Beauty and the Beast

I love Mark Lanegan. I’ve loved him for years. Mostly it’s for his deep, soulful, bear-like growl of a voice, but also for his self-contained, misanthropic stance on stage and his self-deprecating mannerisms. I’ve seen him perform maybe 15 times and I think I’ve seen him glance at the audience … ooh, twice?

I used to quite fancy him when I went through my dodgy bi-sexual phase in my late twenties / early thirties. Some of you may remember my old fake male ID on Out in the UK where I pretended to be my own son and the bastard child of an American rock star, well Mark was my virtual father.

Anyhoo, tonight I went to see him for the third time in as many weeks. The first two were with Soulsavers but last night he was at Queen Elizabeth Hall with Isobel Campbell.

She and her band are the primmest, most proper and polite looking group of people you could imagine. By contrast, Mark looked like the woodcutter who’d been invited to a party at the big ‘ouse by the sex starved eldest daughter. She would have observed him from her bedroom window, growing lusty at his silent strength and rugged looks. He prowled the stage with a vague air of menace, all eyes to the floor and self conscious postures, while she played with her hair and gazed out into space.

Their voices worked better together live than on their Ballad of the Broken Seas album, largely because he was higher in the mix. I find her meek, fluffy girlishness irritating and I’m sure a right cow lurks beneath. I’m convinced that after the wasp-breath singing and the cutesy giggling she marches backstage to bark “WHERE THE HELL IS MY ICED TEA?” to her third personal assistant of the tour, the first two having quit due to nervous breakdowns. She certainly shot the sound guy a *mean* dirty look when the tiniest bit of feedback emanated from the speakers. HEADS WILL ROLL, you mark my words.

I think they did all of the songs from the album, they also did some new stuff so it looks like there could be another. Lanegan did his cover of I’ll Take Care of You, and the wonderful Wedding Dress from Bubblegum. Isobel did some solo tracks too, but whatever. She was so shrill I was worried about bats swooping.

I’m being unfair, I didn’t hate her too much, but why do girls have to be so ineffectual? She’s a talented musician, as she proved playing many instruments, and she’s obviously strong or she wouldn’t be in her current position. Why the wussy act I really don’t know, I’d much rather have a hot chick with some attitude.