The setlist was stuck on the monitor just in front of me, so I was trying to make sure I wasn’t looking as I didn’t really want spoilers! They opened with a rip-roaring version of Blue Hour and didn’t let up from there. We’d been promised a set composed of songs from the first 4 albums and we weren’t disappointed. What followed was a truly tremendous Source Years spanning setlist. Turin Brakes wasted no time coming to the stage after Tom departed. Tom gave a great performance, spending one song amongst the crowd bathed in smartphone lights. 300 capacity, apparently, and this place certainly has some history. The venue was small a wide, with the widest stage I’ve ever seen in a venue of this size. I had 3 nice pints of Brewdog: Dead Pony Club Session Pale Ale. The beer was great, if not eye wateringly priced (but then it was London). That meant that we got right to the front, centre stage, where Olly’s mike was set-up. The doors were at 7.30pm and for the first time ever, we actually arrived a little early and queued outside on Oxford Street (in front of Ann Summers, no less). We weren’t quite sure what to expect from a “secret gig”. Despite a strong sense of loyalty and emotional attachment to this band, I feel I can reasonably say that this is probably the best gig I’ve ever been to. The reason that’s so important is that I need to stress how good this gig truly was. What I’m trying to emphasise here is that I’m a big fan of this band. Clare came down the aisle to Fishing for a Dream and one of our wedding tables was named after The Optimist LP. I own an extensive collection of Turin Brakes vinyl & CDs (68 items according to my discogs page) and had seen them live 15 times before this gig.
Turin Brakes have been one of my favourite bands since The Optimist LP was released in 2001. Unfortunately the box set was cancelled, but Clare and I re-purchased gig tickets and took a trip to the capital. While Josh may never approach the commercial appeal and legendary status of Neil, there’s no record Young has released since Josh’s 1998 debut Dressed Up Like Nebraska in 1998 that I’d rather listen to than one of Rouse’s.This was originally a secret gig, available only to those who ordered the planned Source Years vinyl box set. On “New Young” from the current record, Rouse laments of a dream about Neil Young and closes with the line “I’ll never be that good, you know.” Well, to this listener, nothing could be further from the truth. Only 43 years old with a dozen great records under his belt, Josh Roush still remains to me one of the most solid singer-songwriters working today. He also encouraged the crowd to get off their feet remarking that this was the lone venue of the tour that even had seats.įurther last-night antics also included (1) drummer Pisapia singing lead on “Hollywood Bass Player”, (2) opening act Walter Martin (bass player for indie band, The Walkman) fronting the band for the title track of his new adult-friendly children’s record, and (3) Rouse leaving the stage to frolic among the crowd while singing the lively “Love Vibration.” In fact, at one point, Josh gave us one of those loose “last night of the tour” statements in which he truthfully told us they would be playing more songs than usual. Opening the show with the calendar-fitting “Saturday,” Rouse wove a scattering of friendly faves in and around some of the latest record’s melancholy tunes. While the new Embers record finds Rouse sharing his not always pleasant feelings about himself, the approaching middle age singer-songwriter was in a joyful high-spirited mood throughout the evening. Rounding out the quartet was the slick guitarist from Spain, Xema Fuertes, who played with Josh last time round. Hags, who along with drummer Marc Pisapia, were (and I guess still are) members of Nashville pop band, Joe, Marc’s Brother as well as longtime Rouse bandmates. One change to the band this time was Nashvillian James Haggerty’s return on bass. On the final night of a brief US tour to promote his latest release, The Embers of Time, Rouse returned home to the Third & Lindsley stage where he last appeared two years ago. Despite the fact that he now lives in Spain, Josh Rouse will forever be a Music City resident in our hearts.