Graham Coxon - London Highbury Garage - 15/7/00
4/5
By: Toby L
Just what is
tonight's crowd? Is this, Graham's second sold-out night at the
Garage, full of Blur fans that love the guitarist so much that
they'd come to see him live by himself, or is it full of underground
Coxon fans? The answer, after beholding tonight's blinding show,
is that it must be both - but at least the Blur fans in attendance
can return home and count Graham's solo material as strong
in live-content as anything their foremost interest has ever done. And, bearing in mind that Blur
are one of the UK's finest acts for years, that is quite extraordinary.
Upon
arrival, Graham waddles centre-stage and his all-star band take
their places (Rod Jones, Idlewild's guitarist, Thirteen:13's bassist
Toby McFarland and Blur's Dave Rowntree on drums). Presumably, to hide his
embarrassment of being billed as 'Graham Coxon' on this, his first
solo tour, the lead-guitarist/singer announces that, 'Tonight
we are called...' At this point, he performs what can only be revered, ahem, as the sound of a bottom-belch. What a man.
... Yet, he shouldn't hold on
to such insecure inhibitions as being too nervous to be known
as the headline act, because the packed crowd here tonight clearly
adore him. After a striking opening on the strum-driven, mid-tempo stagger of 'That's All I Wanna Do',
the mildly death-metal tinged 'Jamie Thomas' ('This is about a skateboarder') follows, prompting a sea of nodding heads and the odd brave soul leaping on to bodies and surfing towards the front to face their fate with the security-guards. Ouch.
However, on ignoring the wilder venturers, you're let into a swirling swath
of sound; all-out stompers such as 'The Fear' and 'Fags & Failure'
may prove simple, but winning formulae for audience point-scoring. But, despite the rapturous response, the
singer prefers to say little, commonly holding his head low as he
sings and not acting out a distinct effort to make his intricate guitar-playing
seem difficult.
Material-wise, not much is exerted from Coxon's first solo-effort, the bleak 'The Sky
is Too High' of '98, but plenty from the unjustifiably critically-misunderstood charge of 'The Golden D' from this year is provided an airing. Indeed, cover-versions are
given a good whirl, however; the sonically brilliant Mission of Burma's 'That's
When I Reach for my Revolver' and 'Fame and Fortune' sound as fresh as the day they were spawned, but, however, just as obscure,
but not in punk as pure, there's the encore-opening 'Min Trampoline'
originally by Swedish act, Bob Hund: and its pace is slow, chorus lush and tone dark; it may form a set-anomaly, but prompts an ambience
that you wouldn't think possible in such otherwise unadulterated, high-voltage territory.
Good things come to all those who wait and all, the notable highlight arrives within the set-closing 'Lake'
(complete with 'Hippy Guitar solo' - see set-list above), scaling and reaching new heights in alt-experimentation, if only by the
spine-tingling surge of feedback and chilling guitar that soon morph into a riveting series of convulsions. And, ending with at least five
minutes straight of speaker-blowing white noise, the band walked offstage
leaving a roadie, battling through the deafening roar onstage, to finally click
off the amps and let everyone applaud.
'Exhilarating' is the closest word to describe this secret triumph,
but once it's his turn to take to the stage at the Reading Festival
this year, Coxon's solo-genius won't be quite as unknown to the masses any longer.
Artists in this article: Graham Coxon
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment