ARCHIVE
Jesse Malin Gig Review
4 May 2007
I undertook a 140 mile round trip last Friday to go see Jesse Malin live at Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick. Driving there and back in the same night meant no beer. Pah!
When I got there, Jesse's gig had been shunted to the upstairs venue as Kasabian had decided to give Limerick a warm up gig for their forthcoming Dublin Castle gig in the main Dolan's venue. Upstairs meant good, as it holds a maximum of 200 people. Sad to say when I got there I was greeted by a seating plan with tables and candles and about twelve people. Oh dear!
Thankfully as the night wore on more people arrived and we got a support slot from a band called Headway who hail from Nottingham.For those not familiar with Jesse Malin, I can best describe him as Joe Strummer incarnate in Bruce Springsteen's younger brother's body. I don't want to churn out pigeon holes like singer/songwriter or punk poet as it misses the point and does him no favours. He is however a consumate performer who gives it all while on stage and feeds off the crowd.
Tonight's gig took us through the bulk of his new album "Glitter in the Gutter", which is his most commercial sounding yet. Highlights being - well all of them. Broken Radio - minus Springsteen sadly, Prisoners of Paradise, Modern World, Black Haired Girl, Little Star, Don't Let Them Take You Down and New York Nights. We did however get plenty from the excellent Fine Art of Self Destruction album noticeably the exemplary Solitaire, Almost Grown, Wendy, Brooklyn (dedicated to Barbara Streisand) and the brilliant Downliner. In the middle we got life depending version of Everybody's Talking At Me and the Hold Steadys You Can Make Him Like You.
Despite the "supper club" venue he did eventually coax the majority of the crowd out of their seats and towards the front of the stage for a rousing second half to the gig. Not only a great singer with a great band, he proved to be quite the raconteur too which made the gig all the more engaging.
I was introduced to Malin's music about 3 years ago by a friend who said he was 'like Strummer...wears his heart on his sleeve'. Friday night proved it to me and I felt that warm fuzzy feeling inside on the long drive home of having seen a performer who cares and gives his all for his crowd. A trip well worth it.Gol