New Century Hall played host to legendary American singer-songwriter Bill Callahan last night as a special stripped back seated gig.
Callahan last played here at Albert Hall, but tonight he was at one of the newer venues in the city for a slightly more intimate performance, joined on stage by another musical legend drummer Jim White (former Dirty Three member).
The audience gave Callahan a warm Manchester welcome as he graced the stage in laid back attire, and with his trademark deadpan humour said ‘hello, I’m Johnny Cash’ before starting the set to huge applause. The first track of the evening was ‘Pigeons’ which saw Callahan open with a reference to Cash and close with a reference to Leonard Cohen.
The song showcases Callahans intricacy on the guitar, and teamed with White on drums it was quite a spectacle. I imagine many audience members would have paid the ticket price alone to witness Jim White on drums. His pairing with Callahan was outstanding and the evening just got better and better with each track.
One thing I like about Callahan is his tendency to go off on a musical tangent, taking you on an adventure and free styling with White so beautifully. The seated gig made for a more respectful environment, (barring two bellends at the back who security swiftly dealt with).
There were of course some Smog tracks thrown into the mix, the second half paying tribute to Callahans band days with ‘Rock Bottom Riser’, and ‘River Guard’ with solo track and my all time favourite Callahan tune ‘Jim Cain’ sandwiched between. The set list was carefully orchestrated, combining the more upbeat numbers with the melancholy.
The evening came to a reluctant end with Callahan gracefully taking an audience request, the chosen track was ‘Cold Blooded Old Times’ and with that, he bid us farewell, but I think Manchester will be a firm favourite on Bill’s future tours after receiving such a warm welcome each time he plays here. To see outstanding musicianship I `would urge you to get down to the next one, and for more information on his current UK tour, head to his website below.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BILL CALLAHAN HEAD HERE
FOR MORE ON THE LATEST MUSIC NEWS FROM RGM CLICK HERE
