Lucinda Williams, Bristol, 15th July 2016

A few photos from the Lucinda Williams gig in Bristol last night, which was part of the Americana Festival. 

The opening act were the Pierce Brothers, twins from Melbourne who were like the Proclaimers' souped-up and slightly scuzzy Aussie nephews, only better.  

I loved the way drummer brother - Jack - played drums on guitarist brother - Pat's - guitar ... 

... not least because it reminds me of my nephew, Dave, of Blackbeard's Tea Party, drumming on his wife, Laura's, fiddle.

Not to mention their all-round multi-tasking capabilities. I also love the notion of identical twins singing a song which goes something like 'Have you seen my brother?/Can you tell me what he looks like?' 



In between acts, the bloke sitting next to us initiated a (rather one-sided) discussion about how the altering of the voice as one ages benefits some singers more than others.  He agreed with me that Leonard Cohen sounds like God these days, but asserted that time had not served Lucinda well.  

Well, what a load of bollocks that was.  She started well, dedicating 'World Without Tears' to those caught up in the attack on Nice the night before,  and got better and better as the gig wore on.   

I was particularly pleased to hear 'Lake Charles',  'Ghosts of Highway 20', 'Something Wicked', 'Joy', and 'Dust' which is one of her late father, Miller Williams', poems set to music. 

Another poetry connection was the song 'Pineola', a eulogy for the poet Frank Stanford, who was a family friend and who killed himself in 1978, aged 29. (I have some googling and reading to do.)