‘The Chet’ could move around the space and play anything that could be banged, plucked or, in the case of the saw, bowed to create eerie sounds that most mortal bands would build with a Theremin. During one track the duo went into full cabaret mode and executed a changeover on the drums without dropping a beat. But for all of the theatrical distractions – voices from above, readings from E’s autobiography, the look alike queen in the royal box standing in for the real thing who declined E’s invitation – the music reigned supreme.
With just the two of them on stage the songs were stripped back to the core – brilliant short stories that as we learn more about E’s childhood and his family, make more sense than ever. His book has revealed much about his unhappiness as a child, the loss of his sister and his angst as he traveled to find himself and the lyrics are far more potent for it. They played their way from openers ‘A magic world’ and ‘It’s a Motherfucker’, through favourites like ‘My beloved monster and ‘I like birds’ – eventually arriving at a very ‘Stripes sounding version of Novocain for the soul. Having adopted slightly Zeppelinesque riffs for that, it was an easy transition to a cover of ‘Good times bad times’. Ending on ‘Souljacker part 2’ having thanked the audience for playing “the old cat ‘n mouse game” for a couple of encores it was clear that the real Queen missed out. But hopefully one of her private secretaries blagged the ticket and bootlegged the gig for her.
Set list
a magic world
it's a motherfucker
strawberry blonde
dirty girl
cheater's guide
souljacker part 1
elizabeth on the bathroom floor
climbing to the moon
my beloved monster
i like birds
FANMAIL/ READING
jeannie's diary
in the yard, behind the church
READING
last stop: this town
i want to protect you
flyswatter
bus stop boxer
novocaine for the soul
good times bad times
somebody loves you
souljacker part 2
Review by : Stephen Izatt
