Last evening Badly Drawn Boy took to the pulpit of First Unitarian Church’s sanctuary for a nearly full house. I’ve missed opportunities to see Damon Gough in the past so I was excited to finally be in town for his gig. If you’re not familiar with the name you’re still probably familiar with Gough’s music – he wrote the soundtrack for About A Boy and has had songs featured on a number of commercials. In the 10 years he’s been releasing recorded material he’s travel quite a trajectory of musical development; proving his ability to create wonderful little worlds with his lyrics and arrangements. After catching yesterday’s hour plus set I’m disappointed to say the magic of his work remains mostly in his recorded work.
To open the solo set he nibbled at the songs most familiar to the audience – pieces from About A Boy & his album Have You Fed The Fish- but there was admitted discomfort with playing some of the songs because he had grown accustomed to playing with a band. While he was a bit weak to start he eventually found his footing and was at his best when it was just him and his guitar. That was when you could really hear the layers in his arrangements and pay attention to the delicacy of his lyrics. “I’ll Carry On,” a song written for the BBC movie Fattest Man In Britain, was a prime example of Gough talent for setting a vivid emotional scene without exploiting it. After playing a good mix of his earlier stuff he began to pull out some of the new pieces from It’s What I’m Thinking pt 1 his most recent release. It quickly started going down hill.
The newer material lacks the charm and creativity that has always appealed to me in Badly Drawn Boy’s work. At times it felt too much like tired hippy pop of the mid nineties and at others it was weak aimless soundscapes void of any real hook . To help fill out these new track Gough brought a guitarist and bassist on stage to join him which really only muddied the waters. There clearly wasn’t much time for the trio to practice which left made it feel like an unraveling jam session. I would have much rather the solo set had remained a true solo set. Even if it meant dropping some of the effects and depth I think it would have made to last part of the set manageable. Alas, with the chaos of accompaniment unfamiliar with the material left me feeling rather anxious and disappointed.
While it is brave stuff to explore new territory I would hope that Gough doesn’t sacrifice the essence of what makes him a notable songwriter – his lyrics & unique arrangements.
Have to agree with you – only knew his music in passing but my little brother and girlfriend wanted to go. The “Thunder Road” cover was embarrassing and I thought summed up the show pretty well. And that line in one of the new songs, “If it’s this reality, if this is all just let it be.” Eeeek.
Enjoyed the opener.