TIM BOOTH : BRIGHTON SUSSEX ARTS CENTRE 25.2.04

another review   more pictures here

Setlist : Words (acoustic), Laid (acoustic), Discover, Into Darkness, Wave Hello, Monkey God, Redneck, Love Is Addiction, Mama, Sometimes, Falling Down Again, Bone, Down To The Sea, Fall In Love With Me

review by Jennifer Cushion

"Fans want my autograph, critics write my epitaph". *  Well who wouldn't feel daunted by the prospect of writing a review after hearing that lyric?  Here's an attempt;

The two opening tracks, "Words" and "Laid", are accomplished enough performances.

However, it is only when the rest of the band enter the stage that the full musical development of the songs can be appreciated.

The structure for "Down To The Sea" is a lot more coherent, enabling the vocal melodies to really shine.  "Love Is Addiction" showcases Lisa's vocals perfectly, whilst demonstrating how well they complement Tim's.

"Redneck" is simply sublime, dealing with a rather apt subject for our time  - how easy it is to let friendships slip.

A fragile, wonderful performance of "Sometimes", with Lisa on keyboard, further demonstrates Lee's vocal talents (which he earlier revealed with a well-performed set of his own) and the vocal harmony between him and Tim is amazing.

Throughout the set, the drums and saxophone, played by Milo and Robin respectively, further add to the rhythms and structures.

It is evident that all five thrive off each other's energy, pushing each other to the best of their abilities. 

At some point in the set, there is a rather nice experiment with stream of consciousness - they all start talking at the same time, ending with Tim echoing out loud what may be going through the minds of members of the audience "...and now you're all looking at us, sitting in your seats, hardly daring to move, as that would just be embarrassing". **

It truly is exciting to listen to the music evolving, and at this rate, I doubt people will be staying still for long.

*  Probably from "Into Darkness" if memory serves correctly.

** Probably not correct word for word, but that is the main gist of it.