David J, YOU ALL KNOW WHO DAVID J IS. Will be releasing a spoken word album called “The Mother Tree” alongside a poetry book containing all the poems on the album, called “Rhapsody, Threnody & Prayer” on June 6th. Having listened to the album (A lot by the time of this interview) and read the poems, I got to do a deep dive with David over the subjects.

Jeremy: Well, David, thank you for joining us.

David J: Thank you, Jeremy.

Jeremy: I want to say, I love the new Night Crickets album. I’ve been talking to Darwin and heard Victor is out for a bit, but we’re still hoping to cover that one too. I had such a great time with the three of you last time we spoke. But this new record—it’s something special. I have so many thoughts. Where do I even start? What made you decide to go this route—spoken word with music—and put everything out there the way you did?

David J: I’ve always had an interest in combining spoken word with music. It goes back to my very first solo record in ’83, Etiquette of Violence. There’s a spoken word track on there called “Within the Indians Permanent” about Jack Kerouac. That format has appeared on several albums since—though not on everyone—but it’s always been something I’ve gravitated toward. I had the idea of doing a full album of spoken word pieces, but I wasn’t sure how to approach it musically. Whether I’d do it all myself via multi-tracking or bring in musicians. Then I happened to see this band called Rakia playing at a tiny place in downtown LA. I went to see a friend, Nora Keyes, and she played right before them. I was about to leave but decided to finish my drink and catch one song. I ended up staying for the whole set. Their instrumental sound just struck me—it clicked. I thought This is the sound I need for that spoken word project I’ve been holding onto. So I approached them, and within days we were in the studio.

Jeremy: Was what they played that night similar to what we hear on the record?

David J: Yes, that was their sound—though they’re no longer active as a band. I still work with John Bernstein, their piano and keyboard player. We’re heading to Santa Rosa tonight for a gig and then playing the Great American Music Hall on Sunday, Darwin from Night Crickets is joining me.

JH: Darwin’s kind of your right-hand man these days, isn’t he?

David J: Yeah, he’s been managing me for a while now. He’s terrific.

JH: When I started listening to this new record, I immediately thought, David J sounds like a cross between David Gilmour and Roger Waters. You’ve always had that duality in your voice—able to sing with either warmth or edge. But hearing you simply speak these poems… it hit differently. It reminded me of “Mr. Moonlight” in some ways, but deeper. More emotional. More intense.

David J: I did all of those tracks live in the studio with the band. No overdubs. I sent the poems to them and gave them creative freedom to respond however they felt was right. I didn’t even listen to the compositions until right before we recorded. Most of what you hear are first or second takes. Very spontaneous. We were reacting to each other in real-time.

Jeremy: Was it emotionally intense to hear your poems brought to life like that?

David J: Absolutely, especially with the poem “Mother Tree.” That one is deeply personal—it spans all of Side A and is about my mother. I wrote most of it after she died and finished it after receiving her ashes. There’s a moment in the poem where I describe letting them go. That’s when I knew it was finished. Recording it was extremely moving. I felt her presence in the room. It was like a communion with her. We did just one take, and you can hear the emotion in my voice.

JH: David Sedaris, the comic writer, wrote about how his mom was always smoking He said, “I could never imagine my mom smoking as I couldn’t imagine her not breathing. She, she smoked up until the day she died”, these are marvelous tributes that you guys are giving to your mother’s.

David J: Like this. And of course, it’s essential when you’re a kid, you are attuned to that sensuality, it’s formative and it’s very emotionally impacting.

JH: I’m just going to quote a couple of some lines here, right where, because I could feel this because I’d heard it from so many other people as well.

The blades cleave

Over the rink

Outside, the Luftwaffe

Delivers a rain of Hellish destruction

High explosive bombs

Incendiary bombs

Oil bombs

All come crashing down

On Birmingham

The Second City

Place of the defiant girl’s birth

When the air raid siren sounded

Everyone in the ice hall

Fled for the shelters

Everyone apart from the lady in white

She, choosing to stand her ground

And skate on

In defiance of Hitler’s ire

David J: True story. I visualized all of it, she told me that story and it was very moving, and it just made me adore her.

JH: But you’re talking about the clothes she was wearing and the blades of the ice skate. I mean, these are details that made the story so tangible.

David J: And there’s, there’s purposely a foreshadowing of that when in the first, like the first verse of this piece, and I talk about going to the, the forest with my friend cook, who’s like this shaman, local shaman character. And he wants to take me to the forest to show me this mother tree, this incredible tree and I was in the middle of winter and these, I’m in my big boots I can’t get over the fact that he’s just like impervious to this real cold on the East Coast in the middle of winter. It starts with his foot falling on the ice and snow, you know, and then there’s sort of like a cinematic foreshadowing of my mum’s boot falling on the ice rink and then I give that the brave girl was my mother, and this was her act of defiance alone that this for and for this act of defiance, she’ll always have my heart.

