Oct 08 2009 12:30 pm,
Hush Arbors
The Slaughtered Lamb, London
08/10/2009
Signed to Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label, it was last year's mini-album that really brought Keith Wood's psych-folk excursion to prominence - though research reveals it was actually his 74th release, or somewhere thereabouts.
His new effort is a touch more considered, and arguably more overtly pop-ified but without being horribly slick, thankfully. What really draws you in on record is the contrast between Wood's delicate yet charming vocals and the bursts of guitar squeal - and tonight the latter are sadly absent. Size of venue seems a valid explanation - The Slaughtered Lamb's concert area being akin to an intimate comedy club with comfy seats and nowhere to stand without being a nuisance - but he announces a full band show will follow shortly at The Betsey Trotwood, a venue that makes the Lamb seem like The Hollywood Bowl.
So, what we get is an acoustic set, with yer man joined by an intriguingly-attired young lady (leotard tucked into leggings, unless our eyes deceive us) for occasional accompaniment and reassurance. If we hadn't heard the astonishing records we'd be taken aback by the beauty of the songs and delivery, but, well, it's just not what we came for, not what we were hoping for. One revelation is that his half-falsetto is in no way contrived, as his sporadic between-songs banter reveals; if anything he drops an octave in song. Bless him...
At a time when we're familiarising ourselves with the new long-player the show fulfils a role in that process, as when we next spin the album virtually every song feels like we've known it for years - a trick immaculately executed with the previous eight-track effort. So while we're left wanting sonically, let that not detract from what in isolation is a fine performance from one of the most naturally-gifted songwriters on the block right now. See you at the Betsey then, but don't all turn up...
Andy Slocombe
