Live Review: Geraint Watkins / Nick Lowe

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Nick Lowe Album Reviews

Geraint Watkins(UK)

Nick Lowe(UK)

11/02/2004

AB Brussels

A Lesson in Class on Black Tuesday

Nick Lowe set list: There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God Is Seated at the Conference Table) / ??? / What's Shaking on the Hill? / Lately I've Let Things Slide / Has She Got a Friend? / Lover Don't Go / Bingo / Indian Queens / Cruel to Be Kind / She Don't Love Nobody / The Man That I've Become / ??? / I'm Coming Home / ??? / Without Love / Half a Boy, Half a Man* / Only a Rose* / You Inspire Me* / I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)* / What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding?* // Heart of the City / The Beast in Me (* feat. Watkins)

I've had the pleasure to meet Geraint Meurig Vaughan Watkins six or seven years ago. I was working in a blues pub at the time (being a poor student trying to get more money to buy albums, of course) and on a particular day, The Balham Alligators landed there. "What's so special about that?", you might ask. Well, first of all, they were (I have no idea whether they still exist) a British band playing a thoroughly American kind of music (cajun/zydeco) and doing it very competently; but they were also led by Watkins, a guy who'd been playing and recording with people like Rory Gallagher, Dave Edmunds, The Stray Cats, Van Morrison and Paul McCartney (Geraint also plays on Run Devil Run). Yes, that means something if you're only a small pub that can hold 100 people max. Lowe has been a recurring collaborator and it's not that hard to understand, as both musicians share a style and eclecticism by using American roots music and making it a bit more British. Of the two, Lowe is probably closer to mainstream pop & rock, as Watkins' favorite instruments (accordion and keyboards, although he ain't no slouch on guitar, either) lead him to explore genres Lowe hardly touches upon. In this respect, the Welshman is something of a kindred spirit to Brendan Croker, a Brit with an equally diverse output and range of influences. Watkins not only borrows from pre-Beatles rock, as his work is furthermore infused with elements from jazz, boogie, pop, New Orleans R&B, early soul and rockabilly (imagine a combination of Fats Waller, Fats Domino a Jerry Lee Lewis). The irresistible "My Happy Day" and "It's a Wonderful Life" from his 1998 album Bold as Love, for instance, combine simple but immediately likeable arrangements with melodies that are so enchanting that it seems they've been around forever. Of course, Watkins also tried to promote his new album (in a quite hilarious fashion) Dial 'W' for Watkins and picked a few songs from said album: "I'm Just Crazy About You" was an ideal example to explain the melting pot that his music is, while "Go West" was an energetic boogie giving both hands the opportunity to shine. Other highlights: a take on "Mystery Train" that walked the thin line between faithfulness and slapstick (train whistles, etc), an impressive and restrained interpretation of the Beach Boys' "Heroes and Villains" and a final song in which he was goofing off once again with pre-recorded rhythms, sax lines and guitar stuff. The ideal warm-up for Lowe and a worthwhile artist in his own right, that man Watkins.

When you see Nick Lowe walking onto a stage with his acoustic guitar, the first thing that pops up in your mind is probably "Damn, that dude's got class," or some variation of it. I can't really define what it is… the way he walks, the wavy white hair, the natural flair this guy exudes. It also reflects on his music: while he also incorporates elements from pure pop, country, folk, rockabilly, cocktail jazz, etc, it's always done with style, respect and creativity. His nickname may be Basher, but it's about the least applicable term when discussing his style as a performer (well, on November 2nd, at least). It was quite appropriate that he kicked off the show with "There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God Is Seated at the Conference Table)," as a large part of the American citizens were showing their stupidity at the very same time by renewing their faith in a barmy fanatic for another four years. It was also appropriate that he didn't use the opportunity to rant about politics - it wouldn't have fit his style and music. What we got instead: more than twenty songs, several of them covers (some obscure, some familiar) and songs from almost his entire career, with perhaps a slight preference for more recent stuff (although his last studio album The Convincer is already three years old). The beginning of the set mostly featured more "recent" material: "What's Shaking on the Hill?" from 1990's Party of One, a heartbreaking version of The Impossible Bird's "Lover Don't Go" and several picks from The Convincer: "Lately I've Let Things Slide," "Has She Got a Friend" and "Indian Queens," a song written on the way from Cornwall to London after having driven through a village bearing the name. There were a few songs I didn't recognize, so I'll just presume they were covers (and Lowe did say that he would play some and if they were obscure enough he'd have people think he' s such a fine songwriter), but among them were a lightweight ditty called "Bingo," John Hiatt's "She Don't Love Nobody" (and a terrific version at that) and "I'm Coming Home." The second half of the set featured more familiar songs and Lowe's classics - "Cruel to Be Kind" and "Without Love" from his second solo album Labour of Lust still sounded as perfect as they must've at the time, "Half a Boy, Half a Man", with Watkins on keyboards again, was an infectious romp, "I Knew the Bride" a rousing trip and "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding" is after nearly thirty years still one of the best songs Lowe's ever written (that says a lot) - the less familiar material was hardly less interesting: "You Inspire Me" from Dig My Mood was a lovely slice of piano bar jazz, Watkins' "Only a Rose" a love song so simple and sincere it became a highlight. The encore managed to refer to two distinct styles in Lowe's catalogue, "Heart of the City" representing the early period, when Lowe's playful minimalism helped shaping punk, the bare-boned "The Beast in Me" (covered by Johnny Cash and featured in The Sopranos) offering a stark contrast. While Lowe is hardly known among the large public, the show made a case for his membership in the club of great songwriters and even though some songs betrayed vague hints of routine (he's been playing almost identical set lists for quite a while), the performance was one of class, diversity and craftsmanship.