JH: I felt very similar when I was living in France and also in the Netherlands when I met these old guys who had been in the resistance, you know, and they were telling me these stories about being in the resistance, fighting the Germans, sacrificing a lot. I met one woman who said I couldn’t tell the public that I was working for the resistance, and I went and slept with these German soldiers to get information from them. I learning about the resistance fighters or just anyone. I developed the same respect for your mother because of how you told that story. Probably the hardest line for me in this Oh, there were a lot where you talked about your dead brother, I guess your mother had a miscarriage, you talked about him and would he have been the guy to protect me from bullies.

David J: Yeah, yeah, My mom, she had bad stomach pains and went to the doctor and he prescribed this medication and she, she didn’t realize she was pregnant at that time, but the better. That’s what killed the embryo. And then the irony of ironies went much many years later when immigrated to Australia. They had to see a doctor to sign off on certain forms, and it was that same doctor.

JH: When you said the line about this letter sent first class expedited still was beat by four days.

DJ: The letter to my mom and, it was a dried leaf that I’d picked from the park near where I was living.

JH: I’m sitting here listening to and reading this and I’m just having such great visuals, thinking to him all these things out of sequence. This was great about your, mom.

David J:This part really sucked, This hurts mom, I miss you, you know, all of this just wove in and out there, I loved it. I mean the abiding feeling I know is love for her.

JH: It’s like right after that the Love and Rockets show that I covered for you guys in Salt Lake, my wife’s mother was in a wheelchair and the wheelchair rolled and she broke her shoulder and that just caused everything to cascade and get worse and she passed away a month later.

DJ: I’m. Sorry.

JH: I was the one who found her and I had to walk back to my house and tell my wife after I told her father, she’s passed, that was probably the hardest thing I ever had to say to somebody that I loved. I want to give this one to my wife and let her hear it. I hope that it can help her. I think my wife would get a lot out of it so I’ll pass this on.

David J: That would be wonderful.

JH: I’ve always wanted to ask you this, what was the song Rainbird about? It was one of the coolest songs on that record. It felt just enough out of place, but it felt like you were walking in a wet, muddy construction yard out there somewhere between 2 buildings.

David J: It was about Daniel Ash, Daniel, has always tended to get comfy about commitment to projects, to tours, to doing albums. And he didn’t want to make “Earth + Sun + Moon”, he didn’t want to tour. He was thinking about leaving the band and then he was like humming and hawing. And then he did want to do it then he didn’t want to do it and he finally did it. Of course. During that time, I wrote that song, and I didn’t tell him that it was about him till after we recorded it.

JH: And how did he respond on that one?

David J: He used an expletive.

JH: I think you and Daniel, at least musically, hefted so many of the same duties right as vocals. You would switch off. I remember when we’re talking about when just that came up the night crickets interview and you talked about how you and Pat Fish had you’re at the tail end of a party, sitting there smoking a spliff while the sun comes up and you’re listening to Victor’s record and you’re like, that’s the next record I want to make.

David J: I remember the track that was playing there so, so clearly, like it was last week and that was. It was one of these mad parties at Pat’s and Flat in Northampton, it was sunrise and everybody else passed out and it was just us 2 still awake.

JH: And that gave us one of the greatest records of all time, I told you this last time when I die, I want my ashes pressed into a record print of “Earth + Sun + Moon”. You know, that’s so that’s how much I love that record.

David J: I’m touched by that, Jeremy, “We” collectively “Love & Rockets” love that first Violent Fans album and we were playing it all the time when we were making the album Express John A Rivers, who was engineer Co-producer and John hated it, the benchmark was that Violet Femmes album. And so if John didn’t get that, then he’s not the man, to help us make this album. So then we, we, we contacted our original mentor, Derek Tompkins, who was the guy who had the studio in Wellingborough called Beck, where we recorded Bela Lugosi’s Dead and other tracks and we brought him out of retirement to do that one.

JH: I remember talking to you when you were here with Peter in what, 2019, I guess. And you and I were talking just talking about how much reggae there was in Bauhaus.

David J: Yeah, we used to go to the Africa Centre and that was a big like Rastafarian stronghold in the town centre. And we weren’t really the only white guys there, we were accepted and it was wonderful, they had sound systems, and guys toasting, they had a goat’s head soup in a big vat, and smoking ganja. It’s very rich, we owe a lot to the immigrants.

JH: It sounds like an amazing experience man, see growing up in Salt Lake, we didn’t have anything like that, we had one punk club where we could go and hear the punk stuff live, had a couple of dance clubs discos that we would go to and everybody like them, there was one that was all goth and they were always playing Bela Lugosi’s dead. So now we’re crossing streams here, OK, savior in the city.

