King Creosote
King Creosote
with support from Port O'Brien
The Point, Cardiff
Thursday 13th September 2007
by Jay Cockayne
In contrast to The Point's fortnightly Bogiez rock-out event, this was always going to be more of a sit-down affair, with fans resorting to sitting on the floor when chairs ran out. But that didn't mean it was going to be a laid-back event, and when Californian four-piece Port O'Brien strolled on stage, the crowd was in for a delightful surprise.
With rough, husky vocals and counterpart edgy female tones, Port O'Brien's style is reminiscent of Arcade Fire, or The Subways, but with a peppering of REM and The Flaming Lips, and a dollop of individuality thrown on top. That's a pretty odd mix, but well worth hearing. You cruise along with their guitar- (and, refreshingly, banjo-) driven, folky melodies, which gradually build up to a raucous instrument-frenzy climax, making you tingle all over and covering you with goose pimples. The fact that their timing can't exactly be termed tight, only adds to their quirkiness. Lead singer and composer Van Pierszalowski spent many summers at sea, fishing with his father, and you can hear that through his sea-shanty-esque songs. Not in the sense that Port O'Brien sing to you about the day's haul, but rather that their rhythmic, sing-along pieces evoke togetherness and camaraderie. With such a good vibe buzzing through the crowd as Port O'Brien walked off stage, headliner King Creosote had a hard act to follow.
Yet he did so with ease, and not surprisingly after so many years of experience. Having once been described as looking like he'd walked off the set of Lord of The Rings, Kenny Anderson (the King's real name) was looking rather less 'hobbity', sporting an unusually short haircut and shaven face, although he obviously still has the longevity of a hobbit, being forty years old but with the looks and enthusiasm of someone half his age.
King Creosote
For anyone who hasn't heard the talents of King Creosote, one word springs to mind; captivating. Whether singing, playing or just talking to the crowd, he never lost their interest. With so many up-and-coming bands jumping on the 'sing-with-a-regional-accent' bandwagon, it's exhilarating to hear King Creosote's dulcet Scottish tones naturally filtering through, as smooth as a good Scottish whisky and making you feel just as warm inside, giving his songs that unique, Celtic edge. He has over six-hundred tracks and two dozen albums to his name, a back-catalogue which is firstly to be impressed by, and secondly, is perhaps quite daunting when touring - with just over an hours timeslot, which tracks do you choose to satisfy both long-followers and prospective fans?
For this timeslot, he showcased tracks from his latest much-anticipated offering Bombshell, an album which features his soft-folk sound, but with the added bonus of electric guitar pop and rock, as well as his new accordion, which he was proud to show to one and all.
Highlights of his performance were the catchy You've No Clue Do You, the melancholic Leslie, where his beautiful Celtic voice unfurls, and the emotional Spystick, which makes your heart beat faster and faster as the volume and intensity culminate. You're urged to go and see him live to join in with that intensity, to sing along with some marvellous songs, and to laugh out loud at Kenny's cheeky banter. He's a Fife lad born and bred, and for many years refused to play outside his hometown, but, fortunately for us, he confesses he's getting out more, his music becoming ever more accessible. He may not want the big-time fame, but with his multi-talented charm, he'll just have to put up with it.
King Creosote is on tour in the UK until Wednesday 31st October. For more details, see his page here on Ents24.
