1,037 THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS, Creatures, London Camden Town Electric Ballroom, Tuesday 9th May 2017

It’s getting increasingly hard to justify crossing ye olde London Town on a school night, and the list of acts which I’d do that for is becoming increasingly smaller. The New Pornographers, however, certainly still feature; barely 2 ½ years after 2014’s “Brill Bruisers”, they’re back with a new album, “Whiteout Conditions”, which continues their journey towards a synthier and more electronic framework upon which to base their splendidly crafted and ingeniously arranged material. Interestingly, this is also the first to be exclusively written by mainman Carl “AC” Newman, rather than with regular contributors Neko Case and Dan Bejar chipping in, possibly explaining both the lack of a solo AC Newman album in the intervening gap, as is this prolific songwriter’s usual modus operandi, and also the relatively quick turnaround between albums!

No matter, I’m happy with a new New Pornographers album whenever and however it arrives, and particularly if it’s accompanied by their usual whistle stop London date. Rach didn’t fancy Camden on a Tuesday night, though, but Beef did, so we headed off early and parked up in Shepherd’s Bush, tubing over to the Electric Ballroom for 8pm. Quiet early doors, this one, and it was still sparsely attended when support Creatures took the stage at 8.30. Not Siouxsie and Budgie’s old side project, unsurprisingly, this was rather a 5-piece of pseudo cowboy musicians bedecked in shoelace ties, waistcoats and Stetsons, playing an approximation of some Quentin Tarantino spaghetti western soundtrack tunes, and led by the bastard son of Benicio Del Toro, all tumbling of hair and thick of sideburns and ‘tache, mincing unfortunately around the stage like Larry Grayson. Probably shooting for a dustier desert version of The Killers but falling way short, and if our friend the vocalist’s voice (particularly the top-end range) were more quavery, it’d be in a yellow packet!

Anyway, from the ridiculous to the sublime; our spot down the front, stage left, got appreciably busier as the witching hour approached, and when The New Pornographers took the stage at 9.30 to some rousing punk backing track, anticipation was palpable. They didn’t disappoint; opener “High Ticket Attractions” was a chugging rocker featuring a sublime triple vocal attack of Newman, keyboardist Kathryn Calder and new tour member, backing vocalist Simi Stone, all line astern at the front of the stage (with the guitarist, somewhat prophetically given the prominence of the keyboards in the more recent material, secreted away next to the hard-hitting drummer); “The Laws Have Changed” kept the pace fast and frantic, and an excellent, unexpected “Twin Cinema” completed an breathless opening triple salvo. Great start!

This was a tremendous and startlingly hard-rocking performance from The New Pornographers, with one powerful, strident blast of superbly hand-crafted alt/ powerpop following another, with little respite until the plaintive, slow-burn acoustic opening of “Adventures In Solitude”, 9 numbers in! Led by the initially taciturn Newman (no Dan Bejar at all tonight, so none of his songs such as “War On The East Coast” in the set), they charged through the set at a ferocious pace, giving the impression of a prize-fighter trying to put his opponent away early! Certainly the songs were all knockout punches; “Dancehall Domine” was a colourful, funky strut, “Whiteout Conditions” a metronomic and cascading wordy build-up to a soaring choral hook, easily the best of the new numbers on display, and “World Of The Theater” featured some splendidly lilting vocals from Calder. Newman eventually loosened up, complimenting London’s tourist attractions before “Backstairs”, and, following the brilliant, beetle-crushing boot stomp of set highlight “Sing Me Spanish Techno”, responded to the crowd’s ovation with, “just [give us] a nod of approval – that’s all we want!”

Simi Stone took an impressive lead vocal for the blaring synth of “Play Money”, prompting a high five from Newman and a subsequent boast from the frontman about beating his 5 year old at “high five, down low, too slow”, because, “his brain’s not fully formed yet!” The subsequent “Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk” was lovely, a joyous fairgroundesque reel, calling for, “specific handclaps!” from Simi, and a galloping “Mass Romantic” closed out the set. The best, however, was saved for last; a 4-song encore (featuring another go at “High Ticket Attractions” as, “we screwed it up,” according to Newman) was topped with their masterpiece, “The Bleeding Heart Show”, again sneaking in like a ghost in the night, inveigling its’ way into one’s consciousness before building to a huge and euphoric crescendo. Just the perfect way to close out a quite superb performance. Set-list, merch, food at the Bush and a red-eyed, late arrival home (1.20 am), but totally worth the effort!