David J: Ok

JH: I was raised Mormon here in Utah, and there’s a lot of religious imagery there applied to us today and how we would, you know, we would have seen it. “He looked up at the skyscrapers and down the scars on his feet. He bought a pair of cheap shoes from a street vendor. Brown canvas slip-ons” I mean the details here, then “When we walked through the crowds when it came to XXX porno spot he stopped and went inside, I followed an embarrassed apostle. He placed his hand on the door of each private Peep Show booth, and he blessed the occupants.”OK, Give me the story here, David.

David J: It’s just that I just had this vision, I was in the cab in New York City and I had, I don’t know, they just, it flashed into my consciousness. I had this vision of Christ in present times, which was at that time, it was the early 90s. And what? Brown canvas sandals, right? I’d let my imagination just go, you know, and you see, I’m not I, I don’t, I’m not Christian as search, but I, I’ve always had a, a deep kind of reverence of and, and love for the idea of Jesus and what, you know, in, in essence, the Christ represents and how heroic and how beautiful all of that is. And for him, you know, like standing up for the disenfranchised, the outcasts, the ones that, you know, the outcasts, outcasts from society. He would embrace them and see the beauty that’s there beyond, the surface upon which they are judged by society, you know, and all of that. I don’t know, it just still came, just bubbled up. And I just imagined it happening in New York City at that time.

JH: When I was in 9th grade, 14-15 years old, and everybody at school was talking about football games or wanting fast cars or what so and so was wearing in this $78 pair of jeans, etc. I was given an assignment in a class about Buddhism, to go and study, and write a big project about it. I read this book, the teachings of Buddha, and while I was putting this big poster together that was the first time I did a binge listen of “Express” and then “Earth+ Sun + Moon” while doing this whole Buddhist experience understanding it from a very different Christian perspective. That gave me this mind-expanding moment. But here you’ve got Jesus popping into the porno shop. I could see that Jesus is a very modern compassionate, nonjudgmental person.

David J: And then they’re walking through the crowds and then they come to a stop sign, and then I’m walking with him, went across, and then they scream and I’m walking across. And then I noticed that he’s gone, he’s stayed behind. So I looked around and he’s gone and there’s a dog that’s been run over and then in the distance a siren, wales. And then I say it was it was 3:00, which is when he was crucified.

JH: WOW!!!, ok David, just to have an hour to talk to one of my favorite guys like this is fantastic to just ask you these kinds of questions here. Macclesfield Sunday. One of my other fave bands at the top is all things Joy Division, and I rank you up there in my fave list with like JJ Brunell, Peter Hook, and Mick Conroy. But now I’m reading this, and we’re talking about Ian. And I’ve read 1000 books about it. The affair with Yannik, the Belgian attache, his epilepsy. Even Peter Hook talked about it a while ago, and they realized he was given way too much of his epilepsy medicine and that would have killed him anyway. I feel like everything I’ve read, there’s still a gap in there that nobody wants to talk about about Ian. Did you ever meet Ian Curtis?

David J: Yes, yeah, he came down to see Bauhaus play in London. We were playing at a club called Billy’s that later became the Bat Cave. We had a residency there. And he approached us after one of our sets and he said how much he loved the band and he had 2 records. We had two records at the time, “Bella Lugosi’s Dead” and “Dark Entries”, he said he plays them a lot and was just admiring of the band. And I remember looking into his eyes and he had these very, very vivid, like, blue eyes, and there was something, to me he looked like a St. something very sort of divine and also sad and otherworldly removed. Somehow there was part of him that wasn’t there, So that was my that was my only meeting with him. But then years later, there was going to be a movie made. This was before “Control” and it’s going to be again, loosely based on his wife’s book, “Touching from a Distance”. They wanted me to do the music for it, and as part of the sort of process, the director lent me all of Ian’s letters to Annik. I read them all and in one sitting I got to 1 of them and he’s talking about this moment gave me chills when he went down to London, he was telling her “I really love his Bauhaus. I’ve got both their records and I’m going to be recording our next album when they’re playing because I really want to catch them live.”

JH: Oh wow that was a that was the moment for you.

David J: It gave me chills reading that, then reading through the letters and he talks about Macclesfield on a Sunday, which is where he was living, and how depressing it was. And he talked about going down to the canal in his overcoat and it was raining and just sort of the atmosphere of that, you know, and all of that’s in there. And that’s really what inspired that, that poem. On a Macclesfield Sunday, the last letter, which is a very long letter to Annik, he’s talking about looking forward to going to America and he’s excited and all this, and my heroes coming from there, Iggy Pop and Stooges and Lou Reed and it’s just such an up exciting thing, you never think like reading that letter there a few weeks later, he killed himself. When Bauhaus was touring it in those days, I mean, we were aware of that situation because we worked with Annik, and she booked us in Belgium.

JH: I think that the band called her the Belgian bombshell, OK, she was an attractive woman, but yeah, there was something that she filled in his life that that he didn’t get. I’m not placing any blame on anybody, you’ve had more insight in having read all those letters. I would have considered that quite an honor.

David J: Absolute honor, yeah. It was such a privilege.

JH: Well, he was one of your peers, but I’ve grown up listening to both of you, neck and neck.

