Seasick Steve, The Lexington, October 19th
Seasick Steve played The Lexington on October 19th
Thursday, 22, Oct 2009 03:52
An artist threatening to break a bottle over the head of an audience member isn't typically the hallmark of a successful gig but for Steve Wold's intimate set at north London pub the Lexington the chance of violence was a blot on an otherwise typically exuberant show.
Playing to an audience composed of record label staff, a few lucky journos and 100 or so dedicated fans of his 'song and dance' music, the one-time hobo rattled through tracks from new album Man From Another Time, interspersing each bluesy stomp with good ol' boy wisdom. We learned of his adoration of his 'Big, green and yeller' John Deere tractor, the - allegedly - haunting past of one of his many makeshift guitars and his excitement at being able to hop on a freight train despite being well into his 60s. As deservedly successful as last album I Started Out With Nothin' and I Still Got Most of It Left was, the former cowboy and carnie is best appreciated in the live arena, with infectious enthusiasm and a charming sincerity in every post-song bow.
What a pity, then, that the compactness of the Lexington means that every audience member can be heard. Steve is forced to admonish one man to "shut the f**k up" early on in the set and while most of the cries are simply from middle-aged fans excited at being out of the house, one incident sours the mood temporarily. As Steve intros a song recalling his days behind bars, a continental voice shouts: "You never went to jail" then, bizarrely, replies that he'll "hold" Steve to a jokey threat of settling the matter in an alley outside. The idiot is swiftly hushed by attendees who've paid to actually hear the music and the conclusion can only be that some people are just determined to spoil anything and everything.
It's a sad point in an evening set aside for people who love the knockabout blues of Seasick Steve - but, thankfully, it's the only low point in a show full of sizzling licks, homespun advice - "Don't go west when it's time to go south" being one cryptic example - and a wizened old-timer who can entertain with the energy of a 20-year-old.
As his son turned guitar tech joins Steve and drummer Dan for a climactic singalong, we're left howling like wolves into the north London night.
Lewis Bazley