The
visit of this uniquely celt-vaudevillie artist means for the first
time in all my visits to Brudenell the place is filled with rows of
seats……and each and every one has an expectant bottom perched
upon it. It
must be the best part of a decade since Mr Wilson, aka Duke Special
caused quite a stir with his first proper album ‘Songs of the Deep
Forest’, generating a stack of TV performances for the dreadlocked
Ulsterman as he built a cult following of loyal converts over the
following handful of albums. Critical acclaim arrived in abundance
although that never quite translated into units shifted.
Nevertheless,
tonight he is back flying solo at the Brude, supporting long player
number 7 ‘Look Out Machines!’ and the stage set gives the venue a
distinctly front parlour feel, like something out of ‘Pennies From
Heaven’…..very cosy. Indeed
tonight is the personification of gentility, only Duke Special could
pen a song about his home town of Belfast which sounded like a show
tune, or cover a song about a cross dresser (the Magnetic Fields’
‘Andrew in Drag’) making you think of Gorgeous
Georgina
from Blackadder
Goes Forth.
Despite
the passing of time, tonight’s set includes many ‘Songs from the
Deep Forest’ staples including the classic quartet of ‘Wake up
Scarlett’, ‘Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just In
Time)’, ‘Freewheel’ and ‘Salvation Tambourine’, much to the
delight of the deferential crowd. Despite this, it’s the quirky
choice of covers that almost upstages his fine original material. We
get an Ivor
Cutler
medley complete with harmonium,
Kurt Weill’s
‘Alabama Song’, made famous by The
Doors, and
the Big Star
classic ‘Thirteen’.
Tonight’s
supporting act Laura Kidd, known as ‘She Makes War’ also makes
another appearance, adding a welcome bit of variety to proceedings,
not that anyone was complaining, before ‘Our Love Goes Deeper Than
This’ brings things to an encore free conclusion, reinforced during
the song’s drawn-out coda.
So
civilised.
Duke Special Official