Near the end of the show, last night, Stuart Staples admitted that this was one of the venues that he had always wanted to play in. With its fine sound and intimate nature, Vicar Street does seem the ideal location for a band who turn up with a five-piece string ensemble in tow. In the past, Tindersticks had trod the boards at the Olympia Theatre. As part of his support act, David Kitt reminisced about how he had seen them there as a morose chain-smoking teenager with just a naggin of whiskey for company. There were probably several dozen more such stories in a decidedly middle-aged audience!
Indeed, being a seated-at-tables show made it a little easier to talk to a few other people there. It was notable that none of them were particularly familiar with the new music and that was made generally obvious when the first real roar of appreciation on the night went up, four songs in, for Travelling Light. This is a shame, as Tindersticks have produced a fine new album. In any event, thanks to last night’s impressive performance, a number of Christmas stockings just got a little heavier!
In fact, it is worth saying that in those first four songs alone, there were quite a few highlights – from the slow urgency of Introduction, as the various musicians gradually came out on stage, to the forlorn chirpiness of Yesterday’s Tomorrows, the wheezy-sounding oboe on the brilliant The Flicker of a Little Girl, and the lonesome plea of Come Feel The Sun. There are, of course, some contradictory comparisons there. However, is that not the nature of Tindersticks? Beautiful music, big smiles, but such melancholy in the words!
In The Devil’s Saw, the band have penned one of their best ever songs. The imagery is so visceral and original, as Old Nick gets busy opening up his victim. The fact that it comes hot on the heels of Buried Bones is a nice piece of set listing! Moreover, the song triggers a return to the current album, with a further trio of songs closing out the main set, including my favourite The Turns We Took.
The encores were decidely of the older variety, though. They featured both If You’re Looking for a Way Out and Her, before they rounded off with the song of the night in the amazing The Not Knowing. It was a sublime rendition of it, with all ten musicians fully contributing. Indeed, if there was one complaint on the night, it was that the sound had felt a bit subdued at times. One explanation for this is that the band had a three-piece brass section with them when touring earlier in the year and that would have made a big difference last night. Nevertheless, it was still very enjoyable as the sedate, serene, and soothing show that it turned out to be.
Here is the set list as I remember it:
* Introduction
* Yesterday’s Tomorrows
* The Flicker of a Little Girl
* Come Feel the Sun
* Travelling Light
* The Other Side of the World
* The Organist Entertains
* Dying Slowly
* Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls (Townes Van Zandt cover)
* Say Goodbye to the City
* Sleepy Song
* She’s Gone
* Buried Bones
* The Hungry Saw
* Mother Dear
* Boobar Come Back to Me
* The Turns We Took
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* If You’re Looking For a Way Out
* Her
* The Not Knowing
Filed under: Gigs, Music | Tagged: Tindersticks
Good review. Thanks for that. It was a great gig at Vicar St. The band really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Some of the new songs work better live than on the record. I saw the gig at Royal Festival Hall. While they played more songs there, and extra musicians on brass, I preferred Vicar St for its intmacy, and the performance was a lot better all-round. Thanks for set-list. Note: They played ‘The Organist Entertains’ rather than ‘E Type’.
Thanks Havard. That was one of two songs that I had been trying to make my mind up on afterwards. Will go with TOE, as I felt it could have been that one too!
On the whole, I was fine with how it sounded, as per my conclusion. There were just a few occassions when there seemed to be something missing.
Thanks also for giving that Vicar St -v- RFH perspective. I think that Josh Ritter is bringing both strings and brass over for his two nights at Vicar St next month. Will be interesting to hear how that sounds in comparison to last night!
I’d have been disappointed that they didn’t play ‘Jism’ but it looks like a pretty impressive setlist nonetheless.
I like the line in that song where he says that I need to take it out on you because there is nobody else that I can trust!
I was secretly hoping for My Oblivion, as the strings on that would have been sensational live. However, I reckoned that there was two chances of getting to hear it though!
Reminds me that the shout of the night had to go to the guy who called out for Travelling Light three songs after they had played it!
Yes.. I heard that guy. Hilarious! It reminded me a bit of the first time that I saw Tindersticks play live – in Prague about 10 years ago, promoting the ‘Curtains’ album. Some guy in the crowd was continually shouting “Raindrrrops !!!” between every song. Eventually Staples had enough, dismissing him with a withering ‘I think we have all moved on now, don’t you?’ or something along those lines… I loved the sound and the mood of that album. The suits they wore at the gigs weren’t too bad either.
Did you catch the Staples solo gig in Sugar Club a coupleof years ago? I remember queueing outside beforehand, while Staples and David Kitt slipped out and went across the road , probably for a pre-gig pint.
Would love to go to Prague for a gig!
Aye, Curtains is a good album alright. Was playing some of it yesterday evening, as it happens!
I was living there at the time, and ended up going to some gigs out of curiosity more than anything, as there wasn’t a huge number of UK/US acts touring there, and tickets were cheap. So I got into Tindersticks by accident. Have seen them several times since then. A great band.
I’ve just read your Lou Reed review. He’s one of my favourites (hmm… a bit of a taste for the melancholy)- I’ve gone to a few of his gigs, but stopped short of travelling to Cork / Belfast to see him for the Berlin tour. I was in the front row at Helix a few years ago , and got to shake hands with the old grump at the end. He must be mellowing out in his old age!
You have come to the right place for downbeat music so! It gets wallowed in here at times!
Great story re Tindersticks. Have been to Prague several times (mostly work). It must have been a cracking place to live in back in the late 90s! I was first there in 1998 (I think). Apart from the really touristy spots, it still had a bit of a cowboy feel to it – not as much as Budapest had, mind, but still enough to be fun!
Thanks for the setlist and information!
No problems! Hope you enjoy(ed) the show!