Thurston Moore / Tall Firs / Herb Diamante

The mighty co-founder of the mighty Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore himself, is gracing Leeds with a visit tonight to play in the regions (as voted for) best small venue. Of course it's sold out; I shouldn't have to say that!

Entering the venue to the sounds of the pink haired local Herb Diamante repeat himself over and over about an egg in a jar, I'm pretty glad for my own sanity that I missed his set. I know it's all arty poetry stuff, but I just don't get it, along with most modern art. The crowd seem to like him though.

Tall Firs are a beautiful sounding band, stripped back tonight to the band's roots of two of the three members, Dave Mies and Aaron Mullen. Drummer Ryan Sawyer is absent, so tonight features just layered guitar folk instead of the electric folk that they have become more well known for. The vocals are very similar to Moore's, and very captivating. I have to watch I do not nod off after a long day at work, nothing bad about the music, it is just so relaxing!



After a little wait it's time for the big man himself. And wow he is tall! I expected this from seeing photos and watching them live, but close up in a small room like this and I fear I am going to get neck strain stood at the front! There's a bit of shimming with the pedals and instruments until they are set up right, and then Moore apologises for placing a huge music stand next to him, blocking the view of us on stage right. Must have been a tall stand!

With a harp player and a violin player adding depth to the songs Moore plays through a selection of his solo hits. I didn't expect it but no one shouts out for any Sonic Youth songs. I hear his response in the past has been "Sorry, we don't do cover songs." Great reply. Besides his solo stuff is amazing, stripped back melodies with notes flying off at tangents, soft and loud crescendos, extended endings and the odd screeching electric power chord thrown in for good measure.

Plus it is a very chilled out set, like he is playing in your living room to only a few people. At one point the band play a full song and the guitars are completely out of tune, so Moore asks if he can play it again for his own piece of mind. No one here objects, one comical punter says afterwards that the first one was the better one! Such is the music I preferred neither of them but like both of them.



There are songs from across Moore's three solo albums; 1995's 'Psychic Hearts', 2007's 'Trees Outside The Academy' and this year's 'Demolished Thoughts', plus a poem too, but I have no idea what that is called or what it was about (I think Herb put me off the poetry for the evening and I went to the bar at this point). Sometimes the show feels like the band do not know what they are doing, the setup is wrong, it's out of tune, the tuning takes ages, don't know what song they are playing, but it all adds to the charm of it. Moore is an entertaining front man and really calm with the crowd, even the odd annoying person who likes the sound of their voice and must answer every rhetorical question he puts out there! It makes the gig feel like we are all in an underground basement club in New York, and it's a great feeling to escape this country and its woes if only for an hour or two.

Set list:
Mina Loy
Fri/End
Never Day
Circulation
January
Pretty Bad
Queen Bee and Her Pals
Orchard Street
In Silver Rain With a Paper Key
Blood Never Lies
Psychic Hearts

See-Through Playmate
Feathers
Ono Soul

FUTURE GIGS

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