934 THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS, Mini Mansions, London Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Tuesday 2 December 2014

My final scheduled gig of a totally satisfactory 2014 is a welcome reunion with those prodigiously talented tunesmiths, The New Pornographers! Since my last sighting, in this very venue (gig 804, a week shy of 4 years ago exactly), I’d done the work I’d implied I needed to do on their back catalogue and found it utterly rewarding, their 3^rd album “Twin Cinema” in particular becoming a regular in-car favourite of mine. Their current album “Brill Bruisers” is again a work of dazzling tunefulness, the only real departure being a hazy sprinkling of 80’s style keyboard and synth to embellish their usual wide and varied chameleonic musical approach and irresistibly brain hugging hooks, so I pounced on tix for this one straight away on the pre-sale. Also, after badgering Rachel for ages to listen to them, she finally crumbled, then realised I’d been speaking truths about their wondrous tuneage, so booked herself a ticket to join me! Yay!

 

So we headed off at 5, stopping for tea at Heston yet still parking up in our usual spot before 7.30, hitting the surprisingly quiet early-doors venue for openers Mini Mansions, on at 7.45. A California trio of bass, synth and a dapper, white suited Paul Simpson lookalike playing drums standing up, they played some 80’s-influenced synth pop with falsetto harmonies overlaid, making them sound very dated (The Bee Gees and Hall And Oates were two comparisons we made!). A dour, plodding cover of “Heart Of Glass” was almost funereal in feel, and not even a subsequent brighter, upbeat original number recalling Our Daughter’s Wedding could rescue them for me. At 45 minutes, they overstayed their welcome considerably, too…

 

We stayed stage centre, down the front, as the place filled up, Rach correctly tipping the band to come on at 9, rather than my website-provided 8.45 schedule. Sure enough, at 9 the 7-strong New Pornographers line-up sauntered onstage, led by strawberry-blond mainman Carl “AC” Newman and bearded, bohemian Dan Bejar, two-thirds of the band’s songwriting triumvirate, with Neko Case being oddly absent tonight. They kicked into the glam stomp and almost orchestral harmonies of opener “Brill Bruisers”, but the sound didn’t do them justice, sounding trebly, echoey and a little thin, almost as if the sound was exclusively coming out of the onstage monitors and bouncing off the stage backdrop. A few numbers in, it had improved to the point that you could actually hear Carl and Dan’s vocals, but remained sub-par throughout. A real shame, this, at this usually pindrop-perfect sounding venue.

 

I however have no doubt that when the New Pornographers sit down to write new material, they hang up “Quiet – Genius At Work!” signs. They all deftly walk a tightrope between producing mature, sophisticated – almost, whisper it, grown-up – songs in various chameleonic musical styles, which nonetheless all possess a vibrant, hooky immediacy which prevents them degenerating into clever-cleverness, instead really making them shine and sparkle. That said, they were hindered with the poor sound tonight, throughout, and then there was the intrigue of Dan… The unkempt, almost Columbo-like Bejar kept disappearing, only returning onstage to add his low, laconic and nuanced vocals to his own material before bowing low each time and taking off again, leaving his partner-in-crime to attempt to explain his absence (“where does he go? I can’t answer that! I think he [goes off and] reads Camus or something…”

 

All that said, they were still never less than excellent tonight, particularly energetic keyboardist Kathryn Calder, who filled in on the absent Case’s vocals and for me was possibly tonight’s MVP. Bejar’s wry vocals on “Myriad Harbour” recalled the NYC cool of Mink DeVille, the wobbleboard carousel ride of “Use It” and the darkly dramatic “War On The East Coast”, with its’ soaring chorus were an early double-whammy, and the jagged “Jackie, Dressed In Cobras” was a mid-set highlight. “Testament To Youth” featured a lovely acapella “bell ringing” middle 8 which was received reverentially by the quiet, studious crowd, and set closer “Mass Romantic” saw a mini mosh break out to its’ galloping, off-kilter joyride.

