Johnathan Rice

Somewhere in the midst of a Catholic upbringing, orchestrated between Scotland and the American South, Johnathan Rice found a tender insight into the vast, sprawling, often too cruel yet occasionally too kind world around him. Tonight, within the intimate confines of The Social, his relayed experiences fill the air with a unifying richness that drift from the deftly haunting to the evocatively humorous.

Taking the stage looking like a lost boy searching for his mother, his apologies for any jitters on this opening night of the tour are proved wasted – he has nothing to be sorry for with a performance as concisely affecting as this.

Switching between acoustic solo numbers and electric lead songs with a full band adds variety and keeps the show constantly interesting. With songs ranging in theme from the need for self-restraint (written after he strangled an obnoxious American on Christmas Day) to hymn-like meanderings on the merits of having Jesus in your life (although, he assures, just because he mentions Jesus, he’s no ‘mad gun-toting, Arab-slaying Christian’), he swiftly bypasses with one large step the likes of Jack Johnson and Damien Rice in the occasionally scorned upon Singer/Songwriter leagues. His songs would stand tall against Bright Eyes and, what’s more, he has a far better voice.

Between-song banter makes the gig as personal as one could ever hope for, although his tearaway arrogance becomes testing at times as he yet again talks down to the crowd for not paying enough attention or for the venue not providing him with good enough wine on the rider – these brazen outbursts also undermine the modest powers of some of his fantastic songs.

Yet by the end of the night the crowd seem unanimous in their appreciation of his heartfelt performance, it seems Johnathan Rice may be one to keep an eye on.

FUTURE GIGS

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