King Creosote (Brighton)

The Duke of York's Melting Vinyl series kicked off in Brighton last night with a sit down gig from Scottish performer King Creosote and his backing group. The band were supported by an earnest acoustic guitar player from Newquay (Rory Joseph), who, like Creosote, swears by sticking to one's home town to avoid the petulance of music scene rivalry.

So it was a somewhat provincial feel, very much divorced from the crowing of Brighton's trendier venues and musically notable, distinct for its heavy dependence on traditional rock and country sounds. After an intimate and loveable set from Joseph, Creosote takes the stage and opens his own with a gorgeous and plaintive ballad of vocal athleticism and finger picked guitar that solidifies his presence as the main event of the evening. Then the band are introduced, all a good ten years older than the Arctic Monkeys (at least) and with a pleasingly shambolic look about them. The bassist is introduced as Uncle Beasely. The instrumentation is rich but plainly presented and the songs that follow are just as touching and effective as the first.

Like the alt.rock scene in America (and it is interesting to note that Lambchop's Kurt Wagner is also playing here in November), King Creosote's music is informed by traditional 'rootsy' music and by the landscape. Tracks are by turns emotive, heart wrenching and dramatic, taking at least some of their inspiration, it would seem, from Scotland's wilder landscapes. There is humour throughout, the band exchanging banter and muscial tomfoolery. It is a sign of their togetherness and live capabilities. 'You've No Clue Do You', which they proudly announce got to 195 in the charts, is tightly performed and more grimy and industrial than their more pastoral numbers. It is a crowd pleaser. The squall of a high pitched guitar wends its way through the percussion but it is not one of their better songs.

'Spystick' is haunting, beginning with a recording of choral singing, which is integrated into a minor chord transition and then expanded outward to majestic and beautiful proportions. Creosote brings out an accordian for 'Leslie', belying the group's roots in Celtic pub music. The instrument stays for three more tracks but does not add much to their sound, even on 'My Favourite Girl in All The World', which has an extended solo for the instrument. As the set comes into its last few songs we see the rockier side of King Creosote, and 'There's None of That' and 'At the WAL' have the seated crowd twitching to be allowed to get up.

This they do in the encore, which turns into a veritable cacophony of guitar and shouting. A good-natured gig from a genuine songwriting talent, bringing pastoral rock landscapes to the heart of Brighton.

Duke of York Cinema, Brighton, 9th October 2007.

Written by Huw Green.