Music / Reviews
Review: Father John Misty, Thekla
Father John Misty finished the UK leg of his tour at Bristol’s Thekla. The gig sold out fast and it wasn’t hard to see why.
Josh Tillman, or Father John Misty as he would rather be known, was the last of his band members to emerge onto the stage from the shadows. He staggered around nonchalantly, let out a grunt into the microphone and waited for the band to start playing. As soon as they did, he was off; climbing on the drum kit, spinning his (heavy) mic stand around his head and generally flopping about the stage like a drunk and depressed raconteur. It divided the audience, half were loving the irony with which he conducted himself and the other half were likely wondering; “is this guy for real?”
“Welcome to an evening free from nautical based puns”, was his opening gambit. “That ship has sailed.” In case you’re’ unaware, Thekla is a boat. He’s a funny guy. We were in the palm of his hand and he didn’t let us out for the duration. The man is a born entertainer. It’s like all those years of being stuck behind a drum kit with Fleet Foxes, watching the back of Mr. Pecknold’s head bobbing up and down has fuelled the frustrated performer within and this exhibition was as much about letting it out as it is about putting on a great show. Which he did.
The drums, two guitarists, bass player, keyboard player, violinist and father John barely fit on the small stage, yet they sounded perfect. The fact that they were all playing on top of each other added to the tightness of the band and the camaraderie with which they played. As you would expect, the hour and a half show was filled with tracks from the new album, ‘I Love You, Honey Bear’ and a few of of the great tunes from the previous release, such as the great ‘Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings’.
What a show.
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