David J: Well, obviously you read all those letters and I was moved to write it, yes.

JH: The world hasn’t seen them, have they? I don’t think that it’s all been made public.

David J: I don’t think so, I recorded that piece on a Macclesfield Sunday as an extra track. It wasn’t on a record, it was just a download. And the music that I put to it was the little bit of music that I’ve done for this movie.

JH: It’s been fantastic, I hope we can get enough interest for people to go and get this poetry book. Well thank you so much, David , All the best.

DJ: Thank you, Be kind.

The full audio can be heard here. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2GkHqdWQBPu2zccwmf6A0e

Website

#davidj #davidjhaskins #bauahus #thejazzbutcher #loveandrockets #danielash #petermurphy #joydivision #iancurtis #kevinhaskins #nightcrickets

Snow Patrol are a Scottish Irish band from Dundee Scotland, and other parts of Northern Ireland (that means they are confused about many things, but likely have a general disdain for the English government). They have been together as a band since the early 90s, then became “Snow Patrol” in 1997. Touring North America now, they bring 31 years of great music, and performances everywhere they go. (I know it’s 31 years cause the singer Gary Lightbody told us all during the set how long it’s been).

There is NOTHING short of amazing, every song, and the rich history has brought them to this wonderful moment.

Concert Review

Artist : Snow Patrol

Venue : The Union Events Center

City: Salt Lake City, UT

Supporting Act: Sorcha Richardson

The last time Snow Patrol played in Salt Lake was only a few years ago at and sold out “The Depot” ‘s 860 capacity. This time, they played “The Union” and it was sold out to the doors of 3000+ and it was no surprise. They have filled stadiums in Europe, so we are happy to have them here in a more “intimate” setting.

SORCHA RICHARDSON

Opening the show was the Irish female vocalist Sorcha Richardson, she had this groovy cool sound as if she were the young female version of Robyn Hitchcock, a great sound, and a very entertaining set. Her songs were all very different from each other, and you could still notice that, from an acoustic set. Something I was very impressed with, though she hasn’t released new material since 2002, she still was impressive enough for Snow Patrol to take her on tour with them, check her out, nuff said.

SNOW PATROL

An almost instant changeover the stage went dark and we waited through an intro, and then the screen behind them simply lit up with the title “Snow Patrol”, there was a heart then the words “Salt Lake City”. The band walked out on stage, Gary taking the center and saying ” Salt Lake City, Good evening!!”, and suddenly the backdrop looked like a row of Manhattan high rises, and they kicked off the set with “Take Back The City”. The entire band was rather animated with no one staying put at their “stations”, everyone in the band was playing only barely out of reach of their mics, just to get back in time to sing their lines. Everyone on stage was all smiles, and it was clear they were going to have a good time giving us their set, with Gary finishing the final measures a-Capella.

With the stage lit in all red, Gary picked up what looked like a telecaster, and they went into “Chocolate”. With all the charisma in the world, and not entirely being a great dancer with his guitar in hand, he asked for everyone to cheer on in the end “Whahoooooooaooooooo”, and we did it with him, just because he asked.

They played “Called Out In The Dark” with Gary holding the mic and pacing back and forth from the front to the back of the stage, slightly dancing and going up front to make eye contact with everyone. The guitar line sounded rather raw, and just as tight as the rest of the band, I enjoyed how the song sounded considerably different live, and still kept the spirit of the song. Gary once again invited the punters to sing along, not even holding the mic out to them to signal, he just said “Come on, let’s have it”, and we did it “We are listening, and we’re not blind”, almost as if he wanted us to sing it for THEM.

They played “ALL”, and then trying to kick off into “Crack the Shutters” there were a couple of false starts, with someone being out of key, or slightly off tempo. Gary stopped the song, and they had to muck about getting back in sync, then he apologized to the punters, saying “I promise this will be the last time, this will be the final attempt”. With a film of walking through a forest and the light coming through the trees behind them, they nailed it, everyone was in sync, and it finished without a hitch. It is with moments like this when you can see a band not take themselves seriously, have a hiccup, still laugh at themselves, and banter between themselves and the punters.

They played “Run” in a very somber mood, with the bassline leading the way for the rest of the band. Taking the mic Gary sang the opening to “The Beginning”, while the base drum was hitting hard keeping the tempo before the rest of the band came in filling in the paces, with a backdrop of a large spiral of brilliant colors, going from looking like a tunnel, to the “Zen” symbol turning, that made the whole song fit with the moment.

With the well-known piano line, we knew it was “The Lighting Strike” (What If This Storm Ends), the guitarist chimed in and stood off with Gary and his guitar looking like they were going to duel, and the backdrop was of a beautiful tree that began turning with each leaf a different color. Lighting was flashing and you could barely see the band, only silhouettes, then the guitarist took us down a very emotional solo that suddenly was as important as the singing and lyrics. This was all very moving, with the band no longer being the visuals to focus on. This part reminded me of how U2 would close the set of their “ZOO TV” tour, really making themselves insignificant against what was on the screen, almost forgetting that they were there. This was magnificent, and we were only halfway through the set.

