Jacob Golden wows Camden
Sunday, 03 Feb 2008 16:27
Jacob Golden brings well-worn melodies to London's Roundhouse.
As Morrissey was substituted by comedic talent including Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand on the main stage at the Roundhouse in London's Chalk Farm, musical magic was to be found in the bowels of the building as Jacob Golden brought his UK tour to the capital.
Among those watching the brilliant American singer-songwriter was
inthenews.co.uk's Lee Davis...
Somewhat nervously Jacob Golden stepped onto the stage in the Doc Marten's Freedom Lounge in the lower levels of the Roundhouse, his lean body framed by the orange and yellow lights that illuminated the murky brickwork of the wall behind him.
He tuned his guitar and approached the mic, before slowly launching into a cracking 40-minute set of songs from his new album Revenge Songs, a blend of Britpop and American 60s folk-pop along the lines of Simon And Garfunkel, and the intricate wordplay utilised by hip-hop artists.
click here to read our review of Revenge Songs
Golden is a performer ideally suited to playing for British audiences, who can be incredibly reserved until the music takes a hold of them. Golden shares this natural reserve but when he makes a connection with an audience, the fun begins.
Click here to read our interview with Jacob Golden
His set included new single Out Come The Wolves but it was On A Saturday, with its catchy hooks and beautifully emotive core, that stirred the audience.
And what started as shy prompts from the singer-songwriter to get the audience singing rapidly became a fusion between performer and appreciative crowd, with great shouts of "On a Saturday" bellowing up out of the semi-darkness.
Smiling, Golden played his guitar; or rather the guitar played him, as both man and instrument appeared as one.
As his set continued there was a wild energy in the air, it could have been a warm Californian night circa 1969 with Jim Morrison or The Stones waiting in the wings.
This feeling carried over the songs, and the amount of nodding heads, smiles and half-whispered/half-yelled snatches of choruses ably attested to Jacob Golden's 'shy man with a big heart' talent.
The thirtysomething performer, originally from San Francisco, delivered a sublime performance with Revenge Song; a tender plea with Love You and brought forth a tear with Hold Your Hair Back, the kind of song that pops into your emotions and will never leave.
Despite a brief stumble over some lyrics, which he rapidly turned around with a great flash of self-deprecating humour, it was a fantastic evening, wrapped up with, in my opinion, the best song on the album, Zero Integrity, an autobiographical confessional, openly stating Golden's flaws and relationships.
Zero Integrity has a raw, rainswept honesty to it that evokes the sincerity of 70s Bruce Springsteen.
Lee Davis
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