LIVE AT THE COMEDY PUB - DAVID VINER
Lupen Crook is the first up tonight - singer-songwriter in the vein of - well, it’s actually hard to decide whether Mr Crook follows any particular style at all! On the whole his set is fairly average, with the occasional descent into the comedy pub-singer style (well, we are in the right venue, I suppose!), although there are a few varied moments, such as the upbeat “Dead Relative”, or the story-telling singalong of “Dick Strange and the Nasty Boys”, which is probably one of Crook’s best. The occasional screeching is also a little hard to bear - still, if, like me, you have an obsession for all things acoustic and male singer-esque, you’ll probably end up buying his album - which should keep him in stripey, fingerless gloves at least.
We seem to be encountering Vincent Vincent and the Villains more and more frequently on the London indie circuit, a fact of which, in the eventual analysis, they are probably deserving. Their songs are a cheerful blend of everything ’50s - rock ‘n’ roll to doo wop, with a dash of reggae thrown in from time to time just to confuse things. First song, “On My Own” is catchy enough, but ultimately most of the tracks seem to blend into each other, suggesting that the band might have spent most of their time concentrating on their image and ultra-small trumpets. “Seven Inch Record”, however - more straightforwardly rock ‘n’ roll than a lot of their other tracks, proves that the Villains really are worth watching after all - as tonight’s devoted crowd, rapturously singing along to every word, would no doubt have told you at the door.
On to Mr Viner, then. It’s been a good few months (more like 6) since the release of his second album. Yet still the set consists almost entirely of this album as if it were still new, with a quick “Where The Posies Grow” (from that obligatory between albums 7 inch) thrown in for good measure. Viner confesses later that it’s hard playing the older material, from when he was a solo artist in the strictest sense, with the band who these days accompany him wherever he plays, although surely such tracks as “Bird’s Nest” can’t be too hard to adapt?
Still, no one’s really complaining. With the full band to back him up, Viner’s songs sound more powerful than ever. “Seven Years” is almost achingly beautiful tonight, “I’m Getting Married In The Spring” sweetly cheerful, while “Nobody’s Business” and “This Boy Don’t Care” are as viciously silly as ever. And, well, if he suggests that the band might start learning some of his older material, that’s just one more reason to go and see him again…!
