Live Review: Jamie Lenman @ Stereo, Glasgow (02/02/18)
On Friday night I went to see Jamie Lenman at Stereo Cafe Bar in Glasgow; a show for which I've been having to hold back my boner for a number of months now. Before I get into my review (which, for those of you who have tickets for any of his upcoming shows, WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS) I feel a little background to explain my anticipation for this gig is in order.
I've been a fan of Jamie Lenman since the release of Reuben's debut album Racecar is Racecar Backwards all the way back in 2004. I instantly fell in love with their mixture of crushing riffs, melodic harmonies and catchy pop hooks and in the years following I devoured anything and everything released by the band. I was lucky enough to see them twice, once for the release of Very Fast Very Dangerous in 2005 and again in 2007 for the release of In Nothing We Trust. Unfortunately, like many a tragic love story, my heart was broken as the trio entered a period of "indefinite hiatus" in 2008. Whilst Guy Davis and Jon Pearce would go on to form Freeze the Atlantic soon after, it would be a further 5 years before there was a decent sniff of new music from the man who was the creative force behind Reuben.
At the end of 2013 Jamie returned with a bold new look (think Victorian gentleman) and released his epic double album Muscle Memory; one half folk, jazz and blues; the other, uncompromising, face melting metal. It was exciting, experimental but most of all unmistakably Jamie Lenman. I loved Muscle Memory but found myself, more often than not, gravitating towards the heavier side of that album and I wanted more.
Fast forward to early 2017, after another period of no new music from The Lenman, the track Mississippi was released out of nowhere and Jamie's look had evolved to an additional degree of eccentricity. Whilst it was written during the same time period as Muscle Memory, Mississippi didn't quite fit within the confines of that record's concept being more akin to the Reuben mixture of hard and soft styles but at the same time offering something completely fresh and new. I didn't have to wait much longer for more music and soon after came the release of another single Waterloo Teeth, the announcement of a string of tour dates around the UK and finally an album announcement. I was lucky enough to catch the show at King Tut's in Glasgow where Jamie, alongside drummer Dan Kavanagh, well and truly rocked our socks off with a combination of new and old songs, some of which were totally unexpected. They played Blitzkrieg for goodness sake! Do yourself a favour and check that song out.
Over the next few months as part of the build up to the release of the new album, which we finally knew would be called Devolver, a number of songs were teased and released showcasing a bold, unexpected new sound and style. A couple of days before Devolver's release I was able to join a listening party on Facebook where the album was played in its entirety with some commentary from Jamie between tracks. It was an absolute revelation and once the party was over all I wanted to do was hear it all again but I faced an agonising couple of days wait until that would happen.
Upon it's official release Devolver instantly became one of my all time favourite albums and is, in my eyes, an absolute masterpiece. It effortlessly combines, all the elements of what came before it through Reuben, Muscle Memory, those random songs that appeared in between (such as A Little Bit of Rappin') and also introduces a new electronic element which is weaved directly into the very fabric of the album, not just tacked on as an afterthought. After Muscle Memory I thought all I wanted was more of the heavier Jamie Lenman but my God he proved me wrong.
So that might go a little way to explaining why I was so excited for this gig.
On the day, I left work early in the hope to be in Glasgow nice and early to meet some friends for some food and a couple of pre-show drinks. Unfortunately I got to the train station and realised I'd forgotten the tickets so had to jump in a taxi home and back again. It was embarrassing and put me a little behind schedule but wasn't the disaster it could have been. After arriving in town, getting a few drinks and a bite to eat we made it to Stereo and got downstairs just as the "dunka, dunka, dunka" intro to Hardbeat started. The duo of Jamie and Dan hit the stage and tore through what has become a bona fide classic in my mind before blowing us away with the rip roaring Hell in a Fast Car. It was an absolute joy to be joining in with everyone to sing "bang of the drum is my hardbeat" and "we're going to hell in a fast car, with the top down and no seat-belt". Quite unexpectedly the next song was A Kick in The Mouth (the album opener of Very Fast Very Dangerous) but it was a welcome surprise and clearly a crowd pleaser judging by the bellows of "it's just a kick in the mouth" resounding all around me. I knew we'd hear some classic Reuben tracks but hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
Next up was One of My Eyes is a Clock which is one of Jamie's heaviest songs and probably my favourite from Muscle Memory. The guitar riffs, drums and all screaming vocals on this song are absolutely punishing and it's as close as most people are going to get to being hit by a monster truck and surviving. Clock was followed up by Waterloo Teeth, another (at times) brutally heavy song. On Devolver, Teeth ends with with a cacophony of squealing guitar, pounding drums and what sounds like the chanting of schoolgirls. By God we got that cacophony but as Dan's pounding drums continued and the last screech of Jamie's guitar faded away, he casually put down his weapon, strolled to the back of the stage, sat down at a second drum set I hadn't even noticed and preceded to join in with some added percussion-y goodness. The sound was absolutely massive but the surprises didn't end there. In what appeared to be a momentary lapse of concentration Dan fumbled his drumsticks and after a brief spell of hunting for them, got up, walked front and centre, picked up the previously discarded guitar and the pair launched into Eating Only Apples from Racecar is Racecar Backwards; an unforgettable moment that really defined the night for me.
