On Tuesday, the US Election be damned, I trundled on down to Richard’s on Richards to check out Delgados, yet another lovable band from Scotland.
Opening was Crooked Fingers, or at least 1 member of the band. I’m not sure why the rest of the band wasn’t there. Border troubles, perhaps? So as a result I’ve no idea what the band would sound like, but the singer was a pretty good solo folkster, reminding me of a somewhat more up-tempo Iron & Wine, his voice, & presentation being similar. The content, it must be said, was more straightforward, and thusly less interesting. But the sound was crystal clear, and he had good presence, standing all alone in the spotlight, before the throngs of oh, maybe 50 guests at Richard’s?
During the intermission, the place did fill up, although it remained quite empty compared to the last few shows I’ve been to there.
The Delgados came on and did their thing, which is to play pleasant, low-key indie-pop, but didn’t blow me away like I’d hoped. They played songs I knew and songs I didn’t, and all were certainly good. I’ve definitely a preference for their more recent material, which feels more polished and ambitious compared to some of their earlier tracks. But unlike (and the reference is purely because they’re both Scots) Franz Ferdinand, this show was not revelatory – possibly because they suffered from a shitty sound mix where Emma’s (I think her name is Emma – the female singer at any rate) vocals were often lost, and the bass was too prominent. But the D’s did prove that they’re worth the hype, and their recent album quite possibly is one of the best albums of the year, so if you’ve not heard them, go check them out.
Were I to gesticulate this review, I’d give a thumbs-up, pause momentarily, then shrug my shoulders in ambivalence. Not in reconsideration of the thumbs-up, but rather in temperence of the initial enthusiasm.