They turned the tone down, and played a stripped down “Talking About Hope” with all of them singing together, it touched everyone there, like we just melted.

Not to say that this was the moment we were all waiting for (But yeah it was) Gary started playing the two simple chords with Connolly playing the individual notes, All this seems strange and untrue, and I won’t waste a minute, without you”. The bass and drums started to follow, and to pure perfection they went into “Tell me that you’ll open your eyes”. A powerful song about someone who has put so much into a relationship with a person, needing them to understand what has transpired after all this time, and to see that where they have been sitting is not at all where this friendship is or should be. One last attempt as someone that they love so much to see the beautiful reality that is out there, as Plato’s allegory of the cave, to “step out of this dark room for the last time” there were images from the galaxy probably the Hubble Telescope showing the expanses of the universe that is outside waiting for this person if they would “Just open their eyes”. Singing at the end, “I still love you, I always will, I love you still, I love you still” with all the devotion to this person, I do hope it was a happy ending, this song deserves it.

While we were all recovering from that, they played “Make This Go On Forever” and then “Shut Your Eyes”. They played “Heal Me” and then Gary told us all how much they had enjoyed playing for us, and that he couldn’t believe that they had been doing this for 31 years, with a different name to start with, but that none of them in the band ever thought they would still be here doing this so many years later. Hearing him say this was strange because that made them sound like an “old” band, like a classic rock band or something. They can’t be “old” I’ve only gotten into them over the last 15 years, they are still new, current, and happening.

Holding his guitar and starting with the simple two notes, Gary sang “We’ll do it all, everything on our own” The band played quietly behind, while everyone sang along “If I lay here, If I just lay here, and just forget the world” as the band built up on the drums getting louder as everyone was singing this one. It felt like it was OUR song this way. Then at the 2^nd chorus, they took it to new heights, as everyone was feeling this song, more than we were hearing it. A timeless song that everyone loved together, confirming the once “There is nothing more powerful than the shared experience”, this was proof of that.

He thanked us for singing with him, and said “Ok Salt Lake City, this is our last song tonight” and they played “You’re All I Have”, with the while venue dancing up and down feeling like we have successfully gotten all of our parts down for everyone to sing along to, this was a great way to finish out the first part of the set.

As they left the stage, I went up to the balcony to see how they would finish this set. After a few minutes of everyone cheering, they came back onstage and bantered with the audience again. Gary said “Ok, we got one more for you, ok, TWO actually. BUT this one, it’s like you still need to finish your vegetables before you get dessert, this is your vegetables, so sit down and eat them”, an unusual analogy from the stage, but we all laughed. With that, the band played “What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?”. With a burning heart on the backdrop, it felt like a campfire sing-along, going soft to the parts right before he said “WHAT IF HURTS?” with everyone as quiet enough as to let a pin drop.

To great cheers, Gary said “Ok, now it’s time for dessert…. Because you’ve all been good”, we knew this one was on the docket, because it’s a fave of fans and theirs alike, and they closed out the evening with “Just Say Yes”.

Almost as quickly as it began, the Snow Patrol set was over. With a wonderful performance, this was probably the smallest venue on the tour (and it’s still pretty big), they sounded incredible, we only could have asked for a couple more songs, but this setlist was filled with enough for everyone who has been listening to them, no matter how long.

In the book “Exit Stage Left” (The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars) Nick Duerden wrote an entire chapter about Snow Patrol, and how as they were climbing the ranks, with their sound, filling stadiums, and headlining Glastonbury, Gary had said he watched U2 closely, every move, how they handled themselves on stage, etc. He said he wanted to emulate what Bono was doing, but the truth is, there is already one Bono, and Gary doesn’t need to emulate what Bono has, he already has all he needs to grace the crowd, connect with them, and with his band, they can bring the house down on their terms, their way.

A Snow Patrol gig is something everyone who loves music should experience. Grab a gig when you can, this is the kind of gig you would tell your grandkids about.

#snowpatrol #garylightbody #timelessrock #scotsirishrock

Concert Review

ARTIST: Eivør

Date: February 11 2025

Venue: Metro Music Hall

City: Salt Lake City, UT

Supporting Act: Sylvaine

I first heard Eivør probably a decade ago while digging through a “Viking Pagan Folk” playlist on YouTube. I saw this amazing woman, wearing a live flower weave in her hair beating on a skin drum chanting this old Viking song “Tròdlabùndin” where she was using her voice most bizarrely, with throaty growls, along with some of the sweetest female vocals in the same lines of this chant, calling forth pagan spirits. I was enamored with this spectacle, as strange as this was, it looked like it was being performed in someone’s backyard on a hill, with a cabbage garden next to the stage.

