Willy Porter - Green Note, Camden 27/10/2019
The super-compact Green Note is one of RGM’s very favourite venues. There’s invariably a friendly welcome and the low lighting, velvet curtains and bare brick walls adorned with paintings of Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake all align to create a reverent and rustic intimacy which encourages those pin-drop moments of spiritual levity we crave from a performance. For me at least, its proximity to the 29 bus route is also a big plus.
Those pin-drop moments are in plentiful supply tonight as we are treated to not one but two sets from US troubadour Willy Porter. Porter has been bringing his own brand of songsmithery (and fingerstyle guitar wizardry) to audiences the world over for thirty years, and that wealth of experience is writ large in a performance that is somehow effortlessly spotless while remaining relaxed and informal.
Willy Porter’s first set sees the singer digging deep into his early catalogue with ‘Boab Tree’ and ‘Angry Words’ from his 1995 major label debut Dog Eared Dream rubbing shoulders with ‘Breathe’ and the wonderful ‘Unconditional’ from 2002’s self-titled album. For now, 1999’s fabulous ‘Falling Forward’ record is overlooked but newer tunes ‘Akasha Wind’ and ‘River Speak’ do plenty to make amends. For the former, we’re invited to join in for an almost hymnal chorus section which rates particularly high on the Warm-Glowometer ™. The first set comes to a close with the bluesy, groove-laden ‘This Train’; its impressive riffing leaving no jaw in the joint undropped.
We readjust on our stools-made-from-beer-barrels and ready ourselves for act two, where Mr Porter opens with ‘Tribe’ (the sole representative from the aforementioned Falling Forward) before rewinding to his indie debut from 1990 for more six-string showboating on ‘Moonbeam’. Next up is the beautiful brooding of ‘Available Light’ from the album of the same name. Porter then apologetically bemoans the upcoming chorus of ‘How To Rob A Bank’ as “tiresome and icky” before much fun is had nonetheless by the crowd who get to join in its scathing but wry assessment of the corporate fatcats (and corporate fatcats-turned politicians) that plague our age. The audience participation continues with the Jason Mrazish bounce of ‘Chippewa Boots’ where we’re collectively enlisted for a freestyle whistling (yup, you read that right) solo section.
Throughout both sets, Porter deftly masks his frequent guitar retunings with genial banter, waxing philosophical, political and personal: there’s Trump of course (dubbed here Agent Orange) a brief introduction to the thinkings of Rudolf Steiner (blank faces aplenty) alongside deadpan childhood anecdotes of Porter’s Norwegian Grandmother’s unconventional methods of discipline (the concept of a humiliating ‘naked’ sandwich party - don’t ask - is met with simultaneous laughter and unease). All of this between-song musing helps to build a picture of the searching mind behind these songs but the guitar alone is permitted to do the talking on the epic instrumental ‘Bears Ears & The Great Law’, a pleasing blend of Eric Roche-like virtuosity and Snuffy Walden precision.
The final trick up Willy Porter’s sleeve is to write a song completely on the fly based on audience suggestions. And tonight’s gatherers at the Green Note don’t go easy on him. No matter, he improvises a song that both scans and rhymes - albeit loosely - on the subject of toad-sexing (yup you read that right too) alongside that of cake, Brexit and being lost in London. Needless to say, no rib in the room goes untickled.
Unsurprisingly, an encore is emphatically requested and this comes in the form of ‘Human Kindness’, the fantastic title track of Porter’s 2015 release. It’s an uncheesy testament to the positive power of the small, selfless act and an important reminder in a world that so often feels full of facelessness, mendacity and greed. No heart in the house is unlifted.
Willy Porter’s songs sit alongside those of Justin Rutledge, Glen Phillips, Rob Lamothe and countless other guitar-carrying songwriters who quietly connect with listeners through their autonomously-made records and in small rooms like this all over the world. It’s such a joy to experience Willy Porter in this context tonight and we head out for the bus stop amid the bustle of Camden all the richer for it.
Review by Rich Barnard
Nick Lowe seemed genuinely surprised that so many folks had come out on a Tuesday night for the first show of his UK tour at the London Palladium. It was standing room only at the 2200+ capacity venue. This says much about the high esteem in which Nick Lowe is held as an artist and songwriter. From his early days in Brinsley Schwartz and late 70s solo chart success, Rockpile with Dave Edmunds and on through the critically acclaimed Brentford Trilogy of albums to his latest work with Los Straightjackets, Lowe has been a mainstay of British music for fifty years. Lowe is also well known for his production work in the 80s with the Stiff record label that included ‘New Rose’ for The Damned and a run of classic albums for Elvis Costello. I’m pleased to report that, even at 75, Lowe shows no signs of slowing down, and he looks to be enjoying keeping things fresh with Los Straitjackets.