I’ve had this line bouncing around my head since I saw the incredible Simone Felice perform on his live acoustic tour at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds last week.
I’ve written about Simone before and I just couldn’t not write about seeing him again – he is simply one of the most mesmerising and hypnotic performers. The Guardian hit it right on the head when they said:
“These are songs of memory and regret, of reminiscence and desire, songs that reflect on love and childhood and Americanness and, more than anything, on time passing… each song somehow sounds like a classic, each live performance suggesting we are in the presence of a rare, fiery brilliance.”
Unlike the previous performances when he was with his ‘full’ band Duke & The King, this was the man himself and a couple of musicians delivering pared back and powerful renditions of old and new songs. The wonderfully lo-fi surroundings of the Brudenell completed the picture and made for a memorable and engaging performance, each song deeply etched with passion and belief, the battle-scarred singer delivering emotional punch with every song.
It was one of those gigs where the songs fly by and before you know it, the performers are leaving for the stage only to return for the encore. Beautiful.
I also bought a preview copy of Simone’s new book too, it’s called Black Jesus.
According to the book jacket its ‘Part love story, part protest at the broken promises lying at the heart of the American Dream. A passionate, twisted hymn to the marginalised and forgotten’
I liked the sound of that.
DeanoBlog 