Thus was my love of Eivør Pálsdóttir and her music born. Eivør is a singer from the Faroe Islands, a small chain of islands between Iceland, and North Scotland, the language is Faroese, and most like Icelandic.

In a concert venue, where the lines are blurred between people’s normal attire, or they are just dressed up for a night out, all of the Viking Subculture of Salt Lake had converged at “The Metro” for this amazing event of music and wonder.

Sylvaine

Opening was an amazing singer of ethereal folk “Sylvaine”, she had been through Salt Lake several times, but this time no band. She came to the stage, very quiet, and humble almost, then she began playing this beautiful music that felt like we were going back in time. She opened with “Dagsens auga sloknar ut” (The day’s eyes fade away), she danced in place waving her arms captivating everyone, with a silhouette behind her, reminiscent of the “Ghost” on the 1987 Echo & the Bunnymen album cover. In the first 30 seconds, I knew this woman was a trip.

She played an overpowering somber song, with the guitar sounding like Sigur Ros, that she called “L’appel du Vide” (Emptiness calls)

She talked to everyone for a minute, politely thanking everyone for listening to her set. (We were all hypnotized, and couldn’t do much else).

She closed another acapella piece “Eg Er Framand” (I am a stranger) this time swinging her hands, forward, but not swaying, because this song had that kind of emotion in it.

I talked to her for a few minutes later in the gig, only to find out we knew some of the same people, a band that I am friends with are her neighbors, literally. In short, you have to get into this amazing singer, you will not be disappointed.

Eivør

Eivør took the stage, as a blond Malificient, “star” goddess, she was already tall, but wearing even taller boots. She started singing a haunting ballad in a language we didn’t understand and didn’t need to “En Klota”, with a standing cellist, that just melted everyone, if she wanted to turn down the blood pressure, she had us with that first song.

Still beating the drum with an intense focus, and the keyboardist playing haunting tones, she sang “JARÐARTRÁ” (DUST TO DUST), in this light we noticed how she was made up, with gorgeous nails, and glitter gems all around her eyes, all done up to enchant and scare us at the same time. Most of us just stood in awe at her presence. She thanked all of us and said ” ALRIGHT SALT LAKE CITY !!! What a beautiful crowd, if you can see from here what I see”.

She picked up her guitar and started playing probably the only pop-like song of the evening “Hugsi bert um teg” (Just thinking about you) that sounded like an epic CHVRCHES meets Laura Brannigan, it was quite awesome.

She talked to us again about how she LOVES this tour, where it is warm and cold, and like in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City where it’s below freezing, and feels like going home again. She talked about the new album, and how “I’m gonna do one more song from the new album before we go completely crazy. This is a ballad about reaching for the stars, this one is called “Purpurhjarta” which translates to “Purple Heart”. With the keyboard playing a sad piano song, and the bass player playing low somber tones, everyone was so focused on how her voice was steering the song for us. This is truly one of the best songs on the album (at least til the next one).

After a few more songs, she stood there, blowing kisses, setting her guitar down, and to great cheers, she began waving a skin mallet and beating the drum and howling with the power of a witch elevating everyone to strange new heights of experience. Singing as if it was a ritual, or even a seance it was “Tròdlabùndin”! Everyone swayed along with her on this one and tried chanting those throat parts. This is what so many of us came for, entranced in the vast highs and lows of her voice chanting, it felt like we were in this for hours.

From the pit, I met a Hispanic couple from Los Angeles, who had been on this tour since the opening date, if that tells you how special this show is, clash cultures, and just let the music move you.

She played “True Love” then the title track to the album “ENN” which means “Still”, with a very dark trance-inducing drumming coupled with her voice doing things you don’t normally hear a woman’s voice do.

With Upp Úr Øskuni, (risen from the ashes) the lights only flash when the drums beat, Eivør posed like a towering witch over everyone, while she chanted very dark, intense almost prayers that we didn’t need to understand the words, we felt what they were about. Her long fingernails made perfect sense to be playing these powerful songs on her guitar, while the bass drove a very spiritual voice we all felt like we were standing on. It was all very surreal where Eivør’s music was taking us, it was almost scary, but we were really not afraid.

She told us a story about “Hymn 49” an old Faroese song that was over 500 years old, that the fishermen on the islands would sing when they left the shores, hoping to return safely. We all listened with a sort of reverance understanding the spirit of this song, and respect for a song that has lived several centuries after it’s time.

After some of her oldest pieces “Salt” and “Í Tokuni” (In the fog) Eivør set down her guitar, to all the cheers, she said, “I can see you have all been practicing, really you are such a great crowd”. She introduced the band, everyone by name, and their instrument, then she paused and said “Well, yeah that was it” in an uncomfortable moment. She explained the next song is dedicated to all the lonely souls, “Gullspunnin” (Goldspinning) means you are wrapped around with gold, in all this beauty, thinking you are alone, but you are not truly alone, and that there will always be someone who gets you, then she said, “I love you all”. Then she sang along to the saddest piano ballad we have ever heard, equal to “This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush performed by Loreena McKenneit (yes I did say that).

