Kevin Devine w/ Shoes & Socks Off, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 02/12/2009…

Big Scary Monsters Presents Shoes & Socks Off & Kevin Devine, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. December 2, 2009…

It was with huge excitement that I realised that Big Scary Monsters would be invading Cardiff for their annual Christmas tour this December.  The cult record label was started in Oxford by Kevin Douch back in 2003 and is almost as big as the bands that it represents, with many of its fans listening to the bands purely because they are on the label. Some of the best acts they have signed include Yndi Halda, Talons and This Town Needs Guns and some of the past acts that have since either spilt or hit the big(ger) time include Tubelord, Meet Me In St Louis and Cats And Cats And Cats.

It was with this initial surge of excitement that my fellow gig-goers and myself booked our tickets in anticipation that the event would sell out pronto. However, when we arrived we were quite surprised that the sizable main stage room in Clwb Ifor Bach was rather empty. However, this turned out to be a good thing as the event turned from potential riot to an intimate gig that perfectly complimented the unusually acoustic nature of both the main acts.

Starting the show was Cardiff-based band Rescue Party, who, as we trundled in late, were playing a wonderful acoustic version of The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army. The Cardiff three-piece were made up of two guitars and a violin, as well as vocals, and produced a tranquil yet vibrant support act.

In between acts we headed over to the merch stand, where Kevin Devine was signing posters and selling 25 copies of his Christmas single Splitting Up Christmas. Wrapped in festive paper, and each signed by Devine, each single also contained a secret B side. On each night of the BSM tour Devine recorded a different B side on each of the 25 available per night. Our night contained the track The Longer We Lay Here by Pedro The Lion, which he played during the gig. Other nights on the tour included B-sides of Elliot Smith‘s Whatever, Concrete Blonde‘s Joey and Neil Young‘s Harvest Moon. You can now download all 9 singles from the BSM website until December 31.

Shoes & Socks Off is former MMISL frontman Toby Hayes' solo project.

Shoes & Socks Off is a one-man band in the form of Toby Hayes, ex-frontman of the sadly now defunct Meet Me In St Louis. While his former band walked the line between metal and post math rock, Hayes’ latest solo project couldn’t be more different. Merging thought-provoking lyrics with soft vocals is certainly a new direction for Hayes, yet one that further demonstrates his musical ability. Unusually, Hayes has released three albums in one year, starting with From The Muddy Banks Of Melitzer. This was soon followed up with Hand-reared Suburban Piglet which featured exactly the same ten songs as the first album, but this time featuring more instruments and friends’ input which surprisingly produced a completely new sound. Hayes third album Where The Skyline Is Fortified With Windows And Doors featured 10 new songs and included a backing band made up of members of BSM recruits Blakfish and Palehorse.

Disappointingly the crowd was nowhere near as large as it should have been yet this did not hinder Hayes’ performance. The half hour set was a wonderful blend between his notoriously raw vocals and the stripped back versions of songs that usually contain more instruments than just a guitar, but it worked really well. Highlights include I’m A World Class Assassin, Hang In There Buddy and That Was Yesterday, Today Things Are Different. As well as his own material, Hayes also played Nirvana’s Lounge Act, which was an amazing surprise to the set list.

Brooklynite Devine is one of Big Scary Monsters' latest recruits...

After only a 10 minute break, Brooklyn-based Kevin Devine took to the stage. Although Devine has five albums under his belt since 2002, Circle Gets The Square, Make The Clocks Move, Split The Country, Split The Street, Put Your Ghost To Rest and Brother’s Blood, it is only his latest album that has been released in the UK through Big Scary Monsters, making him an official part of the BSM family.

Also solo and guitar-clad, Devine played an awesome hour long set. It was rather surreal as the whole audience took to the floor cross-legged, school assembly style, and watched up in awe as Devine played. As well as playing both songs from his Christmas single, he also played a wide range of songs from across his musical career, with a good smattering of new material thrown into the mix. Particular highlights included I Could Be With Anyone, Another Bag Of Bones and his first song of the night- his latest album’s title track Brother’s Blood which perfectly exemplified the dramatic dynamics of his vocals.

Upon noticing the unusually large disco ball in the venue, Devine illustrated the full extent of his song writing ability by proceeding to make up a hilarious song about it on the spot. This, combined with amusing anecdotes in between songs and granting song requests from fans, really made for an impressive performance, despite quiet appreciation taking the place of audible enthusiasm from the small crowd.

However my favourite song of the night had to be his cover of Bob Dylan‘s The Man In Me from the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski. This closed the performance just before Splitting Up Christmas injected some Christmas sentiment into the night. Although both Hayes and Devine were brilliant, it really was a shame that there were not more people there to support them. Hopefully when they return to Cardiff next year the turn out will truly reflect the talent of the duo and provide an audience size that they deserve…

Kevin Devine…

Shoes & Socks Off…

For slightly better recordings, have a look at Alfie Tolhurst’s blog ANOther Manc. Also have a ganders at Hugh Morris’ interview with Kevin Devine on the night- Wax Lyrical.

Photographs of Kevin Devine attributed to his official website www.kevindevine.com.
Polaroid of Shoes & Socks Off taken by Hugh Morris on the night...