Xavier Rudd

At the one end of Glasgow you have The Barrowlands, a venue situated among a sprawling urban decay of greasy take-away shops and repugnant back alleys that even the most desperate tramps would avoid. At the other end you have the Glasgow Queen Margaret Union where supposed high culture is represented with a rather posh, if somewhat security conscious student union. Both venues are great in their own right, but unsurprisingly their clientele differs quite dramatically.

Upon entering the QMU you’re given a little card that provides you with the opportunity to become a student for one night only. For some, that’s reason enough to come to tonight’s gig. Once you’ve been frisked five times for anthrax, nuclear weaponry and tooth picks you’re allowed through the doors into studentville.

In all fairness the QMU is a rather nice little venue, with a bar situated at the rear and a pointless platform decked with seats cleverly positioned so you can see over everyone’s heads but can’t see the stage at all.

Support came from Keller Williams, or K-Dub if you want to use his hip-hop acronym. Williams is a singer/songwriter from Fredericksburg, Virginia. But he’s not a singer/songwriter in the same way that James Blunt is. Brandishing modified guitars and preserving an array of humorous lyrical content ranging from his light-hearted outlook on the simplicities of everyday life to the beautiful serenade of “F*ck you”.

Unlike tonight’s headline act Williams opted to record each instrument he played and then loop it to create the sound of a full band. It’s an effect that can either sound absolutely brilliant or make you look like a complete idiot, especially if you happen to make a slight mistake while recording, but Williams manages to pull it off rather expertly.

Williams seemed most at home with the frantic strumming of his acoustic guitar where he played happy-go-lucky folk material with an introspective backbone and a teasing, foot tapping rhythm. It’s great stuff and without doubt the perfect support act for this particular show.

Xavier Rudd’s multi-instrumental setup, which had been concealed beneath a blanket, was finally unveiled like the first public viewing of a new Jaguar Concept car. Rudd’s instruments (and there are a lot of them) are positioned in a circle around him, cocooning him in his own musical haven. It’s almost like watching a low budget version of a Crystal Maze challenge where the only way out is to play great music.



One of the first, most striking things about Rudd is that he manages to play all his instruments simultaneously. Forget trying to keep rhythm with a band – Rudd manages to keep the drums working with his feet, guitars going with his hands, and then manages to sing, play the didgeridoo, trim his toenails, communicate telepathically with the barman, and all while correctly filling out a tax-reclaim form. Apparently he can do five different things at once. I’m considering hiring him for 5 minutes just to cook my dinner, do my laundry, feed the dog and clean the house.

Rudd’s music is a developed fusion of dance, roots, folk, and the occasional splattering of reggae. There is an earthly theme that exists concurrently with both the music and the lyrics. Rudd’s lyrics consist of heartfelt observations on the state of the planet, the society that inhabits it, and his connection with his home country of Australia. Musically Rudd’s gripping performance is mesmerizing. The thumping rhythmic accompaniment seems to trap you and pull you into the world he’s created.

I was expecting an audience of prudent hippy-fied students, that were happy to get completely stoned but would still stand at the back and discuss the merits of greenpeace and vegetarianism. But this has to be one of the loudest gigs I’ve ever been to. The audience response was fantastic and the magnetic connection between artist and audience was incredible.

Rudd took his audience on a journey through his two latest albums, from the fantastic reggae influenced ‘Let me be’, that had the whole crowd singing, dancing and swaying in appreciation, to the energetic ‘Food in the Belly’.

The energy channelled from Rudd’s music has an overall native feel. It’s quite easy to point at him and make the apparent observation that he has a digeridoo therefore he plays Australian music. But the real reason that Rudd’s music sounds so organic and natural is purely because he’s a man so connected to his home country – and the impact that his surroundings have had on him are channelled through his work.

The gig was fantastic, the only minor quibble I would have would be that some of the new material sounds a little too familiar and there are definitely similarities between songs like ‘Conceal Me’ and ‘Food in the Belly’, but it’s a minor criticism that is forgotten with each new direction that Rudd takes.



Support act Keller Williams was welcomed back on stage for a two man jamming session, displaying two of the finest talents on the touring scene today. They are both only in the UK for a couple more dates so I implore you to check them out – this is new roots music at its best.

FUTURE GIGS

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