She thanked everyone, waved good night, and walked off the stage, while the punters let her know we weren’t going to let her off that easy. Eivør returned to the stage and finished off the evening with “Falling Free”, which no many how often I listen to it, evokes what I would say is the essence of Eivør, a simple piano line. No one can walk away from such wonder, she builds up to “Now I surrender, I am falling down, hoping you will catch me before I hit the ground”. Everyone was swinging their heads forward on each beat, eyes closed, just feeling the purity of the music.

Evior took one last bow and left the crowd awestruck.

If this has given any justice to how incredible Eivør is live, my buddy who has been going to shows with me for 35 years said it was one of the top-ten gigs of all time, you might want to grab a gig next time she comes through the states.

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#paganfolk #norsemusic #Eivør #nordicmusic #sylvainemusic

CONCERT REVIEW

Artist: Lauren Mayberry

Date: January 31, 2025

Venue: Club Soundwell

City: Salt Lake City, UT

The wonderful Lauren Mayberry graces the country on “Vicious Creature” her first solo US tour.

We all know and love Lauren Mayberry the small statured powerhouse voice Scottish singer for her band “CHVRCHES”, and now she has released a solo album, and is taking it live to US audiences, and let me tell you, you WANT TO SEE THIS TOUR.

My daughter and I have a tradition of seeing CHVRCHES every time they roll through town, one night we showed up at the venue just coming out of COVID-19, and the show was canceled, because they got snowed in trying to come in from Denver. So when Salt Lake was on the top of the tour dates, I was excited and took my daughter with me. We prepared for this night by listening to the album “Vicious Creature” for a couple of weeks. (get that album, you’re welcome)

The venue “Soundwell” is where I have shot so many great shows, SWANS, Thelma Huston, Alaska Thunderfuck, Noah Finns, and countless other artists, they always sound great here. While I was sitting in the ADA/VIP area, Lauren walked past me with a scarf over her head, sunglasses, and little star clips in her hair, she didn’t want to be noticed, so I didn’t bother her.

CULT OF VENUS

If Lauren Mayberry wanted to impress the hell out of everyone before even taking the stage, she did it by choosing “Cult Of Venus”. I saw the name and had a chuckle, as any old-school Dark Wave Punk music fan would remember, one of the possible band names Joy Division tossed around was “Slaves of Venus”, the name never really took, but it was great to have “Slaves of Venus” opening for Peter Hook & The Light in 2013. Cult of Venus was simply a woman with a guitar and keyboard. She played her set in high heels and managed guitar and her keyboard pedals that way. Nothing short of incredible, look her up, you’re all fans already.

Lauren Mayberry

The intro tape “Liability Waiver” “The Following is a work of fiction, any similarities to actual events or actual persons or events is purely coincidental” played in a loop while the band (a drummer/keyboard player, and bassist) took the stage, and they opened playing several measures of “Crocodile Tears” for a few measures then Lauren came out in a pair of leather shorts, knee high boots, and a T-shirt saying “SAFETY, DIGNITY, AND HEALTHCARE FOR ALL TRANS PEOPLE”, that statement on her shirt alone made all of us instantly love her. She picked up an old rotary telephone on the stage, as a prop, and sang “I picked up the phone to start a chain reaction”. She already had everyone singing along with her, she didn’t need to do much to get the punters at the top of their game. I sat in the pit getting photos, like previous times, but honestly, this felt like a different experience.

“Hello, my name is Lauren Mayberry and I am too short for this microphone” she greeted the audience and was cheered for a welcome. While she adjusted the microphone stand Lauren thanked everyone for coming out, and explained that she had canceled the gig the night before because she was suffering through a cold, and asked us to ignore if she coughed. Then she went right into “Change Shapes”, laying into “God I know you love it when you’re eating your young” as if that line was meant for that moment.

She sat down on the stage, in her leather shorts, and boot, singing “Mantra” (looking taller than she is when she stood up), getting right in the faces of punters in the tiny space between us in the pit, and the barrier. She did this contorted back bend and back into her twirling dance. Going to the elevated panels at the back of the stage to finish the song. It was hearing it live that I noticed the drum beat being that of “In A Lonely Place” by New Order, but with a very happy upbeat vibe to it.

Lauren began using a throat spray, apologizing ahead of time for her voice being weak because of this cold. She would take a spray, and mention something about Trump, saying “FUCK THAT GUY!!!” in between songs.

When she got to “Anywhere But Dancing” she was sitting on the edge of the platform, with her drummer on piano, she got up drank some water, and hummed the next line, to applause. She was doing everything to keep her voice in good form for the punters. With some more banter “Fuck that guy, Fuck that guy the first time, and Fuck that guy the 2nd time too.” with a very receptive audience responding in cheers.

