James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
Acknowledging Wilco’s relative anonymity on this side of the Atlantic, Tweedy tentatively invited the crowd to sing along to ‘Jesus Etc.’, and was surprised when the response was strong enough that he didn’t even need to take to the microphone for the opening verses. The crowd's continued rapturous response was never in doubt, even when frontman Jeff Tweedy’s once prickly relationship with British audiences showed signs of resurfacing, when he told a fan to leave for filming a few early songs. Later on, he was moved to say “sorry that you had to see my angry side”, and the crowd was more than willing to forgive.
Like all the best live bands on their size, the excitement of the ensemble is matched only by the adeptness of its individual members at their own instruments. Glenn Kotche’s drumming was in equal parts showy and creative, whilst Pat Sansone was just as impressive on keyboards and guitar. Head and shoulders above the rest of the band, though, Nels Cline’s performance on guitar was virtuosic and a perfect foil for Tweedy’s more traditional leanings on acoustic guitar; his rack of six electric guitars was put to full use as he powered through numerous solos, thrashing his way through ‘You Are My Face’ and his extended solo on ‘Impossible Germany’, alongside more conventional fare on ‘Hummingbird’ and ‘Radio Cure’.
Playing a full set of songs from across their career, the band chose their setlist wisely, more songs coming from experimental career highlight Yankee Hotel Foxtrot than from any other of their seven albums. The chosen songs provided numerous opportunities for the band to show off its edgier side, with the likes of ‘I Am Trying to Break Your Heart’ and ‘Poor Places’ becoming enveloped in white noise. More intensely rhythmic were ‘Bull Black Nova’ and ‘Spiders (Kidsmoke)’, the latter of which rose out ‘Poor Places’’ deafening climax.
For all their avant-garde leanings, plenty of space remained for their country roots to breathe, with ‘I'm the Man Who Loves You’ and ‘I’m a Wheel’ among the stomping highlights. Breathing new life into album tracks old and new, Wilco managed to make each song feel like a joyful event of its own, without ever detracting from the unity of the set as a whole.
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