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John Grant Setlist
Bright Light Bright Light Setlist
Tour Dates
10/24/15 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
10/27/15 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour 10/29/15 San Francisco, CA Independent 10/30/15 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge 11/04/15 Iceland Airwaves 11/09/15 Dublin, Ireland Vicar Street 11/10/15 Dublin, Ireland Vicar Street 11/12/15 London Eventim Apollo 11/15/15 Festival Les Inrocks Philips 11/17/15 Brussels Orangerie 11/18/15 Amsterdam Melkweg 11/20/15 Luxembourg Den Atelier 11/21/15 Zurich Kaufleutensaal 11/22/15 Milan, Italy Fabrique 11/24/15 Cologne Bürgerhaus Stollwerck 11/25/15 Hamburg Uebel & Gefährlich 11/29/15 Copenhagen VEGA House Of Music 12/01/15 Goteborg Pusterviksbaren 12/02/15 Stockholm Sodra Teatern 12/04/15 Oslo, Norway Cosmopolite 12/05/15 Bergen, Norway Logen Teater Read More
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The love between audience and stage was palpable last night at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis as stellar Welsh singer/songwriter Rod Thomas’ electro-pop project Bright Light Bright Light and Midwest-born, current-Iceland-resident John Grant hit some raw emotional peaks and valleys with their music.
Bright Light Bright Light released Life is Easy over a year ago but continues to bring Thomas fervent praise with such publications as The Guardian commending the songwriter’s ability to create danceable music with a heartfelt core. Thomas normally brings his music to life on stage with the help from other musicians, but last evening fans were treated to a remarkable stripped-down solo set: Thomas performed songs from his debut Make Me Believe In Hope and Life is Easy with nothing but his keyboard and his angelic vocals.
Before launching into “Everything I Ever Wanted,” Thomas expressed his affinity for the Twin Cities and its music, especially Prince! To my delight, Thomas didn’t shy away from a little stage banter. He was very down-to-earth and open, telling the crowd of the small, gloomy mining town where he’s from, his decision to leave his hometown for New York City and how, being an only child, he felt guilty for not visiting his parents enough (“In Your Care” was written for them - if you check out the video for the song, let me just warn you: you will probably cry) This explicit honesty is all over his lyrics and it's what I love most about BLBL. Sure, much of BLBL’s output have an underlying melancholy (Thomas promised mid-way through the set that the songs would become “gradually happier”) and there are plenty of songs about doomed romance. Ultimately, however, I see BLBL’s music as more a gentle push toward better things. As beautiful songs like “More Than Most” and “An Open Heart” can attest, Thomas is working through his turmoil and choosing a life perspective rooted in gratitude and hope.
And if you weren’t paying attention to what Thomas was saying, it was probably because you were absorbed by the man’s serious pipes. A voice so powerful and emotive, it’s garnered more than a few famous fans: Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys and Elton John. In fact, John hand-picked BLBL to tour with him after hearing Make Me Believe In Hope (a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that still clearly shocks Thomas, calling the experience “f*cking bonkers!”). In turn, BLBL tapped John to duet with him on “I Wish We Were Leaving,” a catchy and clear-eyed take on the end of a relationship that, live, transformed into something gut-wrenchingly sad.
The final tune of the BLBL’s set was “Feel It” from the debut and Thomas explained that it was written about tragic Twin Peaks character Laura Palmer’s diary. In the recording of the song Thomas sampled Palmer’s scream and used it as a drum beat which is just plain awesome.
In my humble opinion, John Grant is up there with other lauded artists like Bob Dylan or Patti Smith; a brilliant lyrical master who funnels dry and witty observations about love, mortality and Dairy Queen through his rich baritone and coats it with dreamy and dark chamber-pop and white-hot disco. He played these drop-dead gorgeous piano compositions (“Queen of Denmark,” “Fireflies”) and then hopped to his feet to move playfully around for funky dance numbers like “Geraldine” and “You and Him.” Sometimes he got help from the audience as during the crazy-fun set closer “Voodoo Doll” when one fan could not sit still any longer (did I mention it was a seated show?) and climbed on stage to boogie with Grant. Why didn’t I think of that?
Grant’s band definitely did not contain any slouches: on keys was Chris Pemberton, Pétur Hallgrímsson rocked the guitar, Jakob Smari Magnusson provided bass and on drums, the great Peter Edward Clarke otherwise known as Budgie, former drummer for Siouxsie and the Banshees who destroyed it on songs like “Queen of Denmark” (which features the best opening line in the history of popular music: “I wanted to change the world but I couldn’t even change my underwear.”)
