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Gig Review

British Sea Power / Jock Scot
Lexington, London

Article written by Matt H - Sep 9, 2011

do it for the Butthole Surfers

British Sea Power. They might not take half a risk. They might not walk half-deceased. But they'll play with half a band.

Roy Wilkinson, music journalist and brother to their two vocalists, is out and about promoting his book Do It For Your Mum. It tells of his stint managing the band, failing to get to grips with the 'business' bit of the music business and the efforts of their WWII veteran dad in garnering rock expertise and dispensing advice and support. From the short extracts he read out it should be highly entertaining, if not a "how to" manual.

In order to help shift a few copies, half the band pitched up to play a short pared back set with just guitar, keyboard, horn and the odd bit of non-specialist drumming. An interesting proposition, given that their live shows usually trade on adding to their songs with energy and swathes of atmospheric noise. It was striking how none of the impact was lost with songs like A Wooden Horse and The Lonely just as powerful in a gentler form. And there was a highlight in trumpet-heavy version of Waving Flags that melded the vocal version with the sublime 'Wandering Horn' instrumental to fine effect. A treat and something new for the die hards who'd packed themselves in. Not the last treat though.

BSP had been preceded by an apparently boozy Jock Scot with a twinkle in his eye reading from a carrier bag full of battered photocopied sheets of often comic poetry. Somewhere at the confluence of John Cooper Clarke, Ivor Cutler and Howard Marks he returned to read some more, this time backed by the BSP-not-very-jazz trio augmenting him with improvised variations on the Man of Aran instrumentals and some straightforwardly daft comic counterpoints (often involving the trumpet). There was sheer boyish delight on their faces they backed Scot - whose natural frontman verve is borne of decades steeping himself in company of the rock world. From time to time the music and poetry meshed and combined to impressive effect. And when they didn't, well, everyone was having too much fun to care.

BSP have an all too rare talent among bands simply to have, and to be, fun. They were doing something they'd never done before and might never do again, but in the process they were still being 'typical British Sea Power'. And that is why all right- thinking people love them.

Oh, and remember to buy the book.

Links:
http://www.britishseapower.co.uk
http://www.roughtraderecords.com/books/3965/do-it-for-your-mum
http://www.myspace.com/jockscot