Celebrating Alex Chilton, Various Artists
Mono, Glasgow
10/06/2010

The untimely death of Big Star‘s Alex Chilton in March was felt particularly hard in Glasgow, his spiritual home. So tonight’s gig is something of a celebration and a focus on his influence, and special relationship with the city’s musical community.
 
New band Milk kick things off with ‘Human Fly’, originally produced by Chilton for The Cramps, and a version of The Box Tops’ ‘The Letter’ – Chilton’s
first and biggest hit. Francis MacDonald, Teenage Fanclub’s drummer, then performs an acoustic set of songs introduced to him as covers by Chilton, followed by Jason McPhail, resplendent in a pith helmet, who leads a reformed V-Twin through ‘In The Street’ and Ernie K-Doe’s ‘Te Ta Te Ta Ta’.

But there’s not just musical delights to savour tonight; a video of three songs, including another version of ‘The Letter’, this time by Hot Chip, is soon screened, followed by footage of Chilton performing ‘Never Found A Girl’ with Teenage Fanclub. Members of The Pearlfishers then demonstrate Chilton’s eclectic taste with a cover of ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ and ‘What’s Your Sign Girl’ and Big Star’s ‘Thirteen’.

Duglas T Stewart of BMX Bandits takes to the stage next, joined by 1990s drummer Midnight Mike for three songs, including a heartfelt version of ‘Thank You Friends’.

Special guest Laura Chilton, Alex’s widow, even joins the musicians on stage for an affecting version of The Shangri Las’ ‘Past, Present And Future’. Belle & Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson picks up the harmonica for a version of ‘Alligator Man’.

Teenage Fanclub then return to the stage to treat us to a full set encompassing the tricky middle eight of ‘All Of The Time’, ‘Free Again’, a singalong of ‘Oh Dana’, a version of ‘Mine Exclusively’ with V-Twin’s McPhail on lead vocals and an unrecorded Chilton song ‘You’re So Fine’.
 
Next, a line up which Duglas describes as, “Glasgow’s answer to the Travelling Wilburys,” (including Francis McDonald on drums, Jim McCulloch on guitar and Norman Blake on guitar/vocals) finally closes proceedings, ending on a rousing version of ‘September Gurls’.

As the final chords are strummed, Blake says, “We were lucky enough to play with Alex and be inspired by his music. He turned us onto stuff because he saw his younger self in us. There was a bond formed. Tonight was a bit shambolic, but in the spirit of the man.” He’s right you know. A fitting tribute to a much missed musician.

Lucy Brouwer