Institute of Contemporary Arts

DAY FOURTEEN: Ghosts and Paolo Nutini

Date: 14 July 2007

Paolo Nutini

Ghosts and Paolo. When I first heard these words together I immediately thought of a Paolo Coelho novel, Ghosts sounding like something Coelho would write, and my imagination sent me off to foreign lands and mystical realms. Of course, that was just a reaction and Saturday’s gig had nothing to do with the Brazilian author. However, Ghosts and Paolo Nutini, from their less exotic Deptford and Paisley origins, gave us a night filled with all the ingredients associated with a Coelho novel. It was a spirited, soulful night full of lyrical adventures and creative characters.

Several knowing fans arrived early for this gig, and I arrived to see a queue running right down the ICA corridor. The house was nicely full for Ghosts as a result, and packed for Paolo; chic late arrivals including the, hmm, how else to describe him, legendary Paul Weller who came to support his recent support act.  Something told me I was going to be hearing something good when Paul Weller turned up; I can't imagine him fluffing a (shock horror) quite beautiful July evening on something mediocre. And I was right. On Saturday both bands came alive with their music. Ghosts and Paolo Nutini possess the performers je ne sais quoi, that thing that takes you from shy to high at the beat of the drum.

Ghosts singer Simon seemed endearingly nervous and bashful in front of the crowds, only to turn into an animated rock star like Simon Le Bon (well, their songs do have a Duran Duran edge) for songs like their album’s title track, The World Is Outside. The audience undoubtedly felt like the world was actually inside for this one, everybody cheered and sang along with glee. Stay The Night and Stop were also accompanied by audience members that seemed to know all the words, while slower paced tracks including Ghosts had the heads bobbing and dimples showing. Their music is heavily marked with dashes of romantic Eighties pop rock, and everyone was loving it. It seems there will always be a place in people’s hearts for music with a marching beat, punchy drums, streaks of electric guitar and a catchy tune.

Paolo Nutini was even more of a Houdini (oh me) when it came to magically changing from self-conscious teenager to captivating performer. At 19 years of age Paolo is a small slip of a boy and he seemed nervous of talking too much to the crowds. I couldn’t really understand the few words he mumbled into his microphone (and it wasn’t the Scottish accent, I’m used to that from my days spent in Glasgow); Paolo either talked into his hands, turned away from the audience or rushed the end of his sentences. He is not, I concluded, a colloquial entertainer. However, as soon as the music started, it seems his sheepish self slipped away; he was overcome by a passion and an instinct for telling a story.

You can hear influences from several genres in Paolo’s music and he sent us on a  time traveling magic carpet ride that avoided the Eighties but took us just about everywhere else. This was a rainbow performace (he included a new song by the same name) accentuated perfectly in the multi-coloured lighting afforded him on Saturday. Starting with Alloway and New Shoes, we could have been in the deep South with our cowboy boots on dancing a jig, but then we were flown off to a folk fest somewhere for Rewind with it’s talk of ‘home on the floor’ and ‘stronger spirits’. Reggae sounds filled our ears for Paolo’s cover version of Trouble So Hard – more in line with the original blues version by Marion Williams than the dance equivalent from Moby. We rocked and rolled like rolling stones to Jenny Don’t Be Hasty and for newer songs like Northern Skies (about the only clue that this boy is from Scotland and not Tennessee) we were brought back to the present, excited by the sound of fresh material.

One element that remained constant for the entire set was the timeless signature sound of Paolo’s soulful voice. It illuminates all of his songs regardless of their style and was nowhere better illustrated than during Last Request and Loving You, popular favourites with the crowd that make full use of Paolo’s fantastic vocal range. These songs have placed Nutini on a par with some of history’s sovereign solo artists including Ray Charles (who you can hear in the tone of Nutini’s voice), Van Morrison and more recent artists such as Ray Le Montagne. We were definitely in the presence of an exciting new talent, and no one was ready for the last song ‘Funky Cigarette’. Except possibly the few remaining smokers in the theatre; relieved that their beloved cigarettes can at least still be heard, if no longer seen.
 
 Torie Speyer