Earlier in the week I mentioned in here that my joint albums of the year are Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens and New Bermuda by Deafheaven. This morning I realised that I’d of course forgotten that the Father John Misty record was release in January, and must therefore also assume its rightful place on the Mount Olympus of 2015 musical offerings.
J.Tillman is an interesting man. He’s drummed for Fleet Foxes, he’s released a bunch of solo stuff and now he appears to have blossomed into a full on pop star in waiting, effortlessly combining the charisma of Morrissey, the louche posturing of Greg Dulli, the urgency of a Bible Belt pastor and the flawless skin of a teenage supermodel. What on earth he was doing behind a drumkit for any length of time is a mystery to me, but he appears to have now assumed his rightful position as the Dave Grohl of sexually suggestive lounge folk.
Is he any good live, though? What better place to answer that question than at Sheperd’s Bush Empire, a venue which also functioned as the original scale model for the construction of Brixton Academy.
Two things become evident during the » Continue Reading.