Some things just don’t make sense however hard and long you may stare trying to find an answer. A case in point would be THE DEPARTURE. They haven’t really troubled us with a killer single as yet, their press coverage has been minimal, yet straight off the back of a kudos enhancing support slot with the reformed Gang of Four here they are again supporting Graham Coxon at one of the NME award shows. Eh?
Having witnessed their appearance in full the answer is no more forthcoming. They would appear to be aiming for roughly the same musical areas as the Killers or the Bravery albeit with less directness and pop hooks and a heightened indie sensibility. Whilst the two bands mentioned above revel in their eighties influences, the Departure almost knock them out apologetically (and isn’t it strange that now being compared to Duran Duran is a compliment where a few years ago it was a term of derision?). The biggest problem with the Departure is their delivery, damn me if it’s not a charisma free zone up there and we spend half their set trying to work out what the second guitarist actually does (or even if he’s plugged in).
There’s no doubt that GRAHAM COXON’s plugged in. Tonight we are treated to some of the most uninhibited, primal and down right impressive guitar playing that this reviewer has had the fortune to witness in a while. Having caught Mr Coxon a couple of times in the last year or so we were already aware that he was feeling distinctly comfortable in his own skin since his departure from Blur but it is still slightly surprising (not to mention rather heart warming) to see him this obviously happy.
Getting straight to the point he opens with ‘Spectacular’ all rip roaring riff, wide boy delivery on the lyrics and swinging legs. His band are well drilled, tight and allowed enough room to shine without ever eclipsing the man up front. We’re treated to a majority of ‘Happiness in Magazines’ including ‘Bitter Sweet Bundle of Misery’, ‘No Good Time’, ‘Girl Done Gone’and ‘People of the Earth’. Highlight of the set inevitably belongs to ‘Freaking Out’, single of last year according to a slightly slurring Tim Peacock standing next to me and I can only conclude he’s right once again.
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Graham Coxon may only be fuelled by Red Bull and nicotine tonight but it obviously hits the spot as he wheels out a cover of Mission of Burma’s ‘Fame & Fortune' that sticks pretty faithfully to the original and replaces the expected ‘That’s When I Reach for my Revolver’ in the set. He encores with ‘All Over Me’ and finally an extended jam with his band that closes the evening with a whisper rather than a bang. Hey ho: such is the nature of these things.
Minor quibbles aside, Graham Coxon once again seemed to prove that leaving Blur wasn’t the travesty most of us thought it may be. With his songwriting reminding us of who really had the pop sensibility in that band and his live performances veering dangerously to consistently excellent the future's looking good for one of the English music scene's more enduring characters. Long may that continue to be the case.
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