Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

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Man out of Time
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

Post by Man out of Time »

I see that Nick is one of the artists playing "Blues Fest 2012" at the Shepherds Bush Empire next month, on 28 June. This is not too far for him to go.

http://www.bluesfest.co.uk/events/index ... =nick-lowe

Elvis is in the Country for the Cornbury Festival show on 30 June. What chance Elvis making a guest appearance at Nick's show on the 28th, just as Nick dropped in on Elvis at the second night at the Royal Albert Hall? Tickets for Nick's show are still available... Does anyone else fancy this?

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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

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Half price tickets available for Nick's show on 28 June at Shepherd's Bush Empire as part of "BluesFest":

http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/west-lon ... 178&a=2280

Anyone interested?

MOOT
Last edited by Man out of Time on Fri Jun 29, 2012 8:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

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Review of last night's show by Geoff Cowart:

"Nick Lowe sure saved the best for last. Standing front and centre on a darkened stage the veteran singer-songwriter sang Elvis Costello’s heart-wrenching ballad Alison armed with only his trusty acoustic guitar. The tune, produced by Lowe, was made famous on Costello’s debut My Aim is True, on Stiff Records. Lowe also handled the next four albums for Costello, cementing their reputation as one of rock’s finest double acts. In a quiet act of beauty, Lowe stripped the song down to its bare bones, allowing Alison’s party dress to slowly hit the floor as he wrung every twist and turn from the tune. And then he modestly waved to the crowd and walked off.

These days, Lowe may have traded his cocky punk sneer to become one of rock’s elder statesmen, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost his cutting edge. With his silver quiff shining like a beacon from the stage, he set about his BluesFest appearance at the Shepherd's Bush Empire with a languid, simmering intensity permeating every tune he tackled. That’s the attraction of Nick Lowe; his songs have punch, verve, meaning and damn good hooks, and are all wrapped up in about three minutes. Just take (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, one of the finest songs ever sung by Costello, brimming with a punk-like cynicism without the racket, and again it’s written by Lowe. He pulled it out of his bag of tricks during his first encore and, like Alison, played it at a fiercely slow pace, allowing the chorus of "So where are the strong?/ And who are the trusted?/ And where is the harmony? / Sweet harmony" to shine with a poignant beauty.

The 64-year-old Londoner peppered his show with these favourites, while also including tunes from last year’s album The Old Magic. And the way Lowe conjures up the harmonies is surely as magical as you’re likely to hear. He has an ability to turn often fairly ordinary songs into something quite extraordinary with a subtle tweak of a phrase or a trademark rhyming couplet.

The fairly banal topic of the weather on Raining Raining is transformed by Lowe into a little gem with modest fanfare: "Heard the weatherman say/ Put the umbrellas away." Elsewhere he heads into darker territory to deliver this killer line: "Trained her to love me so I could go ahead and break her heart" before admitting at the end of the tune: "That’s a bad song!" with devilish delight.

The way the Bard of Brentford refuses to overcook his vocal delivery as he pulls away from the mic at key moments is like a boxer choosing to bury yet another jab in his opponent’s chin rather than go for the merciful knockout blow. The songs don’t explode; they swelter and fester and pester your brain until you relent to their natural charms. And the control and precision of his singing and songwriting ends up making each verse and lick as fresh as the last.

Balance, patience and craft are important to Lowe and his set is inflected with a much more country feel than it is the blues. If you close your eyes it can sound remarkably like a Richard Hawley gig (minus the surly Sheffield accent) with its vintage rock feel and fairly standard rock backbeat courtesy of a backing band consisting of drums/double bass/keyboard/electric guitar. But from his early work with The Damned to a catalogue of songs covered by the likes of Diana Ross, it is Lowe’s effortless power as a troubadour that succeeds in winning hearts and minds. Long may he continue."

http://www.musicomh.com/music/gigs/nick-lowe_0612.htm

Possibly the least well attended Nick Lowe show I have seen. The organisers of "Blues Fest 2012" seem to have ignored the possibility that anyone would want to watch the European Cup, and in particular the possibility (at least until last Sunday night) that England might feature in the semi finals. It made for an intimate and relaxed show in a venue that was barely a third full.

