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Devendra Banhart
by: bibalavie 13 december 06

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Firstly I’d like to say this gig was in Academy 2 and cost Ł17.50 (not incl. Booking fee). I’m not sure why it was so expensive and assumed we’d each be given a brand new Cadillac on our way out by way of making up the ticket price. Not the case.

They (he/we/whatever) were supported by ‘Vetiver’, Devendra’s ‘old’ band. We’d arrived fairly early and so decided to drink in the bar until Devendra came on. We missed the first 20 mins. Walking into the venue was kind of strange. A rather subdued crowd were a complete mish-mash of people, including children and a REALLY tall fella, with a REALLY small girlie. And they were a couple. I watched them for a bout 30mins so I know.

I’m not overly familiar with the work of Devendra Banhart and the Hairy Fairy band (who were alleged to have changed their name that night, but I think they lied), but really enjoyed the set, even though, as I said, rather subdued. The man sounds like he was raised under a single leaf of a gum tree, reared on the hallucinogenic breast milk of a big yellow spider. Oh yes. People like the ‘Big Yellow Spider’. There were many calls for it. Also requested from the occasionally shouty crowd was ‘Chinese Children’. Know, I know this song, it’s funny, but they didn’t play that. They played ‘Just Like a Child’ however, which got everybody from the back to the front nodding their heads and waving arms with gratitude. It’s a jolly jolly song.

Going back to the sprog in the audience, I have to say, concerned me slightly. If you’ve ever heard any of his stuff, mostly the songs are about children. And how he’d like to find a little boy. And how he’d like to be a child and so on. Now, I’m not suggesting anything untoward or anything, but if say for example, I had a child, although I’d love to take them to gigs and stuff, and have an early appreciation for music, I wouldn’t have taken them to this gig. Which is a shame, coz they would’ve thoroughly enjoyed it I’m sure.

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