Tindersticks @ Open
Definitely a performance, not a gig
Tindersticks, the Nottingham indie band, have been together for 40 years, and their latest album The Waiting Room has received rave reviews. Tonight they are here in Norwich in Open's stunning Banking Hall as part of Norfolk & Norwich Festival to play live for us, accompanied by short films specially created for specific songs from the new album.
It's seated tonight, and although not full there's a sizeable crowd. Tindersticks arrive onstage and dive straight in with a beautiful, drawn out, stripped back cover of Peggy Lee's Johnny Guitar, followed by a selection of tracks from their back catalogue including She's Gone and My Oblivion. Lead singer, and heart of the band Stuart Staples is highly emotive behind the mic - he still feels what he's singing about so strongly, and it shows. American drummer Earl Harvin, who's been with the band for six years now, is a joy to watch - a talented, deft and light handed performer. Bass player Dan McKinna hangs at the back of the stage, and on keys, original member David Boulter is a whiz. It's the relationship between guitarist Neil and Stuart that the music hangs on however, the carefully picked out notes and keening passages from his instrument soaring above everything else. Tonight, seeing them live, it feels like a very American sound; a backroom bar in Nashville would be a great place to catch them.
After 45 minutes there's a 20 minute interval, and then we're into the meat of the matter. Each song from The Waiting Room is played, and the films projected cleanly and clearly on a huge screen behind the band. The films add a new and fresh dimension to the live music - the film makers' interpretation of its meaning is intriguing. There are films set in a train station, at a seaside resort, through a rain streaked car window, racing through busy traffic. One film is missed due to technical difficulties, but we move along seamlessly to the next one after the band played the song anyway.
I enjoy this performance. But it is definitely a performance, not a gig. The space between the band and the audience is not only physically distant but also spiritually. The music is so carefully curated, so delicately pieced together, even slightly nervy, and I feel that they kind of need to boost it up from about a 6 to a 10 on occasion, and relax a little. It's only during the encore of Show Me Everything and A Night So Still that the volume and pace increase, and I start to get involved in my heart right at the end. Tindersticks have said in the the past that they always felt different - they never really fitted into any particular box, and have always done things their own way. They have done that tonight for sure, and although a great and memorable show, for me they will remain a band best heard on record rather than live.
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