Institute of Contemporary Arts

DAY TWENTY-ONE: Aqualung and Jamie Scott

Date: 25 July 2007

 

I must confess: I only really knew two Aqualung songs before July 21st.  One was the inimitable Strange and Beautiful of VW fame and the other was the marvellous Brighter than Sunshine.  Matt Hales, A.K.A. the man behind the sound that is Aqualung, has become a regular on soundtracks to American teen dramas but this angst-ridden typecasting far from does justice to his multi-instrumental talent which reconciles delicate, evocative melodies with epic drums and cool electronic enhancements.  At the ICA, perhaps the best accompanying image for Aqualung's paradoxical sound was provided by percussionist David Price who intermittently stood away from his drum kit to play his violin. 

My sidekick for the evening was my cousin Tom, a dedicated fan of Aqualung for many years who feels some spiritual affinity with Mr Hales since they both spent their formative years in and around Winchester.  So excited was he that as we walked down the Mall, he pressed his ear up against the stage door trying to catch an aural glimpse of the soundcheck.  

We were in the theatre dutifully early, earning ourselves a place at front as the other lottery winners filled the space around us.  Illustrative of Aqualung's broad appeal, the crowd seemed to be an eclectic mix of myspace kids, philosophy students, their parents, young Americans and the odd City boy.  We all waited excitedly together, blissfully unaware of the deluge that had got the rest of the country battening down the hatches.

We were warmed up by Jamie Scott and the Town, a rather lovely five-piece fronted by the eponymous troubadour Jamie complete with gravel voice, acoustic guitar and a fine collection of tunes.  There was Weeping Willow with its gorgeous cello, the Paul Simon-sounding London Town, the upcoming single When Will I See Your Face Again? and a wonderfully fun cover of Lily Allen's Smile.  I'm a sentimental soul at the best of times and I'd just finished a particularly ‘end of an era' week - I'll be the first to admit that the ever so slightly cheesy songs like Standing in the Rain certainly warmed my cockles.  Tom was generally less moved by the experience but the crowd cheered, lapped up the warm fuzziness of the set and induced a rather chuffed Mr Scott to say on more than one occasion that he wished he could stay for longer.

Then came Aqualung.  ‘Its really exciting for us because the last time I was [at the ICA] was fifteen years ago for a contemporary art exhibition and a man showed me his willy,' Matt informed us ‘if anyone wants to do that tonight, please go ahead. This is the sort of place that actively encourages it.'  Mr Hales certainly has a magic way of lightening the tone he sets musically with anecdotes and self-deprecation.  After highlighting the ominous absence of his brother Ben and his guitar, he warned ‘if you've seen Aqualung before, you'll know that sometimes we try things and it sounds brilliant...and sometimes its bloody awful.'  This time, it was resoundingly the former.

The set was predominantly taken from the new album, Memory Man, whose pixelated cover art provided a clinical backdrop.  Easier to Lie opened in style and was followed by the likes of the hauntingly beautiful new single ‘Pressure Suit', the surging ‘Outside', the spine-tingling ‘Something to Believe In' and (reassuringly for a novice like me) a sublime version of ‘Strange and Beautiful' on the harmonium. Ben's absence meant that songs such as ‘Cinderella' were reworked electronically to glorious effect, consuming the whole of auditorium. 

In the encore a young Fan (with a capital F) drowned everyone else out after Matt asked for requests, screaming ‘Tongue-tied, Tongue-tied, Tongue-tied.'  Amused, he politely obliged and a sumptuous few solo minutes ensued.  We were also treated to a tribute to Chicagoan alt-country band Wilco with a cover of Poor Places from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

The atmosphere was buzzing; everyone exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure. As we left, Tom managed to acquire the printed set list that was gaffer taped to Matt's keyboard and clutched it speechlessly as we left.  His verdict on the whole evening: awesome.  My sentiments exactly.

 

Kate Cowcher In order to post a comment, please log in:

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