend to anyone who would describe themselves as "passionate". Not music for the faint of heart!
His voice live is something you have to experience before you die - it beckons your soul to follow.
- Emma Osborne, London, UK, 28/03/2007 12:50
Report abuse
Been struggling since last night to put into words just how special that gig was. In 20 years of gig going, I don't think I have ever seen anything to compare to last night. I was exhausted at the end, a mark of how utterly intense, compelling and emotional the night was and it would be impossible to say just what was so good about the event was ... other than to say the mixture of the elements - the creativity, the spontenaity, the engagement of the audience, the sheer quality of Damien's voice and the brilliance of the actual material itself combined to make something very very special. It helped that the audience were a little more attentive than the awful nights at Brixton a couple of years ago too but there was still the fair share of muppets who didn't know to just shut up. I was curious to see how Lisa's absence would affect the night but actually felt something was added by having something taken away. There was a spareness at moments which was beautiful but when Damien filled in for Lisa's parts too there was something equally moving at those times too. Like I say, struggled to put into words just how special last night was ... and I wouldn't want to be able to, it would mean that this gig could be translated into words and it simply couldn't be. I just know if I'd have missed it I would have missed probaly the most gorgeous, moving and intense gig of my life.
- Simon Baines-Norton, Ealing, 28/03/2007 12:40
Report abuse
