Everybody Wants A Little Something

Another day, another gig. And this time it a chance for me to provide someone else with a gig revelation. The setting? Duke Special at the Venue Formerly Known As The Zodiac. I'd seen him (or is it them? I've never been very sure) last year at the Zodiac and it had proved my gig revelation of that year (I am very fond of this phrase, as you can see). I knew nothing about him and had no idea what to expect. When I heard he might be accompanied by cheese graters and whisks, I feared the worst. I don't really do whimsical when it comes to music.

However, he was amazing. A singer songwriter who plays piano and sings just the most melodious heartfelt songs you could ever hope to hear, in a Northern Irish accent. And sporting a fine line in weirdly hot eyeliner.

So, forward to this year. May 28th, to be precise and he was back. And I took along my friend Bev, so she could witness the magic. She didn't really know what to expect either. Apart from the fact that the guy is just wonderful, she is so much more open-minded than me when it comes to music, so I was confident she'd enjoy it. Anyway, it was the first time I had been to the upstairs part of the venue, which was interesting in itself. The sound downstairs can be pretty ropey, and even although I had only ever been upstairs to dance, it sounded much better. And indeed it was. He was toute seule, this being a solo tour. Just one man and his piano (plus his projector), with a mixture of old and new, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand. He handed out a song sheet so that we could have a bit of a communal sing-a-long in places (this could so easily have been cringeworthy, but it just wasn't). The vocals were crystal clear and you could hear a pin drop amongst the audience (most unusual, as I would say Oxford audiences tend to be amongst the noisiest I have ever been in, and not in a good way). He mixes in a bit of vaudeville and theatre, using old scratchy records to great effect (the scratchiness of old vinyl has to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing sounds ever) and his lovelorn lyrics, with a twist, just tug at the old heart strings.

Bev's verdict? Amazing! And finally I had returned the gig revelation favour!

Oh and a special mention to the support. Voluntary Butler Scheme - a veritable one man band, who entertained with a quirky mix of odd sound effects, guitars, kazoos and goodness knows what else. And all that on his birthday too.