“Why do humming birds hum? Cos they don’t know the words!”
Album launch shows are rapidly becoming the best place where it’s possible to see artists step away from the over polished tours that dominate the current live music scene to give something a little more personal. Whilst a night of guitar playing brilliance was always on the cards when Graham Coxon announced one to support his latest release Castle Park, for a man with a reputation for shyness and occasional awkwardness the biggest surprise was that the performance turned into an evening of musical insights, story telling and occasional brutal self honesty. And on top of that there were Dad jokes.
Almost exactly three years since the last time I’d seen Graham perform – then as part of Blur as they performed in front of forty thousand fans in Italy for Lucca’s Summer Festival, being crammed into the upstairs room at Leeds’ Headrow House with just a hundred and fifty other souls felt like the polar opposite of experiences that can be found in the live music industry. The tone for the night was set from the beginning as Graham sat down on stage next to the oak sapling he had decided to bring on tour with him, before explaining that he’d changed the setlist from last night as he couldn’t remember playing a song it so it couldn’t have been that good.
And then he picked up his guitar and strummed his way serenely through R U Lonely?, the melancholic highlight from his first solo album back in 1998. From there the night followed a pattern of beautiful playing tied to his distinctive Essex twang with songs separated by rambling monologues and invitations for crowd interjections along with the occasional improvisation to demonstrate the techniques that inspired what he was playing. There may have been a new album to promote and post-show signing to get through, but whether it was enjoyment or nerves there didn’t seem to be any hurry to get through the set. Over the course of over an hour he meandered through the highlights of his solo career before the touching finale of You’re so Great, the first song that he took lead vocals on for Blur.
In a world where live shows have become too formulaic it was a refreshing feeling seeing a world class performer do what he wanted how he felt in that moment. Whilst there was unpredictability it never came close to straying into the realms of unprofessionalism (not that I’m thinking of last summer’s show with the Lemonheads at all). A full band tour is scheduled for later this year, which whilst I’m hugely looking forward to its unlikely to lead into a night of such intimacy and chaotic fun as the small gathering were fortunate to enjoy.
Have you seen Graham Coxon on his recent min-tour? Where do you believe he rates in the pantheon of nineties guitar heroes? Make sure to leave a comment below or subscribe to get more live music reviews straight to your inbox.
Graham Coxon Performed:
R U Lonely?
Latte
That’s All I Wanna Do
Angry Me
Don’t Believe Anything I Say
This Time Tomorrow
An Old Piece of Life
Baby, You’re Out of Your Mind
Billy Says
Alright
Easy
All the Rage
***
Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie
You’re So Great
Alex Reviews Gigs 
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