Yes, something like 20 years into the band's career and The Handsome Family are finally having a moment in the spotlight as Far From Any Road's use at the theme song to True Detective has helped them to sell out two nights at the 100 Club and most of the other shows on the current European tour and meant that this reviewer watched all of True Detective, having already agreed to review this show, before I found that out. I thank The Handsome Family for that recommendation. But I have been a fence sitter on them as a band for a long time only having a few songs on compilations to go by, something which I now regret.
But more of that later. I arrived at the 100 Club just as VIKESH KAPOOR came on to explain that you would never suspect that he was from Oklahoma. He was also wearing a denim shirt with a floral bow tie of the southern Gentleman variety. Then, after his long intro story finished, he started to sing as if he was Bobby Dylan in 1961 or so. It morphed into a song about how he was going to Rescue You and it was good, if a little odd.
He then told us a long story about meeting Pete Seeger like Bob used to tell about hanging out with Ramblin' Jack Elliot and telling Pete that he had written some extra verses to Dink's Song and getting Pete's approval for his reworking of this classic of Pete's. Well, Vikesh does a good job on it and folk songs are meant to mutate anyway. Alright, perhaps not in the way the Mumfords do it but more like Dave Von Ronk's version. I haven't seen Inside Llwellyn Davies so won't comment on its use in that film.
Vikesh's long intros unfortunately got lost on some of the audience, so as good as his story was about being a labourer on a building site was as a lead into Bottom Of The Ladder, he didn't manage to keep everyone with him. I had to move closer to the centre of the club to keep the background noise down so I could hear all the songs above the chatter which was a pity.
We then got an explanation of how the small town he's from had changed between visits which took almost as long as the Ode To His Home Town took to sing. This could, of course, have been due to nerves at playing his first UK Tour but it was also a bit of a distraction from how good most of his songs were.
The next two songs about what he did after Work and pleading to be taken home were ok but he only had about half the audience with him; all of whom clapped loudly while the other half of the club chatted on and ignored him before he finished his set with another long rambling introduction to the title song from his debut album The Battle Of Willy Robbins. This is out now on Loose Music online and is a story song about poor old Willy Robbins and the accident that Vikesh witnessed while working with him. A sad but not too unusual a tale that brought a pretty good set to a close from a very promising young folk-singer who I wished sounded a bit more like Pete Lafarge and less of a carbon copy of early Dylan.
Rennie Sparks stood on the stage for about 20 minutes before the start of THE HANDSOME FAMILY'S set looking at the audience and pacing the stage before eventually the band's drummer strolled on up and then about 5 minutes later Brett Sparks joined him and they were ready to start the set with the first of Rennie's often quite funny and or sardonic intros for which my one-handed notes make little sense. I think i led into My Sister's Tiny Hands, which had enough deep southern gothic foreboding in its short span to build a whole film out of.
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Rennie's next story was about how they had "nothing to say on Christmas day": the sort of thing you can imagine being repeated the world over as families get together for the one day of the year. So Much Wine seemed a perfect counterpoint to the ennui and distress this can bring on and as the bass-heavy song tried to drown our sorrows and bring some joy to the day.
It didn't work as we were soon finding out about The Bottomless Hole. The band were flailing inside it, trying to find a way out as Brett and Rennie swapped vocals and took as down into the hole with them. Then we went off to the Drive Thru Counter as Rennie explained how they had such an effect on their lives back home before thhe slow dark tale of Somewhere Else to Be unfurled before us like an out-take from Two Lane Black Top: sparse and unforgiving.
Not sure which dark tale was next as my lack of knowledge leaves a big hole that was filled by another dark tale that held the 100 club captive in its embrace. Then we got the song about the Redwood Forest that was closing in all around us.
They brought David Coulter up to help them on a few songs. The first was the 11 year old current hit Far From Any Road that went down a storm as soon enough they were playing the one song of the set I could sing along to (Weightless Again) that still sounds every bit as good as it did opening Loose Selections many years ago. After it, Rennie then took us on a tour of Phil Spector's house and his collection of magnets, on The Loneliness of Magnets: a quite wonderfully disturbing song.
Rennie was telling us about her fascination with all sorts of creepy crawlies and Frogs by way of introducing us to Frogs, from most recent album Wilderness that also featured some fabulous Saw playing from David Coulter. We then spent a little time with The Giant of Illinois who was menacing everyone he could.
They closed a great set with In The Air: a song that seems to be a bridge to the band's past as well as a good view on how they are now perceived as a treasure to be coveted and enjoyed. The place went a little nuts when they left the stage and they were quickly back to lament the fact that they were soon off to spend another night in the modern hell of the Travel Lodge before they played I Know You Are There as there sole encore leaving us all wanting more. Thankfully they are touring for most of the year and will be back in London in October for a show at the Islington Assembly halls that will probably sell out.
Buy and discover more about both artists at Loose Music
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