LAZY, CRAZY ‘F*CKED-UP’ LITTLE SWINGER

by Jonathan Roby
22 February 2003 / Stanley Theatre / Liverpool

The opening act Eliza represents all that is good and all that can be potentially wrong with the singer songwriter acoustic movement. Whilst her Alanis Morrisette ‘folklite’ songs such as ‘Rainbow’ are pleasant enough and there is no doubting that she has a sweet honeyed voice. Unfortunately there lacks any feel of ‘real’ emotional resonance to lift her above the norm.

In the rather reverential atmosphere of a mostly seated Stanley Theatre Damien begins his set fittingly alone and on bended knee. The set draws heavily on Damien’s debut album ‘O’ and the tone is soon lifted not only by Damien’s easygoing charm but also by moments of inspired heavily distorted ‘Crazy horse’ style guitar. This is wonderfully brought to light in the confines of the live arena along with the impressive vocal range, which his recorded work has only hinted at.

Damien’s playful inventiveness is displayed when the baroque and almost ‘Gregorian’ Cold Water is ended with Leonard Cohen’s beautiful and uplifting ‘Hallelujah’. A definite advantage is that Damien is no mere shoe gazing introspective singer songwriter, highlighted by his satirical broadside at the doomed romantic notion of artistes and himself in the song ‘Childish’ in which he refers to himself as a lazy, crazy ‘fucked-up’ little swinger.

Songs such as ‘The Blowers Daughter’ and ‘Cannonball’ delight the crowd lifted by the beautiful vocal interplay of the ‘angelic’ voice of Lisa Hannigan with Damien’s soaring intense vocals and inventive use of guitar and ‘fx’ laden gadgetry. At one stage Damien samples the audience’s applause. Whilst on bended knee he bashes out drum rhythms on the back of his trusty acoustic leading to a frenzied climax and the crowd ‘baying’ for more.

One thing for sure is that Damien has plenty of tricks up his sleeve and with the engaging and emotive vocals of Lisa Hannigan, this bodes well not just for Damien and his present fans, but for the many people his warm, intelligent and ingenious song writing will I’m sure convert.

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