Iron and Wine may only be supporting Rosie Thomas tonight but it is obvious that the buzz around the crowd is all his. Iron and Wine is Sam Beam with occasional contributions from his friend Patrick (who I will take an educated guess as being Patrick McKinney). Just two men, two acoustic guitars, two beards and the occasional banjo and slide guitar. Absent tonight is the soft percussion from his latest album ‘Our Endless Days’ but in truth it is not missed.
After a brief round of applause as he takes the stage the crowd descend into a reverential silence. After much fiddling with equipment he approaches the microphone ‘Are we waiting for something?’ he enquires. He begins to delicately pluck his acoustic guitar for the intro to ‘Radio War’ but it’s when that voice kicks in that we realise we’re in for something special. Intimate, hushed and utterly beautiful it fills the room and leaves the crowd spellbound. We feel like intruders in a very personal moment as he shares his songs with us. Immediately the sound is more involving that the CD which requires your full attention before unveiling it’s myriad charms. Live, Iron and Wine have the ability to transfix and transcend their surroundings until all that is left are those beautiful, beautiful songs. For the second song Patrick joins in with the banjo and the tempo rises slightly. It’s hot as Hell inside the Borderline tonight and you can work up a sweat standing still which all adds to the feeling of stumbling across a slice of the Deep South in the heart of London.
Labelling his music seems a futile affair. Is it Americana? Or is it alt-country? These terms are so broad as to be virtually meaningless. To these untrained ears it is American folk music with that afore mentioned heavy Southern influence. Songs like ‘Free Until They Cut Me Down’ do not need classification, Sam’s performance is spell binding as we are invited into his world for the 45 minutes or so of his performance. Patrick on slide guitar is a particular highlight and it is obvious that the pair know each others playing inside out, never showy they compliment each other wonderfully without ever feeling the need to dive off on tangents, it is restrained and all the better for it.
|
He plays his first ever single and a wonderful version of ‘Naked As We Come’ and even has time for a couple of cover versions. His version of Howlin Wolf’s ‘Smokestack Lightning’ is bettered a couple of songs later by a slowed down, glorious rendition of The Flaming Lips’ ‘Waiting For Superman’. With only two songs left to play, requests emerge from this partisan audience. They are deflected with a charm that has been endearing and evident all evening. He leaves with the crowd cheering for more only to be disappointed when the house lights come up and it is obvious no encore will be forthcoming. Tonight Iron and Wine made many new admirers and gave his existing fans another reminder of what a truly special performer he is.
|
