Duke Special

It's been a lovely Bank Holiday weekend in Edinburgh and I'm finishing it on a high at a Duke Special gig. I have to admit that I've been to lots of Duke Special gigs, and I maintain that he has the most beautiful and musical voice ever, so this won't pretend to be an impartial review!

This is the second night of the tour which is showcasing his rather ambitious three CD release 'The Stage, A Book & The Silver Screen'. Now that Duke is no longer with a record label and is taking the DIY approach (through Pledge Music), never one to stand still artistically, he can now indulge more creative, less mainstream projects like this one.



The first half of tonight's show is devoted to the 'silver screen' and a collection of songs about Hector Mann, a mysterious 1920s silent movie actor. It draws inspiration from Paul Auster's 'Book of Illusions' written about this intriguing character. Each track on 'The Silent World of Hector Mann' is based on one of the 12 films he allegedly made. Peter Wilson (aka Duke Special) wrote one of the tracks and then sent a copy of the book, along with a film title to some of his songwriting friends including Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), Ed Harcourt and Matt Hales (Aqualung). The result is a set of stories in song, stamped with each writer's character, but also in a cohesive 'pre rock and roll' style.

Duke sings most of the songs from the Hector Mann collection tonight. He is assisted in this by four fine musicians – Cian Boylan on piano and drone box, Phil Wilkinson on drums, Casino Johnny on double bass and Ben Castle on sax and clarinet, who strikes silly poses and interesting dance moves to entertain the audience when they manage to drag their eyes away from the charismatic ringmaster. There are also various props to help tell the stories in the songs and video footage of interviews with Duke's collaborators. Highlights are the sweet and funny 'Country Weekend' about the unrequited love of a chauffeur for his passenger, the farce-like, madcap 'Prop Man', the tense 'Tango Tangle' and the more reflective 'Mister Nobody'.

After the interval, Duke has made a costume change in to a militaristic uniform to present songs from 'Mother Courage and Her Children', the 'stage' element of his new release. These are songs for which he wrote music to accompany Tony Kushner's translation of the Bertolt Brecht play. The production starring Fiona Shaw and featuring Duke and his band, was on at the National in London from September to December last year. I saw the play a few times and the pounding of the drums during the opening song still makes my heart beat faster with excitement (least I think it's the drums and not the sight of a man in uniform!). The music to accompany the lyrics of war, struggle and prostitution is fittingly high drama, sometimes melancholy and stark and sometimes chaotic, and tonight is interspersed with short pieces of narrative to explain some of the storyline. I'm not sure how it comes across to those who haven't seen the play but the material gets an enthusiastic response from the crowd and 'Yvette' (the prostitute's song) gets a ripple of applause when it's announced. The set finishes with the powerful and dramatic 'Mother Courage Finale'.



The band return for an encore of two songs from the final disc in the trilogy, 'Huckleberry Finn', an EP of five previously unrecorded tracks from an unfinished musical by Kurt Weill. The first is the playful 'Catfish Song', followed by 'Apple Jack', which is set in the garden of Eden and warns of the temptation of alcohol; during the song Duke downs a bottle of beer in two gulps - he has artistic license to ignore the warnings himself! The band leave the stage to thunderous applause and floor stomping, and then boos as the lights come up. Thankfully, the lights quickly go down again as Duke and the band emerge to play a second encore of 'Diggin' an Early Grave', a song with very dark lyrics but an infectious, upbeat melody. Duke jumps off the stage and roams around the aisles, encouraging people to clap along. We don't need much encouragement and the show finishes with everyone on their feet.

Although there are a few minor technical (and possibly human) blips, it's evident that a load of effort and thought has gone in to creating this show. Wilson's certainly not work-shy, and on top of now being self-funded, having to fulfil various Pledge Music items for fans, and alongside promoting the current release, he delivers a heartfelt and heart-warming show as always.

The tour continues throughout the UK and around Ireland until June.

Set List:

Hearth and Home
Wanda, Darling of the Jockey Club
Jumping Jacks
Tango Tangle
Mister Nobody
Country Weekend
Double or Nothing
You'll Be Detective
Prop Man
Scandal

Mother Courage
Eilif
Yvette (Song of Fraternisation)
The Great Capitulation
Soldier's Song
Farmhouse Song
Cook's Song
Song of the Hours
Mother Courage Finale

Encore

Catfish Song
Apple Jack
Diggin' an Early Grave

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.