Kevin Devine (St Pancras Old Church, 13.05.14)
I headed to the pleasant surroundings of St Pancras Old Church last night for the second of three Kevin Devine shows taking place there this week. He was supported by Matthew Caws, probably best known for his work with the band Nada Surf. It's a pleasant half hour of acoustic songs enhanced by a voice with a surprisingly high vocal register. He even manages to gain a decent response from closing with a song reminding us that we're all going to die. Assured stuff.
These shows are essentially a career retrospective for Kevin Devine, starting by performing songs from his first four records. Sensibly he groups them by album, allowing him (much like Andrew McMahon's solo show back in February) to provide a wider context for the tracks. For example, an amusing anecdote about asking a conciege in a New York hotel where to find blow leads into the songs from "Put Your Ghost To Rest", an album loosely themed around confronting addiction.
From there, we head into "Circle Gets The Square", his debut record. I am less familiar with it than the remainder of his output but this segment of the show demonstrates the talent of the 18 year old Devine for song writing even during his angsty youthful phase. Much to my delight he plays a couple of my favourite tracks, the anti Iraq conflict song "No Time Flat" and a particularly strong "Lord, I Know We Don't Talk" about his relationship with God.
The show has a poignant end as Devine reaches the songs from "Make The Clocks Move", recalling the passing of his father shortly prior to its release. He concludes on "Ballgame", a song that he once said was "about trying to get your shit together". I'm still trying to get mine together and lyrics like "I'm selfish enough to want to get better but I'm backwards enough not to take any steps to get there" hit me like a hammer. It's a compelling end to a captivating evening spent with a remarkable talent.
These shows are essentially a career retrospective for Kevin Devine, starting by performing songs from his first four records. Sensibly he groups them by album, allowing him (much like Andrew McMahon's solo show back in February) to provide a wider context for the tracks. For example, an amusing anecdote about asking a conciege in a New York hotel where to find blow leads into the songs from "Put Your Ghost To Rest", an album loosely themed around confronting addiction.
From there, we head into "Circle Gets The Square", his debut record. I am less familiar with it than the remainder of his output but this segment of the show demonstrates the talent of the 18 year old Devine for song writing even during his angsty youthful phase. Much to my delight he plays a couple of my favourite tracks, the anti Iraq conflict song "No Time Flat" and a particularly strong "Lord, I Know We Don't Talk" about his relationship with God.
The show has a poignant end as Devine reaches the songs from "Make The Clocks Move", recalling the passing of his father shortly prior to its release. He concludes on "Ballgame", a song that he once said was "about trying to get your shit together". I'm still trying to get mine together and lyrics like "I'm selfish enough to want to get better but I'm backwards enough not to take any steps to get there" hit me like a hammer. It's a compelling end to a captivating evening spent with a remarkable talent.
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