Lindsay Hannon (vocals, egg shakers); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Brendan Murphy (percussion, old boot & spanner)
Tom Waits for No Man is a winner. Selling out wherever it plays, Lindsay Hannon's set is nothing short of fabulous. This afternoon's Gala Theatre concert held a capacity audience spellbound. Lindsay's diction, intonation and interpretation of a lyric were simply flawless - and not a lyrics sheet in sight.
Lindsay's musicians on the gig - a bluesy, saloon bar Alan Law (piano), a barrel-straight Paul Grainger (bass) and the percussion maestro that is Brendan Murphy - got it exactly right, number after number. Tom Waits isn't jazz but that's not the point. What we have here is a concert performance of the highest order. A liking for jazz isn't a requirement, it isn't necessary to be a card-carrying member of the Tom Waits fan club, anyone with an ear cannot fail to be other than impressed.
From Chocolate Jesus to Jockey Full of Bourbon (Tom Waits' song titles are works of art in themselves), Lindsay and the boys were sitting at the bar in a two-bit juke joint just off the turnpike in upstate wherever. As their stories unfolded - Warm Beer and Cold Women, Picture in a Frame, Martha - we cocked an ear to the conversation. Down at heel, down on their luck, another bourbon, if you please.
Yes, Tom Waits for No Man is a winner. Next time Lindsay is in town, pull up at chair and take a listen. Russell
Set list (all Tom Waits except where indicated): Chocolate Jesus; Cold, Cold Ground; Gin Soaked Boy; Warm Beer and Cold Women; Soldier's Things; Jesus Gonna Be Here; Down, Down, Down; Picture in a Frame; Pasties and a G-String; Johnsburg, Illinois; Tango Till They're Sore; Martha; Stop Breakin' Down Blues (Robert Johnson); Jockey Full of Bourbon.
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