Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Untolerable Bohemian Sings at Cat's Art MusikCircus

Once again I really have no idea since I last heard a performance from Untolerable Bohemian but it's definitely been a long time.  lefty Unplugged usually also plays on Mondays but last night was his wife's birthday so they were out and about in Manchester.

People call him Bo rather than Untolerable and he started out last night with some fairly introspective play that was brilliantly done and wasn't likely to have been composed ahead of time.  It was fascinating to hear as you keep wondering where he is going with it.  After some time exploring in this way he wound up in "House of the Rising Sun."  Maybe you think the song is worthless because it's been done so many times but the magical thing about the song is that people can do it in so many different ways and Bo does it in his unique way.

It's rare that I'll find a musical fact that Cat doesn't already know but she didn't know that no-one knows who wrote "House of the Rising Sun" and some even say it traces back to a story of a Soho brothel from the Sixteenth Century.  Maybe more likely is that it traces to the Eighteenth Century in New Orleans but no-one knows for sure.  One thing for sure is that no-one has done it like Bo.  (Wiki:  House of the Rising Sun)

Bo has a very good voice but he uses it in a highly-stylised way and that may take a bit to appreciate. It seems that, like Voodoo Shilton, he is evolving and his show last night was exceptional.  He does cover songs but that isn't a reason to avoid them as he very much makes them his own.  He even covers songs by Michael Jackson and Britney Spears which you might think a ridiculous thing to do ... until you hear him.  I wasn't convinced on the Britney Spears song until last night.  Cat had told me about it but I had to wait and wonder.  I heard it last night and it was excellent.

I'm very much anticipating hearing Bo playing electric as I know he is very good at it.  Even so, I would not have wanted to forego the concert he gave last night to hear his electric skills instead.  All in good time for electric as one day he will as it's all part of his depth as a performer.

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