 |
| |
|
| |
Live Review
by SaschaS
12-8-2003
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Starsailor: soul savers in pop desert? |
|
Live: Starsailor
ULU, London
Monday, August 11, 2003
Starsailor sweat for the privileged few
Just over two years ago Starsailor played ULU as part of their maiden UK tour. They are back in the students’ gigging place tonight to play a special show for their fanclub and competition winners. And to showcase their new album, ‘Silence Is Easy’, due out in about a month. It turns out to be even more special occasion as they’ve got a guest-guitarist, Mark Collins of The Charlatans.
He gives material extra dimension, turning it into a more epic musical offering, adding things that are on par with John Squire’s contribution to The Stone Rose-ers days. Alas, he is on “loan only”, singer James Walsh inform us, while his ‘boss’ Tim Burgess tackles his solo ‘demons’. For instance, ‘Lullaby’ has been turned into this monster of crashing guitars, Herculean drumbeats and an added intensity.
This show, by the nature of its audience, could never disappoint anyone and the new material was received with a hushed respectability and a bit of puzzlement. The Starsailor boys, and Walsh in particular (as a main songwriter regardless of what the album credit says), have found a new, more mature, own songwriting voice.
The old influences linger around but the new, wider ranging songs are emerging from more complex arrangements, piano-driven and orchestrated tracks to stop your love organ in a heartbeat, as the other song produced by the legendary Phil Spector, ‘White Dove’, demonstrates. But then, there is the funk-workout ‘Four To The Floor’, which sounded so good it should be renamed – ‘The Privileged Few’. ‘Born Again’ goes straight for the soul and captures it in a vice-like grip.
There is also something endearing about Walsh as a frontman especially when he ‘paints’ himself in a verbal corner: talking about “being back home” he names half-a-dozen UK cities, before sheepishly finishing with ‘Geography lesson is over”, or forgetting the third of the great albums of this summer he is recommending: Super Furry Animals, Shack and, after someone prompts him – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Starsailor make classy pop-rock that, we are afraid, can miss its mass mark due to its quality. It sounds ridiculous but when you observe what else makes the charts, plus Pop-Idolomania and Dido-like ‘Queens of dinning society’, with US tweenagers spending £95 billion on all kinds of consumables last year, jewels like ‘Poor Misguided Fool’, ‘Good Souls’ and the new single, ‘Silence Is Easy’ (produced by Spector), may just be above the heads of the shopping pre-teens.
And, damn it – while most of the London venues suffer from the air-con lack – the students enjoy their music in the most temperate setting. (Excluding the stage obviously, as Walsh’s shirt looked like he’s had a shower in it within several songs!) It added to the enjoyment of this superb band creating music that is of unremitting beauty, its main concern being the evergreen standard.
Tonight, as the stomping opener stated, ‘Music Was Saved’!
SaschaS
12-8-2003
Starsailor single ‘Silence Is Easy’ is released 01 September 2003 by EMI
Starsailor album ‘Silence Is Easy’ is released 15 September 2003 by EMI
|
|
|
