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With
a heavily strapped left wrist, sprained earlier in the week, Ed
Harcourt took to the small Madame Jo Jo's stage for the penultimate
night of his residency high on beer, pain killers and a love of
playing.
His
website had pre-warned ticket holders to expect a slightly subdued
performance. But what followed was anything but restrained.
| "He
seemed to relish the closeness of the crowd and at one point
shared a couple of drinks with a fan at the front..." |
Keane
may have been delivering their Coldplay-lite anthems to thousands
south of the river at the Brixton Academy, but the 180-strong crowd
at Madame Jo-Jos were treated to the real deal: real emotion and
real energy in a wonderfully intimate venue.
One of the songs Ed performed from his new album is exactly what
we got: no accident to learn it's called Open Book.
From the sweet melancholy of the opener 'This One's for You',
performed by Ed and a lone trumpeter, to the disturbingly powerful
'Misguided' and the fun-filled 'Born in the 70s', the
Sussex-born troubadour never held back.
relish
He
seemed to relish the closeness of the crowd at the Soho nightspot,
engaging in lots of friendly banter and, at one point, sharing a
couple of drinks with a fan at the front.
Whether it was just Ed and his solo horn blower or Ed and his five-piece
band, each song - barring a rather messy version of 'She Fell Into
My Arms' - was a joy to behold.
Much of the set, which was changed for each of the four nights,
was drawn from his awesome, latest long player Strangers.
But
those who were only acquainted with the Mercury-nominated Here
Be Monsters album will not have been disappointed - not by a
long shot.
On
this evidence, Ed can afford to sprain his other wrist too.
Verdict:
lounge music for those 'Born in the 70s'.
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