Mercury Rev are an undoubtedly fine band, and 1998's Deserter's Songs is an undoubtedly very fine album. I have to admit that until now I've never held the album in quite the same high esteem as contemparies such as The Soft Bulletin and Under The Western Freeway. I may have to reassess that.
But as Johnathan Donahue was keen to point out, tonight was not merely a victory parade for their own crowning achievement, but a chance for them to also acknowledge the bands and albums that they too held close to their heart, hence the inspired choice of Manchester 80s post-punk legends The Chameleons (right) as the support. Generously awarded a 45-minute slot, the Chameleons grasped the opportunity with both hands and delivered a terrific set, their chorus-laden guitars given just enough bite by their tight rhythms and their expressive frontman Mark Burgess, clearly loving every minute. It was evident that some of the crowd were here specifically to see these guys, whilst seeing the guy infront of me looking up the Wikipedia entry for The Chameleons on his phone suggested that they'd made a number of new fans. If any band is deserving of a critical reappraisal, it's surely these guys.
Mercury Rev walked out onto a stage lit with battery-powered candlelights, adding to the ethereal wonder of the likes of Holes and Endlessly. Despite his waif-like voice, Johnathan Donahue was a commanding stage presence, wide-eyed and beaming throughout, ushering his hands towards the sky. For every sonic detail that was sadly missing - the sax from Hudson Line, the female backing vocals on Opus 40 - they compensated elsewhere, with a singing saw on spooky instrumental Pick Up If You're There, or with an almighty wig-out to Opus 40, making for a monumental centre-piece. The Funny Bird was a transcending experience, with the ever-charismatic Grasshopper wailing the hell out of his guitar, during its epic bridges, before the Madchester-like keyboards of closer Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp (thankfully removed of its Tom-and-Jerry-on-acid keyboard coda) really got the crowd moving, bringing a fittingly celebratory end to the main set.
After a great rendition of Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill, the remainder of the encore predictably comprised a greatest hits selection. Yet with the likes of Senses On Fire from 2008's more electronic-rooted Snowflake Midnight put alongside the acid-rock squall of 1991's Car Wash Hair, it really hit home that against all the odds, this band has survived major-label failures, in-fighting and copious amounts of drugs to become one of the great mainstays of Weird America. This gig was not merely the celebration of a timeless album (which I am now firmly convinced that Deserter's Songs is), but of a glorious and richly rewarding career.
haha I think I was the guy looking up chameleons on my phone. I did know their music already, just decided to read about their background to pass the time inbetween bands.
ReplyDeletenice review