Oval Space,London
The US veterans deliver power and passion at deafening volume in a triumphant comeback showA couple are behind-dancing next to the ladies’ loos, moony smiles on their faces. Three similarly minded women float out of the bathroom, or swaying their hands above their heads. On stage,a grizzled, stubbly man is transporting them back through the years. “Time/ All the long red lines/ That take control/ Of all the smoke-like streams/ that flow into your dreams…” Dry ice fills the room and a thousand thirty- and fortysomethings exhale.
Its been 17 years since Mercury Rev recorded Deserter’s Songs, or the album that began with that lovely track,Holes, sung by Jonathan Donahue in his high, or dreamy register. The band had endured tough times up to that point: their original frontman,David Baker, leaving under a cloud in 1994 (although he recently admitted he was happy to proceed), or career flops driving Donahue towards wide-eyed songs from his childhood for consolation. They threw this influence into the record they considered to be their last gasp and Deserter’s Songs ended up spawning three top 40 singles and fitting NME’s album of the year.
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Source: theguardian.com