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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Nice piece. Lovely to see him blossom into an elder statesman of music. I firmly think his work of the last decade is of a quality and character that is rarely rivaled by his peers. There is a 'seriousness' in his songs and covers that sits well with his songwriting and performing skills these days. I look forward to more opportunities to watch him as a live performer.

Sad that he has trouble filling a venue- as stated though may have been the conflicting with the Soccer. Nevertheless sounds like a rare opportunity to see him perform up front and close without the jostling and annoyance of crowds. Jealous.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Shepherds Bush Empire is a small venue which makes the audience numbers very disappointing.

Some of the board members saw him at a fantastic show in the 800(?) seat Leicester Square Theatre and that wasn't completely sold out.
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

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verbal gymnastics wrote:Shepherds Bush Empire is a small venue which makes the audience numbers very disappointing.
Nick made a reference to the audience numbers (or lack of them) before he started. He also remarked on his unease at playing a Blues Festival at all, given that he is not a Blues artist. Apart from the fact that Shepherd's Bush is his local venue, he does seem an odd choice, more so than Sir Tom Jones, who played Hammersmith Apollo this week as part of the same festival.

Sir Tom made the mistake of actually playing a Blues set, which was not what his audience wanted to hear.

http://www.standard.co.uk/arts/music/si ... 03123.html

Stick to what you are known for, appears to the best approach.

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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

Post by Poor Deportee »

Man out of Time wrote:
verbal gymnastics wrote:Shepherds Bush Empire is a small venue which makes the audience numbers very disappointing.
Nick made a reference to the audience numbers (or lack of them) before he started. He also remarked on his unease at playing a Blues Festival at all, given that he is not a Blues artist. Apart from the fact that Shepherd's Bush is his local venue, he does seem an odd choice, more so than Sir Tom Jones, who played Hammersmith Apollo this week as part of the same festival.

Sir Tom made the mistake of actually playing a Blues set, which was not what his audience wanted to hear.

http://www.standard.co.uk/arts/music/si ... 03123.html

Stick to what you are known for, appears to the best approach.

MOOT
Interesting! First, Sir Tom looks pretty scary in that photo, I must say. Second, I love the guy - for all that he carries an inescapable whiff of kitsch, he actually moves around and does different styles quite a bit, knows and loves his music. And what a voice! Good for him for challenging his audience, then having the good sense to reconcile himself to them.

Nick Lowe - one regret I have is not seeing him live (so far, anyway). Although I don't find his output over the past decade as superbly consistent as the general consensus would imply (e.g., The Impossible Bird and At My Age seem to me a distinct notch above the other three, coming alarmingly close to perfection), his late-career work is a testament to craft and, above all, that rarest of attributes in pop: taste.
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

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Poor Deportee wrote: Interesting! First, Sir Tom looks pretty scary in that photo, I must say. Second, I love the guy - for all that he carries an inescapable whiff of kitsch, he actually moves around and does different styles quite a bit, knows and loves his music. And what a voice! Good for him for challenging his audience, then having the good sense to reconcile himself to them.

Nick Lowe - one regret I have is not seeing him live (so far, anyway). Although I don't find his output over the past decade as superbly consistent as the general consensus would imply (e.g., The Impossible Bird and At My Age seem to me a distinct notch above the other three, coming alarmingly close to perfection), his late-career work is a testament to craft and, above all, that rarest of attributes in pop: taste.
Here! Here! to both- happened to catch Sir Tom on the recent TV special for the Queen- He has a presence on that stage and possesses the 'voice' to back it up. The two of them have aged well in their respective skins. I appreciate how they both deftly play with their past personae and continue to try to find new musical pursuits to 'play' around within. Sir Tom's last blues album was a serious listen. Yes 'taste' is the operative attribute.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

Post by Poor Deportee »

Jack of All Parades wrote:
Poor Deportee wrote: Interesting! First, Sir Tom looks pretty scary in that photo, I must say. Second, I love the guy - for all that he carries an inescapable whiff of kitsch, he actually moves around and does different styles quite a bit, knows and loves his music. And what a voice! Good for him for challenging his audience, then having the good sense to reconcile himself to them.

