Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets - London Palladium 24/09/2024 (Live Review)
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.
Nick Lowe opens with a crowd-pleasing ‘So It Goes’ (the first single on Stiff Records trivia fans), and we’re quickly introduced to the new ‘Indoor Safari’ album via the infectious ‘Went To A Party’. Nick and the band sound great, thanks in no small measure to a lovely, clean sound mix. You can hear every drum hit, bass thud and ring of the guitars from Los Straitjackets. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, the quartet consists of guitarists Eddie Angel and Greg Townson, with Pete Curry on bass and Chris Sprague behind the kit. Now, all of this might be true, but as the band sport rather fetching Lucha Libre masks, who really knows. I will say that bassist Curry wins the Most Outrageous Mask award (very cool). Nick has far too many good songs, from the confessional ‘Lately I’ve Let Things Slide’ to a particularly fine ‘I Live On A Battlefield’, originally co-written with Paul Carrack, prove to be early highlights of the set. At the same time, there’s variety as we’re treated to a slice of Rock N Roll via ‘Tokyo Bay’ before Nick hands over to the Los Straitjackets to perform their own mini set.
Photo Credit: Dave Brolan
We’re treated to five tracks of surf guitar instrumentals complete with wordless audience participation cues and choreography that would have pleased old Palladium regulars Hank, Bruce and co. With bits of Beach Boys and The Ventures (possibly), it was all good fun. Admittedly, the final guitar dual, between a guitar and a squeaking rubber chicken, might have been overegging things just a little. But it’s the London Palladium, where this style of comedy has been commonplace since 1910, so I’ll let that one slide.
Photo Credit: Dave Brolan
Nick returns, and the great songs keep coming. Once again, it’s hard to pick favourites, but a gorgeous ‘Blue On Blue’ with its ringing guitars and some very nice harmony vocals is one. A wonderful ‘House For Sale’ was beautifully melancholy, and it’s great to hear ‘Cruel To Be Kind’ live some forty-five years after I bought the 7” single (with picture sleeve). A sublime rendition of ‘(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding’ was a given, and Nick completed the main set with a rousing ‘I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll) - two very different classics that remind us of Nick’s love of a bracketed song title.
An encore was demanded, and Los Straitjackets duly obliged with a feisty run-through of ‘Pinball Wizard’ Shocking Blue’s ‘Venus’ (the Bananarama song for any younger readers) before Nick returned to Rockpile days for ‘When I Write The Book’ and treated us to a solo acoustic version of Elvis Costello’s ‘Alison’ to conclude a terrific set.
It would be remiss of me not to mention this evening’s opening act. A surprising last-minute addition to the bill treated us to thirty minutes in the company of Andy Fairweather Low, who served up a sixty-year musical history lesson. Looking very dapper in a grey three-piece suit, Andy was full of amusing one-liners and stories of playing bass (very badly, it seems) with Jimi Hendrix and of being in a fledgling version of Rockpile where, naturally, he first met Nick Lowe, remaining friends ever since. Low also toured with Nick Lowe and Paul Carrack in an acoustic trio, something he hinted he’d like to do again sometime (let’s hope so).
A call from Nick inspired Andy to dust off his guitar (a guitar, from my vantage point in the Royal Circle, held together with black gaffer tape) when his original plan was to take some time off after touring with Eric Clapton earlier this year. Low has had an incredible career working with everyone, most notably Eric Clapton and Roger Walters. His list of credits reads like a who's who of popular music. “I will talk a lot, so I don’t have to play too many songs” he joked, which turned out to be only half true as he dipped into his 1970s solo career, which Andy assured us left his record company mostly confused despite the success of ‘Wide Eyed and Legless’, played a short acoustic medley of ‘Another Brick In The Wall/Layla/Tears In Heaven’ to remind us how he’s been making a living all these years, dipped into the blues ‘My Baby Left Me’ and recalled being briefly dubbed the face of 1969 via two pop classics from his time in Amen Corner; ‘Bend me, shape me’ and ‘(If Paradise Is) half as nice’. Songs that are as definitively sixties as you can get. It is a wonderfully fun set from a guy who has been there and done it.
Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets played a blinder this evening. I heard it mentioned that Los Straitjackets possibly colour the songs a little too much with their approach, and if I’m honest, I can see how that might be an issue. I’d counter that argument by saying Los Straitjackets put out an album of Nick Lowe covers, so they obviously love the material, while both Los Straitjackets and Nick Lowe embrace, and are inspired by, the early days of rock and pop (pre-Beatles). More importantly, Nick Lowe is seemingly having a great time, and I began the journey home sporting a big smile. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Review by David Vousden with thanks to Dave Brolan for the photography.
I don’t get to many metal shows these days, so I jumped at the opportunity to visit North London for a rare UK visit from Kamelot. The Florida-born but now multi-national act are deep into their ‘Awaken The World’ tour with impressive looking support from Ad Infinitum, Blackbriar and Frozen Crown. I’m, unusually for me, bright and early for the start of tonight’s proceedings and expecting good things.