Ween - Shepherds Bush Empire, London - 8/5/08
4/5
By: Sam Crawford
Ween are one of those rare treats that reside in the reality they've built for themselves. Over the last twenty four years they've created a wealth of abstractly shaped material that lives in a place where pigeon holes haven't been invented. They create music by taking a deep breath and inhaling a myriad of genres into their lungs; then rely on their own conventions of what music should sound like. Through this method they've built up a huge cult following, and are idolised by many in the same way that artists like Mike Patton and John Zorn are for the wide variety of ways in which their music manifests itself.
It's been five long years since they last played in the UK, so it's no surprise that tonight's show is a sell-out. I step into Shepherds Bush Empire and travel through the looking glass, experiencing the life that exists in the alternate world of Gene and Dean Ween.
Ween start with 'Fiesta'; a trumpet led instrumental number from their new album which evokes the sound of Arthur Conley's 'Sweet Soul Music', along with a beach carnival type feel. The crowd are instantly with them.
From this they venture into the better known 'Take Me Away', from their highly regarded LP Chocolate and Cheese. Gene's facial expressions and hand gestures conjure up in my mind what a cartoon version of an over dramatised Shakespeare play would look like, while singing like a man having filthy sex with himself. It's thoroughly engrossing and utterly amusing. Dean sports a wide grin and playful demeanour as he thrashes through on guitar.
They play slow rocking tracks like 'Transdermal Celebration', the Broadway style sounds of 'Mr Richard Smoker', and disease infested oddities like 'Spinal Meningitis', with listeners soaking it up and yearning for more, always following with rapturous applause. Although Gene looks utterly f**ked as he drinks and puffs on the green, he belts out the tunes with great enthusiasm. At times they do get shambolic and messy, but this doesn't take anything away from the electric atmosphere.
Highlights include 'The H.I.V. Song'; which sounds like one fucked up day out at the fairground; it's definitely the first time I've seen two thousand people shout "AIDS" in unison. It's also brilliant to see the audience sing along to 'Object' from their recent La Cucaracha album. In the style of a downhearted love song, people swing from side to side with lighters raised, dreamily chanting the words "You're just an object to me, you're just a piece of meat" like it's the most heartfelt thing in the world.
They cater to the crowd by providing us with many of the better known songs like 'Voodoo Lady' and 'Piss Up A Rope', but leave the most famous 'Freedom of '76' and 'Push Th' Little Daisies' out of the set. No one minds though; many avid fans here have waited a long, long time behold the mighty Ween, and the best thing is that although they feed the crowds hungry desire for entertainment; they are jamming it out just as much for themselves. They frequently break into sludging, screeching improvs; making it seem like the type of set they regularly perform at home to an audience of none; adding to a captivating show.
Ween's avant-garde self-expressionism is a breath of fresh air to witness, and these troubadours of free musical thinking and humorous pastiche have given London a rare glimpse into their multi textured surreal climate.
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment