Gig Memories: Elliott Smith at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 1999

Elliott Smith

Shepherd's Bush Empire, 21 April 1999

Seeing Elliott Smith live back in 1999 has to be one of my most special concert-going memories. I saw him twice that year and both times were unique and beautiful but the headlining show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire was, looking back, so filled with classic songs performed with such joy and heart, that it was pretty special.

The Possum

I can't think of many rock legends that are as rock and roll as George Jones. Not that you'd know it on first listen to his music: a smooth, sensitive balladeer washed in the Nashville sound, singing songs about love gone wrong. But listen a little bit closer and you'll hear the heartbreak, the pure sadness in the voice, the I'm-trying-to-kill-my-sorrows-in-this-bottle-of-whiskey desperation, because nobody feels it like George Jones, or at least sounds like he feels it. If you can listen to He Stopped Loving Her Today, a song that appears to be about a jilted lover but slowly reveals itself as a song about death, and not be moved then Hank Williams said it best, you have a cold, cold heart. There's a reason Gram Parsons and Keith Richards worshipped Jones and Elliott Smith once described his idea of heaven as a place where "George Jones is played all the time".

Elvis Perkins at Scala

Elvis Perkins

Dawn Landes
Scala, 22 September 2009
Dawn Landes bounds onto the stage with a huge grin on her face. Wearing a high-neck Victorian blouse, orange 70s-style cords and a ponytail, she almost looks like a kids' TV presenter and is considerably cuter than photos I had seen of her. Running behind the keyboard and beginning a bouncy number called Young Girl, immediately it became apparent that this was going to be a performance filled with fun and it was a refreshing, happy change from all the maudlin female singer-songwriters that seem to be dominating the scene at the moment.

Alela Diane at Shepherd's Bush Empire

Alela Diane

The Leisure Society
Laura Gibson
Shepherd's Bush Empire, 17 September 2009
Last weekend it was the End Of The Road festival, a country-friendly event that meant plenty of cool Americana and folk acts were over in the UK at the same time and most used their time in the UK wisely by playing some shows over here once the festival has finished. This was great for those of us who didn't get to go the festival except it meant that on one day in particular, Thursday 17 Sept, there was a lot of acts with similar audiences all playing the same night. The big three for me were Alela Diane, who released one of my favourite albums this year, the always superb Richmond Fontaine who I had been eager to see again and my beloved Neko Case, who, if she had announced her show first, would have no doubt taken priority for me. If they had been playing different nights I would have gone to them all but alas a decision had to be made and since Alela's show had been announced first and I already had tickets she won out, and I have to say I'm pretty glad she did because the show was superb.

The amazing Kate Wolf

After getting married and having two kids, Kate Wolf only decided to become a musician in her 30s when she realised that life as a housewife wasn't for her: she was far too talented and had too many songs to share with the world. In order to pursue this goal she worked as a disc jockey and organised music festivals.

Magnolia Electric Co. at Bush Hall

Magnolia Electric Co.
The Bitter Tears
Bush Hall, 2 September 2009

I've seen some weird-ass support acts in my time but The Bitter Tears really take the crown. Their performance can be summed up by the response from a guy in the crowd when the singer pleadingly asked us, "What are you all feeling out there?" to which came the loud reply "FEAR!" Yep, The Bitter Tears were kinda scary, not in a Marilyn-Manson-I-love-the-Devil kind of way, but because they looked and sounded like they had just escaped from a lunatic asylum. I kid you not.