Your typical Joseph Arthur fan is a hard one to categorise. I was expecting to be surrounded by Radio 2 beardy males, Uncut readers and fans of the type of Americana dished out by Ryan Adams and Springsteen. Whilst these types are undeniably here, there's also a fair splattering of teenage girls. I chuckle to myself at the thought that maybe they're here to see James Arthur (they're not as it happens and know more about Joseph's career than I do).
Before Arthur takes to the stage, we're treated to a set by his bass guitarist, Rene Lopez. Lopez is a Puerto-Rican Italian from New York who for this set does that singer songwriter thing and dabbles in exactly the sort of lyrical cliches you might expect. "Drinking Whisky Rye, she holds a crucifix", sings Lopez in a soulful, fiesty punch as his drummer (and also Arthur's drummer) takes to the stage to support the strum. Lopez sports a moustache that Freddie Mercury would have been proud of. He sings of 'Midnight Love' and I'm reminded of Paul Simon's 'Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard'. But that's a classic tune and there's nothing approaching that in this set. In fact, there isn't much to cling on to here at all. Pleasant filler.
I really want to be impressed by Joseph Arthur. He's exactly the sort of musician who demands respect. Releasing records since 1996 and countless albums in, his career's had ups and downs but you can't help feeling that he feels playing to a half empty room in Leicester on a Wednesday night is somehow beneath him. I'd already headed to the back of the room to watch from the bar when, towards the end of his set, Arthur announces that "this has been a fun show for the 25 of you watching." He's bad at Maths (or should that be Math). There are more than that here but the point remains. Arthur is not like some acts who will work their socks off for an audience of one man and a dog. Tonight, I'm left with a sense that he's simply going through the motions. "Is this where that cheese comes from?", banters Arthur in an encore that I'm not entirely sure his efforts have deserved.
Perhaps, he's thrown from the start. He takes to the stage and there's a buzzing noise that can't be elimimated. The touring soundman (who Arthur first met years ago at Peter Gabriel's Real World studio) does his best to get rid of it but it won't go. "Fuck the buzz", says Arthur launching into 'Still Life Honey Rose'. He can definitely play guitar. This opening song is like many others in the set in that after a couple of verses and choruses it becomes a vehicle for elaborate solos. Lopez and drummer maintain a tight rhythm section over which Arthur does his bar-room rock thing. He launches into the title track of latest album, 'The Ballad Of Boogie Christ' and whilst the vocal becomes more Lou Reed, the pattern remains the same. 'Saint Of Impossible Causes' is next up and I realise that we're three numbers in and these songs, with their formulaic structures and lyrical repetitiveness, have said nothing to me.
For all of his lyrical fluff, there are moments when he comes out with a line that floors. In one of many "true stories" 'King Of Cleveland', Arthur sings in a Dylan-like drawl, "you had the flesh, she had the knife" and you can almost feel the pain as it cuts into him. In a song that sounds like it's heading into Wilco territory, Missy Baba, he tells us that he wants to go to sleep four times before adding a throwaway "with you" and meaning changes in an instant.
The set has got better. There's a middle section in which Arthur replaces his electric guitar with an acoustic. I'd heard all about his loop pedal mastery and when he's layering track upon track, you realise you're watching a master of his art. In the best song of the night, 'I Miss The Zoo', Arthur leaves the loops running and embarks upon a bit of audience participation. Getting three enthusiastic punters on stage, he encourages them to hold a white canvas up which he then proceeds to paint upon. As he paints, he spurts out a lyrical stream of consciousness. Sometimes, he passes the microphone to the most enthusiastic holder of his art, a young woman hanging off his every word, who mistakenly believes that she has a skill as a backing singer. This painting is another one in his 'skull' series. I know he's done a 'skull' series as many of his previous works are displayed tonight around the venue.
As is custom at all of his live shows, Arthur tells us that this one is being recorded. For £20, people can listen to this show over and over again in the comfort of their homes. I wonder if the out of tune young woman singing 'I Miss The Zoo' will be cringing over her cornflakes the next morning when listening back to her moment of fame. It won't take a genius to work out that I wasn't persuaded to spend my dollar on this. By no means a bad show, it simply didn't sustain any heights for long enough to rise above better than average. On his night, I have no doubt that Joseph Arthur could be a pretty special live proposition. But, sadly, this night wasn't it.
article by: Sean Tizzard
published: 15/10/2013 08:58
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