 

However, they saved the best until last; an utterly superb encore of “Spanish Techno” was topped by “The Bleeding Heart Show”, building from almost murder-ballad hush, through sinister flamenco, then to a galloping crescendo layered with harmonies. Brilliant, and a perfect punctuation point on a splendid set.

 

The home journey was a stinker, however, with Junction 2 of the M4 being shut, necessitating a painfully slow crawl through Brentford and a diversion around Heathrow, culminating in a home arrival at a red-eyed ¼ to 1. Yikes! Nonetheless, a thoroughly enjoyable evening despite a couple of bumps in the road, in good company both with my Rachey, and with The New Pornographers!

804 THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS, 'Allo Darlin', London Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Thursday 9 December 2010

The final gig of an entirely satisfying 2010 Gigging Year – 28 in total, including the landmark gig 800 – and it’s kind of a new band on me; The New Pornographers, whom Tim introduced me to earlier this year when I was looking for some challenging new music, and whose current, 5th, album ,“Together”, I’d picked up as a result. Initially dismissing it as pretty but lightweight, it’s since grown on me considerably, displaying as it does those overlooked virtues of quality, intelligent songcraft and excellent musicianship. A loose collective built around 2 Vancouver singer-songwriters, Neko Case and Carl “AC” Newman, they’ve a terrible name but an intriguing one, and this became a gig I increasingly looked forward to, as it loomed closer.

A slight car-mare to start off, however; Tim was working in Oxford so we agreed to meet up at Chieveley, but it took ages to clear Swindon due to an accident on the M4 slipway, and I then had to pay £10 to park! Ouch! However, it was plain sailing thereafter and we parked at ¼ to 8 at the Bush, hitting the oddly deserted venue 45 minutes before the first band were on! Said band, the equally poorly named ‘Allo Darlin’, featured a gawky yet oddly attractive Australian female vocalist, playing a ukulele over some slightly dated sounding but charming fey whimsical pop, as if C86 had never left us. Said vocalist and the impressively gay-moustached bassist bounced up and down over songs such as “Darren”, the Darren in question being the lead singer of Hefner, which kind of nailed their influences to the mast somewhat. Nevertheless, a diverting way to spend half an hour.

The venue filled up, but was by no means full, as we leant by the barriers, stage left, awaiting The New Pornographers, who joined just before 9.30. A 7-piece band, they kicked off with “Moves”, “Together”'s opening track, the strident riff leading into a buoyant,upbeat march of a song. They fairly whipped through their set, for the most part only stopping for brief pauses to swap tambourines around between numbers, and chalked up an impressive 22 numbers (including the 2 encores) in their 1½ hour performance. Good going! Difficult to pigeonhole, their sound is based on some very cleverly built rhythm changes, nagging pseudo choral hooks scattered liberally throughout their intelligently structured numbers, and some striking male-female vocal interplay from twin figureheads Carl, and Neko, who with an unkempt pile of ginger hair resembled a more striking Carol Decker! A real intelligence, without descending into clever-cleverness, at work to make their songs sound deceptively simple yet have the ability to grow on you like a rash. During one of their lengthier between-song breaks, Carl, in response to a comment from the drummer referencing Motorhead’s “No Sleep Till Hammersmith” album, cutely asked, “what element of my songs suggest that I own anything by Motorhead?” which was a fair point. More telling, perhaps, was his comment about looking forward to see Julian Cope (“who you may know from his earlier work as… Julian Cope”) at ATP this weekend. Good taste!

I’ve evidently got some homework to do on this band, as I enjoyed most of the unfamiliar (to me) material as much as their “Together” stuff, surprisingly rockier as some of it was, although my highlights of a sparkling, upbeat and deliciously poppy sing-along set were the early-set “Crash Years” and “Up In The Dark”. Overall, a lovely way to conclude the gig year!