Second Row – Left of center 🙂

Went to this last night. Was great fun. Highlights – Nick Cave bounded onto stage, only to croon uncomfortably while straining against his short mic lead like some wild animal exploring the limits of a new cage. He attempted to baptise those of us in the first and second rows with sweat and saliva – but the bindings held. The pre-song banter of the Handsome Family was hilarious, Jarvis Cocker oozed something nasty, very rock and roll – but I loved it and who wouldn’t want the McGarrigle sisters in their family as mysterious black-sheep aunties?

I left with a crush on Julie Christiansen despite the allure of Beth Orton, but the real surprise of the night was Antony. This guy was channeling the look of Robert Smith, the mannerisms of Joe Cocker and the voice of Carlo Broschi. It was like watching someone continuously on the verge of a nervous breakdown, someone falling down but never hitting the ground, levitating nervously with a holy grace. He really did steal the show.

Vocals were not always clear, Too many of them didn’t know the words and made embarrassing mistakes reading from lyric sheets, but as Mr Cohen says “There is a crack in everything, That’s how the light gets in”.