30.6.18

Kristin Hersh + Fred Abong. Newcastle Cluny2, 27.06.18.



“If Jesus could wash my feet I still wouldn’t have a hope in hell.” Just one of a number of great lyrical snippets from tonight’s opening act Fred Abong, former bass player with Throwing Muses and Belly. After a long absence, and some persuasion from Kristin Hersh herself, Abong has recorded and released a mini album/ep ‘Homeless’. All six tracks are played tonight and, writing these words two days later, I’ve become a convert. Mesmorising, repetitive guitar picking runs throughout a number of his songs – ‘Equinox’ and  ‘Homeless’ being two stand outs that immediately hook you in and make you really want to listen, while slower, heavier strumming backs up ‘Hi Avalon’ and ‘The Cannery’ all topped with a voice that instantly reminds me of Eels Mark Everett. Husky and gravelly with lyrics that can deal up despair, bleakness and some fragile emotional thoughts. Acoustic versions of previous heavier, grungier tracks such as ‘Bower Bird’ and ‘Christmas’, not to be found on the ep, sound great. Fred Abong delivered a set of acoustic songs that allowed fans of his previous bands to experience a new way of appreciating his songwriting.

Website here.

Listen to Homeless (even better - just buy it) here.

Fred Abong

Fred Abong


Kristin Hersh pushes the curtain draped to the right out of the way, walks on stage, says “Hello” and the place falls silent, the audience immediately transfixed by her presence. Opening with ‘Bright’ from most recent album ‘Wyatt At The Coyote Palace’ both Hersh and those present are taken to another place. A place where, for the next hour or so, nothing else matters apart from the songs we’re listening to. Kristin Hersh is an endearing yet powerful presence. There’s virtually no chatter between songs except the occasional comment that “it’s so quiet in here.” That’s simply an indication of the respect and adoration so many have for her. Not a single person would dare start holding their own conversation whilst she’s playing. Not a single person would even want to. It’s a career spanning set covering her solo output as well as a decent number of Throwing Muses numbers. Songs that are over twenty years old, some approaching thirty years of age sit comfortably amongst recent releases and lose none of their power or impact. Stripped of drums and bass, with just Hersh’s volatile guitar playing and voice that veers between delicate sweetness and raw yelling ‘City Of The Dead’ , ‘Static’ and ‘Sunray Venus’ are transformed into completely new auditory experiences. Crowd favourites ‘Poor Wayfaring Stranger’ and, of course, ‘Your Ghost’ are greeted with particularly enthusiastic, yet polite, shouts of appreciation. The rawness of ‘Mississippi Kite’ contrasts beautifully with the delicate, emotional ‘Flooding’. It’s a set that’s all too short. Kristin Hersh leaves the stage and it’s almost as if everyone awakes from a wonderful hypnotic trance. Suddenly there’s floor stamping and yells for more. No way she’ll get away without returning, which she does with a comment along the lines of “Now for my happy songs” before belting out an encore that included, amongst others  ‘Your Dirty Answer’, the Muses ‘You Cage’ and ‘Gazebo Tree’.
Great night from one of rock’s most talented singer-songwriters.
Setlist, but not in order and possibly with one or two minor errors: The Key / Bright / Krait / Mississippi Kite / Gazebo Tree / Freesia / Poor Wayfaring Stranger / Your Ghost / Static / City Of The Dead / Flooding / Sunray Venus / I Will Never Marry / Banks Of The Ohio / Sundrops / Cuckoo / You Cage / Dirty Answer

Website here.

Shimmer - Facebook fanpage here.

Kristin Hersh

Kristin Hersh

Kristin Hersh

Kristin Hersh


Kristin Hersh

Kristin Hersh

Kristin Hersh

Kristin Hersh






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