Badly Drawn Boy / Leona Naess - New York Bowery Ballroom - 9/11/03
5/5
By: Joshua K
A year ago, promoting most recent LP 'Have You Fed The Fish?', Badly Drawn Boy sold out a venue literally six times the size of the 500-capacity Bowery Ballroom.
So what, dear friends, are we doing tonight in a small Manhattan club? Simple: BDB has decided to road-test tracks from upcoming album '1+1=1' while also enchanting us with stripped-down versions of favourable past efforts, into the wee hours of Sunday night/Monday morning.
But, first things first. The night begins on a graceful note, with an engaging 40-minute performance by folk-popper Leona Naess. She capably fills the room with only acoustic guitar and cello for accompaniment, weaving together songs from all three of her albums (including her latest, eponymous effort). Suffice it to say that Naess' current fans were well-pleased by tracks including 'Home', 'Calling', 'Charm Attack', 'Mexico' and 'Sunny Sunday' - and, by sights 'n' sounds of things, several new followers were surely acquired.
After a 30-minute break, the lights dim and Neil Young's rendition of Dylan's 'Blowing In The Wind' plays over the PA. Why is this significant? The calculated audacity of Damon Gough placing himself among these greats (not that he's wrong). The decidedly political bent of some of his new songs, most notably a track entitled 'Don't Ask Me, I'm Only The President'. The way the show then comes full circle, with an extended and hilarious Dylan impersonation during the set-closing 'Pissing In The Wind' nearly three hours later.
And, equally, how this wholly contrasts the way in which Gough then takes the stage: singing a calypso version of The Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' - which, like the best of BDB, is charmingly, rag-taggedly sincere. Melodic yet askew at the same time, like watching your tipsy brother singing in front of a mirror. It's exactly this 'everyman' quality that makes him such a master-chronicler of the human condition in all the songs aired tonight... After all, how many other singers could make the appropriately-titled 'Everybody's Stalking' actually sound endearing?
In the 'old favorites' category, then, we receive a career-spanning set that mixes brilliant takes on '...Bewilderbeast' classics including 'Once Around The Block' - which begins with BDB singing over a trip-hop cover version of the track - 'Magic In The Air' and 'This Song' with the best of 'About A Boy' ('Minor Incident', etc.) and '...Fish?' (including a solo-turn on 'How' and a radiant 'You Were Right'). Though sadly, nothing from the early EPs.
But, hearing new songs flower is what makes this night truly special. On this airing, they combine the delicate strum of said initial releases ('This Is That New Song') with a jazzier tinge ('Untitled Instrumental'), political bite ('1+1=1', 'Don't Ask Me...'), Smiths-ian rock ('Another Devil Dies') and a song about meeting his idol, Bruce Springsteen ('Life Turned Upside Down').
A performance such as this is a refreshing reminder of how rewarding music can be. It also just made the wait until March for BDB's next album that much harder.
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