Nick Lowe - one regret I have is not seeing him live (so far, anyway). Although I don't find his output over the past decade as superbly consistent as the general consensus would imply (e.g., The Impossible Bird and At My Age seem to me a distinct notch above the other three, coming alarmingly close to perfection), his late-career work is a testament to craft and, above all, that rarest of attributes in pop: taste.
Here! Here! to both- happened to catch Sir Tom on the recent TV special for the Queen- He has a presence on that stage and possesses the 'voice' to back it up. The two of them have aged well in their respective skins. I appreciate how they both deftly play with their past personae and continue to try to find new musical pursuits to 'play' around within. Sir Tom's last blues album was a serious listen. Yes 'taste' is the operative attribute.
Absolutely. My wife had said for years that she wanted to see Tom Jones. Once I finally started making some decent coin and was no longer forced to pass over concerts by big-name acts, I bought her tickets to see him as a Valentine's Day present. I expected nothing but an amusing kitsch-o-rama. Instead, I got a powerhouse brew of crowd-pleasing old stuff and an unexpected dose of songs by Howlin' Wolf, Jerry lee Lewis, and other musical greats - all performed by a voice that just can't be matched. He's simply a great, old-school entertainer, who has managed - against formidable odds - to reconcile the baggage from his glory days with genuine musical interests and chops. The parallel with Lowe may seem odd at first, but in fact is spot-on - they're very different versions of the same rare career accomplishment.
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Poor Deportee wrote: Absolutely. My wife had said for years that she wanted to see Tom Jones. Once I finally started making some decent coin and was no longer forced to pass over concerts by big-name acts, I bought her tickets to see him as a Valentine's Day present. I expected nothing but an amusing kitsch-o-rama. Instead, I got a powerhouse brew of crowd-pleasing old stuff and an unexpected dose of songs by Howlin' Wolf, Jerry lee Lewis, and other musical greats - all performed by a voice that just can't be matched. He's simply a great, old-school entertainer, who has managed - against formidable odds - to reconcile the baggage from his glory days with genuine musical interests and chops. The parallel with Lowe may seem odd at first, but in fact is spot-on - they're very different versions of the same rare career accomplishment.
PD- this speaks to what you say here- think highly of this strong interlocutory performance of a Dylan cover by Sir Tom.

http://youtu.be/ki7drLpEk9M

there is also this strong presentation of his 'reinvention'

http://youtu.be/zGTCcryaZ6w
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

Post by Poor Deportee »

Jack of All Parades wrote:
Poor Deportee wrote: Absolutely. My wife had said for years that she wanted to see Tom Jones. Once I finally started making some decent coin and was no longer forced to pass over concerts by big-name acts, I bought her tickets to see him as a Valentine's Day present. I expected nothing but an amusing kitsch-o-rama. Instead, I got a powerhouse brew of crowd-pleasing old stuff and an unexpected dose of songs by Howlin' Wolf, Jerry lee Lewis, and other musical greats - all performed by a voice that just can't be matched. He's simply a great, old-school entertainer, who has managed - against formidable odds - to reconcile the baggage from his glory days with genuine musical interests and chops. The parallel with Lowe may seem odd at first, but in fact is spot-on - they're very different versions of the same rare career accomplishment.
PD- this speaks to what you say here- think highly of this strong interlocutory performance of a Dylan cover by Sir Tom.

http://youtu.be/ki7drLpEk9M

there is also this strong presentation of his 'reinvention'

http://youtu.be/zGTCcryaZ6w
Wow, he somehow renders compelling what I've always deemed on of Bob's most turgid, least listenable later songs. No mean feat. 8)
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Re: Nick Lowe 2012 UK Tour

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Man out of Time wrote:The organisers of "Blues Fest 2012" seem to have ignored the possibility that anyone would want to watch the European Cup, and in particular the possibility (at least until last Sunday night) that England might feature in the semi finals.
Anyone who chooses a football game over Nick Lowe is a moron.
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