John Bramwell
An intimate and inspiring performance from one of Britain's best post-Britpop singer-songwriters
It is some while since John Bramwell performed solo in Norwich. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the last time might have been back in 2015 at Norwich Arts Centre. With I Am Kloot, he headlined The Waterfront in 2013 and, in the same year the band played the main stage at Latitude.
These days, John Bramwell is frequently joined on stage by The Full Harmonic Convergence, a group that includes Harriet Bradshaw on cello, Dave Fidler on guitar and bass, and with percussion from Andy Fidler and keyboards from Alan Lowles. As the Full Harmonic Trio they played The Waterfont last year. But, for this latest set of dates, it is just John and his guitar, and for this visit to Norwich Puppet Theatre he was welcomed by an enthusiastic audience, many of whom were clearly long-term fans.
He begins the evening with Bigger Wheels, a song taken from I Am Kloot's 2001 debut Natural History – a collection that was produced by Elbow's Guy Garvey. It may have only bruised the album charts on first release, but touring those songs helped build up a dedicated and loyal fanbase. 86 TV's, Over My Shoulder, and Twist are all from that album, and all get a Puppet Theatre airing tonight.
There are six more songs before the 'drinks interval', and in between them we hear some of John's anecdotes, learning how Meet Me At The Station was actually 'beamed' to him by his dog Henry; hearing of his appreciation for Val Doonican's Ring of Bright Water, and how it has made him want to produce his own range of knitted tour cardigans; and are reminded how his early guitar playing efforts included some dodgy 20 minute versions of My Sweet Lord. We also hear of a late-night vigil outside Broadcasting House in order to hand John Peel an early demo (which he played), and also of his sacking from an early job in Tesco's wine and spirits department.
Bramwell is indeed a fine raconteur, and his stories are peppered with the same lyrical brilliance as his songwriting. Who else would describe an embrace with his dog as them “ending up like a Velcro mesh”? Or describing in song how a “daydream has broken from its tethers whilst you sleep”.
During the longer second set we are treated to a further 11 classic songs, including my all-time favourite, the gorgeous and poetically charged From Your Favourite Sky, and also the deeply moving Times Arrow (about his mother's dementia). There are anecdotes about touring with John Cooper Clarke, pleas about his fear for the future of live music, and a sing along to Northern Skies. A subsequent offer to sing 'any song you like' is met with Twist, but not before some wag in the audience shouts back “Bohemian Rhapsody!”. Bramwell admits to having once tried to sing it, but declares that “musically, it is awful”.
For this Thursday night audience at Norwich Puppet Theatre, it was an intimate and inspiring performance from one of Britain's best post-Britpop singer-songwriters.
