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Jeff
Finlin and Pat Buchanan
Live
- The Borderline, London, 5 October 2002
Pat
Buchanan
opens the evening, with Jeff Finlin drumming. At the start
of the tour there was a bass player as well, but he was 'let go', and
frankly
the sound is fine without him. Pat mixes stuff from
his
first album, something of a homage to '60s Britpop, and his new one,
which
takes more of a conventional singer-songwriter route.
He's a bit of a guitar hero, and every so often the power chords sneak
out, and none the worse for it. Jeff Finlin fills the
gaps with some nice understated drum work and also supplies backing
vocals.
Towards the end on a new song, 'I don't want to be your enemy',
Pat
succumbs to the urge to wig out on guitar, much to his and everybody
else's
delight. A good start.
After
a brief
break the duo return, with the drums abandoned and Jeff on acoustic
guitar.
Pat displays some beautiful subtle guitar work, in stark contrast to
the
all-out attack of his own set. But the star of the
evening
is undoubtedly Jeff, his songs and his voice. For
some
his voice is one only a mother could love, but for me its sandpapery,
quavering
sound is one of the most evocative around. Tom Waits is an
often-quoted reference point, both for voice and songs, and Jeff
doesn't
lose out in the comparison.
'Sugar
Blue'
has a louche late night feel and the performance is magnificent.
'Perfect
Mark of Cain' ('She knew that losing everything was the only hope of
finding
more') is done sparsely and works all the better for it. 'West of
Rome', 'Waiting on a Flood' (where Pat is let off the hook a bit),
great
song after great song passes through.
Jeff
Finlin
is one of the few true originals around at the moment. He hangs
out
somewhere on the fringes, and he's not an easy listen, but he's
definitely
a rewarding one. A great night.
Jeremy
Searle
Americana
UK
October
2002
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