Birmingham’s Been Good to Kurt Vile: Live Review
A sold-out show at XOYO turned what was a rainy day in Digbeth into a celebration of the East Coast rocker’s most recent album, Philadelphia’s been good to me.
It’s 7:45pm and a packed-out XOYO is eagerly waiting for this tour’s opener, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band to take the stage; don’t be fooled by the venue’s 700 live-room capacity. Any space in front of its sound desk delivers an intimate gig-going experience, one that I had admittedly forgotten about as I placed myself into the centre of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, a high-energy and potent performance immediately casts its spell onto Birmingham’s punters as Ryan Davis opens with ‘The Simple Joy’; It’s clear that some are unfamiliar with the Kentucky wordsmith, but the near six-minute ‘Monte Carlo / No Limits’ ignites an attentiveness to the stage through a buck wild visual performance from The Roadhouse Bands’ percussionist Dan Davis (no, not related).
Unannounced breakbeats and lyrics that are frustratingly clever flaunt Ryan’s eclectic practice of songwriting. Davis is rightfully rewarded a 45-minute set to flex his creative muscles with deeper cuts like ‘Flashes of Orange’ and ‘Junk Drawer Heart’, finishing off with a powerful rendition of the title track from The Roadhouse Band’s latest record ‘New Threats From the Soul’. Look, I've managed to see Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse band around five times in the UK, and with each time it’s clear that those who were yet to discover the former State Champion songwriter were soon electrified by Davis's outlandish approach to Alt-Americana. A must see for anyone interested in the current new wave of Alt-Country.
It’s 7:45pm and a packed-out XOYO is eagerly waiting for this tour’s opener, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band to take the stage; don’t be fooled by the venue’s 700 live-room capacity. Any space in front of its sound desk delivers an intimate gig-going experience, one that I had admittedly forgotten about as I placed myself into the centre of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, a high-energy and potent performance immediately casts its spell onto Birmingham’s punters as Ryan Davis opens with ‘The Simple Joy’; It’s clear that some are unfamiliar with the Kentucky wordsmith, but the near six-minute ‘Monte Carlo / No Limits’ ignites an attentiveness to the stage through a buck wild visual performance from The Roadhouse Bands’ percussionist Dan Davis (no, not related).
Unannounced breakbeats and lyrics that are frustratingly clever flaunt Ryan’s eclectic practice of songwriting. Davis is rightfully rewarded a 45-minute set to flex his creative muscles with deeper cuts like ‘Flashes of Orange’ and ‘Junk Drawer Heart’, finishing off with a powerful rendition of the title track from The Roadhouse Band’s latest record ‘New Threats From the Soul’. Look, I've managed to see Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse band around five times in the UK, and with each time it’s clear that those who were yet to discover the former State Champion songwriter were soon electrified by Davis's outlandish approach to Alt-Americana. A must see for anyone interested in the current new wave of Alt-Country.
Thirty minutes have soon passed, and more people than ever gather in front of the smoke tinged stage; suddenly the lights were to dim and Kurt Vile & The Violators walk out unassumingly. ‘Red Room Dub’ opens the show, setting a precedent for the rest of the set, for the songs that keep rolling and rolling, almost like a stream of consciousness for Kurt and the rest of his band. ‘Zoom 97’ gives us our first taste of the unconcerned slacker infused voice of KV through a somewhat effortless delivery. Vile keeps it cool on standout track ‘99 BPM’, waving his arm at the crowd in time with the pronunciation of every single word like he’s whipping us into shape for each song’s unapologetically prolonged rendition. Every soul remains quiet for a few acoustic numbers, those of which KV seemed to start with a tinge of nervousness, delving into earlier material before returning to his electric guitar and unleashing the Lo-Fi, DIY, Rock n’ Roll epic ‘Chance to Bleed’. A personal favourite of mine that I just can’t get enough of; a song that is suitable for a vigorous fist pump to celebrate it’s simple but extremely catchy chorus.
Vile begins to alter his vocal phrasing on the hit ‘Pretty Pimpin’, a decision that can be frustrating for those that have been living with its 2015 recording, but it’s KV’s carefree attitude which holds the charm within the reimagined. Ending on the ten-minute ‘Wakin On a Pretty Day’ tied up the set respectably with delicate arrangements and freestyle-like solos, but it didn’t take long for the bow to be undone with a three-track encore beginning with the psychedelic ‘Bassackwards’, chugging through its full runtime whilst weaving between reflection and recollection as KV sings about a spiral in his life caused from substance abuse. Leaving us with a sombre note, ‘Every time I look at you’ fills the now sweat ridden room with a glimmer of hope as he details his pride in watching someone grow. A fitting end for the show as we in the crowd have witnessed a development in the discography of the Slacker-Rock King, celebrating and dwelling in the release of his newest effort. A few waves from the stage and Kurt Vile & The Violators slip through the back door and retreat from a rousing ovation like nothing ever happened. There’s a lot to admire from the ex-War on Drugs collaborator, and it’s clear that even after an already two decades-long career, there’s no slowing down for Kurt Vile.
Footnotes
All photos provided by Sam Frank Wood
If you fancy a wee commute to the states you can catch Kurt and the Violators on the rest of their tour