Issue 55 / May 2015

44
Bido Lito! May 2015
Reviews
Duke Special (Jack Thompson / m0nks.co.uk)
is delivered in a woozy manner that highlights
how versatile Marchant’s vocals can be.
Sonically speaking he may not have the most
impressive voice but the delivery changes on
nearly every track to great effect: the sullen
drawl of Love More Worry Less gives way to the
reserved approach of Deckchairs On The Moon,
which explodes into an array of optimism and
glitter when the monumental chorus kick in.
Marchant’s three-piece live band also deserve
enormous credit for ensuring that the more
deeply layered songs from Bipolar’s Sunshine’s
catalogue are just as detailed when performed
live. And then some.
There are multiple song covers too: Mad
World makes an appearance, but their rendition
of Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Kanye West’s
recent Four Five Seconds is so organic it almost
takes the room a minute or two to realise they
are singing someone else’s song.
Chatter is kept to a minimum throughout
the night except for some very appreciative
“thank you”s. Marchant does however instruct
the crowd to take two steps towards the stage,
presumably to get everyone in attendance on
backing vocals which he calls out for frequently
over the course of the forty-five-minute set.
On record Bipolar Sunshine have a tendency
to lean towards a delicate approach that can be
construed as a little underwhelming but the live
incarnations of these tracks take on a character that
is hugely explosive and absorbing. If this formula
can be bottled and applied to their forthcoming
debut album then Marchant just might make the
breakthrough that Kid British (his previous band)
always promised but never achieved.
Matthew Cooper / @C00pasaurus
DUKE SPECIAL
Arts Club
DUKE SPECIAL is one of those performers who
has been around the music circuit for a long,
long time but still remains an underground
artist. Instead of having an exorbitant fanbase,
he has staunch followers who keep one beady
eye on announcements for new work and
one ear turned towards the radio, hoping for
Freewheel to come out of the speakers.
Eager anticipation fills Arts Club tonight as
people are craning their necks to see through
the wings of the stage. When Duke Special
finally fumbles onto the stage, in standard
Victorian-cum-hipster attire with dreadlocks
falling all over the shop, the opening could be
described as inauspicious. The track – Elephant’s
Graveyard from new album Look Out Machines!
– pays homage to early Placebo, which is an
unexpected diversion and perhaps not an
altogether welcome one.
Thankfully, things get back on track with
No Cover Up, and later Duke takes some
classic requests and does a memory-jogging
performance of Last Night I Nearly Died. It’s
these songs in particular that remind you how
good a live proposition Duke is; you don’t
just get songs regurgitated from his albums,
instead, each one is slightly different from the
recorded version.
The theatrical surroundings perfectly reflect
the interesting listening tonight and the crowd
respond accordingly. Duke always brings
something peculiar to the table and this evening
is no different when he announces he’s going
to perform three covers of songs from surrealist
poet Ivor Cutler. I Am Going In A Field makes for
a welcome whimsical interlude.
A highlight is his stripped-back version of
Freewheel; tearing my eyes from the pianoclad
performer, I see people wiping their eyes
and it’s understandable. This, perhaps his most
famous song, is incredibly moving. More readily
recognised as an anthem-sized tune from the
Songs From The Deep Forest album, tonight it
is gentle, with a sadness that could even have
me shed a tear.
Duke is constantly changing the tempo of
the evening and follows up the emotion of
Freewheel with a cover of Kurt Vile’s Applejack.
The various covers which smatter tonight’s set
allow us to see from where the Irish troubadour
drawers his inspiration – from the quirky
performance style of Tim Minchin to the oddness
of Kurt Vile and Ivor Cutler. I beseech everyone
to take in a Duke Special show. The Placebo
influence could perhaps be left out, however.
Naters P / @natersp
BROOKE SHARKEY
Adam Beattie
The Caledonia
Stepping into the Cali on a foggy Easter
Sunday evening as ADAM BEATTIE, long-time
collaborator of headliner BROOKE SHARKEY,
takes to the stage, offers some welcome respite
from a hectic Bank Holiday weekend. Soaked in
the flavours of East Coast 1920s blues, and with
a voice to match, Beattie’s strong and laconic
melodies seem just as suited to a cross-country
hobo boxcar ride as to the busy confines of
Liverpool’s greatest music pub. He finishes
with a song about his grandfather, The Song
Of A Hundred Years, a stunning end to a set of
sublime beauties.
London-based singer-songwriter Brooke
Sharkey was born in England and spent her
teenage years in France. At the age of sixteen,
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