Venue:
The Garage, Highbury Corner.
Date: 24/01/2025
Two years ago, at this venue, Josh Rouse performed his wonderful album, 1972, on its 20th anniversary. In 2025, it’s the turn of the follow up, Nashville. Both albums are packed with classics and tonight’s he’s playing Nashville in track order. His band has been with him for over 15 years and are all Spaniards – Rouse landed in Valencia when he fled a broken marriage in 2003 and ended up marrying Paz Suay from Valencia, where they have lived, on and off, ever since.
Any set which kicks off with It’s The Nighttime and Winter in the Hamptons has a fair chance of being a belter – those two would normally be part of the last 5 or 6 of his normal set – and the audience are singing and dancing along and we’re off to the races.
The wonderful Carolina reminds me that we’re only a Middle School Frown away from my favourite JR song, My Love Has Gone. When it starts I struggle to fight back the tears, it means that much to me. He has the incredible knack of making a lost-love song sound upbeat and as his lovely, slightly melancholic voice sings:
‘And when you come around,
baby I’ve been so blue.
And I sleep with the TV on,
It’s the only sound, our love’s gone.’
-I’m gone too..
Once the album is done we get another 45 minutes of mostly uptempo songs from across his 27 year-career, ending with the absolute banger that is Love Vibration. I had taken my usual position behind the mixing/lighting desk and was captivated by Jorge, the sound mixer, as he bopped and sang while he worked. I grabbed him as I left and yelled in his ear, “Thanks, man, you make a great sound.” He looks ecstatic and gives me a bear-hug, telling me, “oh, you make me so happy.”
And, as I head out into the freezing Islington night, that seals my conclusion of the evening’s entertainment;
It was a great big hug of a gig.
The audience:
Josh described them best; “A proper Friday night audience in London. You guys sound great.”
I am constantly surprised when I go to a JR gig. Outside of this place, I don’t know anyone who’s ever heard of him. And yet, once again, he packs out The Garage with 20-60 somethings who whoop and holler and sing every word.
It made me think..
I’ve been buying Josh’s music for 25 years, have every CD, demo and download and have seen him umpteen times; I always come away from spending time with him, or his music, feeling better about myself and the world.
That’s a rare gift.
Lovely review Niall, we couldn’t make it so great to read your review. We’ve been huge fans since we heard Nashville. Like you every time he puts something on Bandcamp or has a cd release we buy it. I’m missing one bedroom classic but otherwise have everything. We were both at the same concert at the Stables years ago but I didn’t know it until you wrote a review.
Another Josh Rouse fan here.
Love Vibration is a great tune and 1972 was requested as my birthday present from my other half in the year it was released (not 1972)
The track 1972 is marvellous
Noice review. In a quiet way, Mr Rouse has provided the soundtrack to a lot of my adult life. My first CD was Nashville when it was released, not a duff track, money well spent.
Classy, imperishable pop. Rise the final track off 1972 is probably my favourite. “30 years old and nothing’s changed.”
By coincidence I viewed some archived concerts of Josh on the utubes over Xmas, I kinda gave up live concerts due largely to cultivating a lifestyle choice as a shut in, but I’d leave my domicile for a JR show just as long as the journey wasn’t too far. That’s as big of a compliment as I can pay.
I love those albums but when I saw him do them live he couldn’t have been less interested. Phoning it in would suggest a degree of effort he couldn’t summon up. Glad he’s stepping up.
Fatherhood really seems to have made him change his outlook, @Twang. In the past few years his live shows have been terrific.
Good to know for next time.
I saw him live around 2007ish. This was a gig that both myself and my wife were at before we met. We both independently decided that it was one of the dullest, least engaging live gigs we’d ever attended and, while we were both fans of his music, I don’t think either of us liked him quite as much after that. I must check out his more recent stuff to see if rehabilitation is possible.
That’s when I saw him and felt the same way.
1972 and Nashville are fine albums, but despite having them and pretty much all his others, this remains my favourite JR song from his first album.
Saw Josh (whose early stuff I knew and loved) on a double-bill with Grant Lee Philips (who I knew very little about) at Whelans in – IIRC – 2018.
Wasn’t greatly impressed with JR’s new stuff or the pedestrian way he did his old stuff. Absolutely gobsmacked by GLP and now own everything he has ever done either with GL Buffalo or solo.
Not bad for a ticket costing E30
Have lived Grant Lee Phillips since fuzzy but also think that 1972 and Nashville are superlative albums by Josh.
Woud love to have been there. Josh was my go to singer songwriter in the mid 2000s – that 3 album run of 1972, Nashville and Subtitulo is magnificent. I still follow what he’s up to but have been underwhelmed by his output since with the exception of the Happiness Waltz and Embers of Time.
However I did go and see him at this same venue some 5/6 years ago where he was doing his new cool electro stuff (Love in The Modern Age was the current release I think) and he was really good and the crowd went bananas
@Feedback_File, I was at that one too. A great night.