Her bassist started thumping out the bassline (on a regular guitar) of “Punch Drunk”, she was dancing like Cleopatra to the strobes behind her, and red lights illuminating her in front. With all the power she could put into her voice “Kiss me quick, drive me right around the bend, I’m punch-drunk, baby, I hope it never ends” with the entire hall dancing and singing along with her, but as quickly as the song started, it ended.

I noticed a family behind me, on the other side of the VIP rope, a mom and dad, and two young girls. One couldn’t have been older than 8, and the other was probably 11. The younger was standing on a chair, with hearing protection phones on, and her phone up, I walked over and took her phone from her hands and she thought I was confiscating it, her parents nodded at me, and I walked up really close to the stage and took a few up close pics for her, then handed it back. I was surprised at how elated this little girl was over that, but she was a die-hard fan, starting early.

We had a longer intro to “Something In The Air”, while she paced the stage, giving a silhouette and building the atmosphere. Lauren would sing the chorus into a red bullhorn/flashlight. It was poignant when she sang “If you want to believe then that’s your prerogative, I wish you the very best” giving us all the power of a voice that we were not accustomed to. She was giving us far more with her voice than we had ever heard at any prior CHVRCHES gig. After she finished the song, she told us about the bullhorn she was using. She bought the first one on Amazon and found it had been contaminated with pictures and statements supporting Donald Trump. She said she had to package it up and send it back, hoping she hadn’t gotten some sort of illness from having handled it. All to the cheers and laughter of the audience. She then said how she found a different one without MAGA all over it and purchased that one for the tour. Then she said again “Fuck That Guy”. She went off and apologized to the younger listeners for dropping F-Bombs, and saying a few other things, intending for it to be “Family Friendly”. I honestly don’t think anyone had an issue with what she said, as much as everyone was laughing.

Lauren took the stool at the keyboard to play “Are You Awake”, it was a somber presentation, “Are you awake I don’t remember when we last spoke”, we all were able to feel the absence and what was missing when she wrote this song. She gave us a quiet thoughtful moment, with this song still having the power it did when we heard it over a year ago, just more “real” live.

A good couple sprays for her throat and Lauren was playing “Bitter Sweet Symphony” the timeless classic by the Verve, first verse on the piano and then the full band was playing behind her with all the vigor as if we were listening to her, OR the VERVE at Glastonbury. The moment was wonderful while she gave us everything, in a small club. This is one of those gigs where you experience so much greatness, in a small venue, where she could just as easily be headlining Lollapalooza, Lauren Mayberry is happy to give us something new, unique, and wonderful, showing everyone she can do it on her own.

She finished up the first part of the set with “A Work of Fiction” and “Sorry, etc”, leaving everyone happy, and wanting more.

After a somewhat extended break, and the house lights still dark, we knew she would be back, knowing that it might be a short encore set because of her voice, the shadows of each member of the band came back to the stage. The drummer took the guitars, and the guitarist sat at the keyboard, showing she had a very talented band with her switching out instruments.

“Dress me up, take me to school

Parties with birthday balloons

And you teach me about all the bad and good

Oh, Mother, I couldn’t do without you “

The opening verse of “Oh Mother” hit us all pretty hard, the crowd was completely silent, recognizing this feminine powerhouse, and paying tribute to help make her who she is. With dream pop guitar lines, enhancing the mood of the song exactly how Lauren wanted it to reach us.

With all the applause, and a few more sprays from the bottle, she thanked everyone for coming out to the gig in sub-zero temperatures, she unloaded her gratitude to us and said this would be the last song. The piano line for the one song I was waiting for “Sunday Best” finally!!! It is my fave song on this album “Vicious Creatures”, and I was thrilled to be hearing it after waiting through a wonderful set, this song alone made it worth going. With more animation than she had most of the night, she was everywhere on that stage, working off the drummer, making eye contact with as many people as she could. In the final verse with the entire venue clapping along with the beat, she was giving us everything her voice could give us under great strain. She walked off the stage, to a satisfied crowd.

Not a single punter would say her voice was off because Lauren Mayberry knows how to give it all, for her, 50,000 at Glastonbury or Lollapalooza, 15,000 at The Ogden Twilight Amphitheater, or even 600 at Club Soundwell, Lauren Mayberry will make sure she performs nothing short of perfection. Though I can honestly say, after all of the CHVRCHES gigs I have seen, this was the best performance I have ever heard from Lauren Mayberry.

Epilogue

Within 30 seconds of the house lights coming on, Lauren’s manager walked right up to the two young girls handed both of them 2 of the star hair clips, and said “Hi, Lauren saw you both and wanted you to have these”. She noticed her fans and was happy to see these young sisters at her show, by the simple act of giving those little star-shaped hair clips (See photos), those kids are now die-hard fans, and their grandkids will hear this story of how they got them.

Thanks for everything Lauren, we all hope your voice feels better soon.

To all you readers, grab a show if you can

Vicious Creature – Out Now

#laurenmayberry #Chvrches #viciouscreature