After all the excitement things settled down a little with Little Lives a soft number from Muscle Memory and completely new song Bad Friend. Whilst Little Lives is not my favourite, it's still decent song and was a nice change of pace. Honestly I wasn't too taken with Bad Friend and I had previously heard it a few nights before on a pre-tour rehearsal on Facebook live. Maybe in time after a few more listens it'll grow on me so I'm not going to write it off just yet.
After the mild disappointment of Bad Friend we were treated to a couple more Devolver tracks, All of England is a CIty and I Don't Know Anything. There's a real groove to All of England which really got the crowd going even if it was slightly bizarre for a bunch of Scots to be singing "all of England is a City!" at the top of their lungs. I Don't Know Anything continued the groove with its funky Rapper's Delight inspired bass line and it was a real joy to hear this song live. It was at this point that Jamie us there would be two more songs before a short break and encore before announcing the next song to be Every Time a Teenager Listens to Drum & Bass a Rockstar Dies (one of the very best songs from Very Fast Very Dangerous). At this the crowd went wild and getting to scream "you're so pretty and I'm so stupid" again, like at those Reuben shows all those years ago was just brilliant. The final song in the pre-encore show was none other than Mississippi and I expected the "M-I-DOUBLE-S-I-DOUBLE-S-I-P-P-I" chant would be massive live. I was not to be disappointed. As the song ended Jamie jumped back on his second drum kit (what a diva ;) ) for a good ole tandem bash before leaving the stage to rapturous applause.
After a short break, just enough time to refill an empty pint glass, the ethereal soundscape of Comfort Animal shimmered out of the sound system closely followed by Lenman with just an acoustic guitar for company. What we got next was a great version of album closer and title track Devolver. The album version of Devolver is a real triumph which traverses a broad spectrum from its soft and introspective opening to its explosive and crushing conclusion. The acoustic version loses a little of that impact but is still an aural delight. That line "I am irrelevant" gets me every time (although I'll never forget the hilarious moment one listener posted that line as "I am an elephant" at the end of the Devolver listening party on Facebook).
Next up we got one of the best songs from the soft side of Muscle Memory, Hard to be a Gentleman which is a really heartfelt and genuinely beautiful song. What I did miss (from both this rendition and the album version) is the way this song was presented when released as a split single with All the Things You Hate About Me, I Hate Them Too (similarly with Pretty Please / Fizzy Blood). I love the juxtaposition that the burst from soft acoustic song into brutal heavy song brings and I'd have loved for it to be implemented here. The next song was Jamie's latest single Body Popping which on the album has a real beat and multiple layers that build and drive the song so I was surprised at how well this translated to acoustic guitar. Singing along to that up-tempo "body-popping-no-stopping-just-electronic-beats-yo" tongue twister was great fun.
Body Popping turned out to be the last Devolver track of the night and was followed up by Pretty Please (another song from Muscle Memory) which went down a storm and has a real sense of humour "validate me oh pretty please". Pretty Please is essentially a swing song and thinking back Jamie ran us through a real gamut of styles over the course of the evening showcasing just what a diverse and talented musician he is.
So after all that, how do you go about ending the show? With absolute classic and fan favourite Let's Stop Hanging Out, that's how. What a great way to end the night as practically everyone in the room knew practically every word and it was an excellent choice for the final song. My only gripe is I was half expecting Dan to come back out on drums and Jamie to plug back in for the last song or two but otherwise this was a satisfying end to a great night.
Overall this was an excellent show and it's impressive how much of a punch a two-piece band can pack, at times sounding much bigger than just the sum of their parts. Jamie also has a real charisma and stage presence making the crowd feel at ease with a mixture of warmth, enthusiasm and humour. A couple of examples were when the chant of "here we fucking go", a standard Scottish tradition at a gig or festival, started up, Jamie's response was to tell the audience to "get tae fuck" in his best Scottish accent. Also during Pretty Please with its "validate me" chorus Jamie ironically quipped "you know some audiences would start clapping along here".
Despite a few things I'd maybe have liked to have been a little different and a couple of omissions from the set list (no Personal?) I had a great time and if you're a fan of Mr Lenman's music you won't be disappointed. I'd also urge those who aren't necessarily fans to go along and see what all the fuss is about.
Make sure you check out Devolver and Muscle Memory available at the usual streaming outlets. If you're into it, buy the albums as you're more likely to actually support the artist this way. While you're at it, why not delve into some of Reuben's back catalogue and marvel at one of the most loved yet still widely unknown bands of the noughties.
