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Saturday 29 January 2011

Gigs - I Am Kloot - Shepherds Bush Empire


Star rating – 9/10

This was another fantastic live gig from I Am Kloot tonight, this time with the Londoners at Shepherds Bush. And John Bramwell made the same comment to the crowd as he did in Bristol last year, that he thought they were weird here. Maybe the Mancunian musical maestro he thinks that about all southerners, and fair enough if he does I say….

Bramwell was not in a particularly talkative mood tonight, possibly a bit cheesed off with the persistent chatter from a small section of the crowd throughout the sublime set. But letting his music do the talking is no bad thing when you are such an amazingly talented wordsmith and songwriter as Johnny Bramwell is. The crowd were treated from gems old and new, from the Kloot back catalogue, and from the brilliant latest CD ‘Sky At Night’. Particular newer favourites of mine, although it seems churlish to pick them out as the whole set was outstanding, were ‘To The Brink’; ‘Fingerprints’; and ‘It’s Just the Night’. From their brilliant back catalogue ‘Someone Like You’; and ‘From Your Favourite Sky’ were superb. The Kloot were again backed, as they have been all tour, but a three piece string section, and some talented brass players that set their songs off wonderfully.

Bramwell did a couple of beautiful and exposing mid set solo acoustic numbers, Fear of Falling and The Sea. They did the usual crowd favourites like ‘Twist’ and of course the song that has become a bit of a ritual but great sing along, ‘Proof’. The set lasted for just short of two hours, and the band gave it their all. They were back on top form tonight after a slightly fractious night at Manchester Cathedral before Christmas.

If you love songs about drinking, disaster, and the odd bit of mental illness thrown in for good measure, then you need to catch I am Kloot if you can. Believe me it is a truly uplifting experience.

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