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After his early self-made cassettes spawned a cult following, most famously exhibited when Kurt Cobain wore a t shirt bearing his Hi, How Are You slogan at a 1992 MTV Awards show, Daniel Johnston has become one of the most unlikely outsider pop stars.
First on stage, Johnston’s friends The Wave Pictures play a brief set of tight indie rock songs. Unassuming at first, frontman David Tattersall’s anecdote about the band’s ejection the same day from a Leeds greasy spoon for ‘overcomplicating’ an order of eggs and toast endears them to the crowd, and their remaining songs fly by with vim.
Laura Marling’s main support slot is long-awaited, and half the audience sit in the central floor space of the club for her set. On opening pair ‘Ghosts’ and ‘My Manic and I’, her voice is impeccable, seeming to have matured since her earlier recordings; they pitch somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Martha Wainwright, retaining poise but sounding world-wearier than they once were. Her voice matches her songwriting, which is now more heavily influenced by her first loves Mitchell, Dylan and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.
Having become known for his lo-fi home recorded albums, especially Songs of Pain and Hi, How Are You, Daniel Johnston’s latest album Is and Always Was has the artist backed by a band in what seems an attempt to tame his irregular style into something more conventional, perhaps along the lines of his beloved Beatles. He takes to the stage alone, appearing sheepish, but takes purposeful strides as the audience receives him ecstatically.
Opening his clip folder of lyric sheets, he stands alone with a guitar to play a stripped down version of the self-referencing ‘Lost in my Infinite Memory’. Its initial lyric, “Hi, how are you these days? Everything seems sorta crazed”, indicates the first of many songs to be heavily informed by his lengthy struggle with bipolar disorder.
As the set progresses, his excitement and nervous shaking become more pronounced, and his strained vocals lose some rhythm, but the less consistent his performance, the more absorbed the crowd becomes. Joined by a guitarist, he sings ‘Living Life’ and ‘Hey Joe’ before closing the first half with a charming singalong cover of The Beatles’ ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’.
After a short break, The Wave Pictures join with his guitarist to form something resembling a house band, casually riffing Johnston’s animated return. With his desired position at the front of a rock n’ roll band realised, they intersperse more of his own songs (including ‘Silly Love’ and ‘Love Not Dead’) with covers of The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ and ‘Revolution’, and Queen’s ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’.
The band is understated and extremely competent, but their backing vocals are out of place. Even with such inconsistencies, though, the show remains compelling and the crowd stays enthralled by Johnston, who is clearly a unique and valuable performer. For sure, whatever degree of polish producers may apply to his studio recordings, he will remain both luminous and affecting in his ramshackle performances, which seem apt to induce laughter and tears in equal measure.
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