Touring behind his critically acclaimed new album Grey Tickles, Black Pressure and drawing from two other outstanding albums (2010’s Queen of Denmark and 2013’s Pale Green Ghosts), the setlist was loaded with great songs. One of my favorites, “Glacier” from Pale Green Ghosts, is a nearly 8-minute piano-driven battlecry in the face of fear and cruelty, containing the lyrics: “Don't listen to anyone; get answers on your own/Even if it means that sometimes you feel quite alone/No one on this planet can tell you what to believe/People like to talk a lot, and they like to deceive.” Another gem of the evening was “GMF,” which he dedicated to the crowd: “You think I hate myself, it’s you I hate/because you have the nerve to make me feel.”
Grant graciously thanked the Cedar and the beaming fans filling the space before the band encored with four songs that included “Marz,” “Sigourney Weaver” and the haunting “Fireflies.”
Like Thomas, John Grant radiates a warmth and sweetness that instantly puts everyone at ease. He put his all into every swelling chorus and thoughtful hum and traded sly grins with the folks in the front row. As a performer, as a songwriter, he’s simply unmatched.
Bright Light Bright Light
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Before launching into “Everything I Ever Wanted,” Thomas expressed his affinity for the Twin Cities and its music, especially Prince! To my delight, Thomas didn’t shy away from a little stage banter. He was very down-to-earth and open, telling the crowd of the small, gloomy mining town where he’s from, his decision to leave his hometown for New York City and how, being an only child, he felt guilty for not visiting his parents enough (“In Your Care” was written for them - if you check out the video for the song, let me just warn you: you will probably cry) This explicit honesty is all over his lyrics and it's what I love most about BLBL. Sure, much of BLBL’s output have an underlying melancholy (Thomas promised mid-way through the set that the songs would become “gradually happier”) and there are plenty of songs about doomed romance. Ultimately, however, I see BLBL’s music as more a gentle push toward better things. As beautiful songs like “More Than Most” and “An Open Heart” can attest, Thomas is working through his turmoil and choosing a life perspective rooted in gratitude and hope.
And if you weren’t paying attention to what Thomas was saying, it was probably because you were absorbed by the man’s serious pipes. A voice so powerful and emotive, it’s garnered more than a few famous fans: Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys and Elton John. In fact, John hand-picked BLBL to tour with him after hearing Make Me Believe In Hope (a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that still clearly shocks Thomas, calling the experience “f*cking bonkers!”). In turn, BLBL tapped John to duet with him on “I Wish We Were Leaving,” a catchy and clear-eyed take on the end of a relationship that, live, transformed into something gut-wrenchingly sad.
The final tune of the BLBL’s set was “Feel It” from the debut and Thomas explained that it was written about tragic Twin Peaks character Laura Palmer’s diary. In the recording of the song Thomas sampled Palmer’s scream and used it as a drum beat which is just plain awesome.
In my humble opinion, John Grant is up there with other lauded artists like Bob Dylan or Patti Smith; a brilliant lyrical master who funnels dry and witty observations about love, mortality and Dairy Queen through his rich baritone and coats it with dreamy and dark chamber-pop and white-hot disco. He played these drop-dead gorgeous piano compositions (“Queen of Denmark,” “Fireflies”) and then hopped to his feet to move playfully around for funky dance numbers like “Geraldine” and “You and Him.” Sometimes he got help from the audience as during the crazy-fun set closer “Voodoo Doll” when one fan could not sit still any longer (did I mention it was a seated show?) and climbed on stage to boogie with Grant. Why didn’t I think of that?
Grant’s band definitely did not contain any slouches: on keys was Chris Pemberton, Pétur Hallgrímsson rocked the guitar, Jakob Smari Magnusson provided bass and on drums, the great Peter Edward Clarke otherwise known as Budgie, former drummer for Siouxsie and the Banshees who destroyed it on songs like “Queen of Denmark” (which features the best opening line in the history of popular music: “I wanted to change the world but I couldn’t even change my underwear.”)
Touring behind his critically acclaimed new album Grey Tickles, Black Pressure and drawing from two other outstanding albums (2010’s Queen of Denmark and 2013’s Pale Green Ghosts), the setlist was loaded with great songs. One of my favorites, “Glacier” from Pale Green Ghosts, is a nearly 8-minute piano-driven battlecry in the face of fear and cruelty, containing the lyrics: “Don't listen to anyone; get answers on your own/Even if it means that sometimes you feel quite alone/No one on this planet can tell you what to believe/People like to talk a lot, and they like to deceive.” Another gem of the evening was “GMF,” which he dedicated to the crowd: “You think I hate myself, it’s you I hate/because you have the nerve to make me feel.”
Grant graciously thanked the Cedar and the beaming fans filling the space before the band encored with four songs that included “Marz,” “Sigourney Weaver” and the haunting “Fireflies.”
Like Thomas, John Grant radiates a warmth and sweetness that instantly puts everyone at ease. He put his all into every swelling chorus and thoughtful hum and traded sly grins with the folks in the front row. As a performer, as a songwriter, he’s simply unmatched.
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John Grant at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (22 October 2015) |
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