A welcome return to London from the veteran Minneapolis crew!
A few songs into their set, Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner steps up to the mic with a grin on his face, and declares: “Last time we were in London, they told me my jokes were terrible!”. He then proceeds to punctuate the rest of their set with some absolute clangers; the one about the drug dealer who sold you your shoes was especially bad, Dave! But we can forgive you, for reasons that we shall explain later.
First, it’s the turn of James Brute and his band to get us warmed up, with some expertly crafted country-tinged alt-folk numbers. There’s something wonderfully unsettling about the likes of ‘Lake Of Chrome’ and new single ‘Fire Of Love’, as if they were written during an intense period of soul searching that has so far yielded few answers. He deserves a larger crowd, naturally, but those who have shown up early are appreciative enough, and with songs this good, surely greater things await.
It’s crazy to think that, back in the day, Soul Asylum played Brixton Academy off the back of their 1992 breakthrough album ‘Grave Dancers Union’ (and a certain hit single), but Dave never seemed entirely at ease with the trappings of fame, and thus it seems appropriate that they’re playing these two intimate shows (they played Manchester last night) to kick off a European tour.
Of all the adjectives one could apply to this band and their songs, ‘fun’ is not one that quickly springs to mind, but from the moment the alarm-like intro of old favourite ‘Somebody To Shove’ bursts forth from the speakers, it’s immediately clear that Dave and his band are having a blast up there. Be it the odd synchronised guitar twirl, Dave gleefully trading solos with lead guitarist Ryan Smith, or just the way they all rip through the songs with long, straggly hair, low-slung guitars and battered Converse very much the order of the day, you can’t fault them for enthusiasm – and it’s damn infectious.
Tonight they treat us to twenty-odd songs, and the highlights come thick and fast. Dave’s clearly stoked as we sing the “frustrated, incorporated” refrain of ‘Misery’ back at him; the melancholic ‘Closer To The Stars’ and ‘String Of Pearls’ are delivered with an extra shot of vitriol live, and even the clutch of new songs from recent album ‘Slowly But Shirley’ (hey, we love puns too!) go down a storm. And yes, of course they play ‘Runaway Train’, and it sounds as heartfelt and timeless as ever – not least with a few hundred of us helping out on vocals.
As a riff-tastic ‘April Fool’ brings the evening to a close, we’re left pondering how rare it is that a band can both wind back the clocks in fine style and sound like they still have plenty to offer. With sets like these, and with Dave’s future as a stand-up comedian looking shaky at best, Soul Asylum would be crazy to call it a day anytime soon.
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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