Wednesday 2nd February 05 - M.J. Hibbett at The Lamp By Michelle Dee

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Tonight the Lamp is filled with an eclectic crowd all anticipating the return of M.J. Hibbett to Hull. He has brought a Validator with him this time, in the shape of the violinist Tom Mc Clure who appears on many of the Hibbett Recordings. Looking around I see that the décor of the Lamp has undergone something of a facelift. By facelift I mean they have put large colour photos up in place of the garish images that were there previously The pictures depict car wrecks and shopping trolleys in dykes. As well as the rusting autos there are shots of dilapidated buildings.

Some of the pictures are in groups and others are spaced individually creating something of an art gallery feel. I suspect it's a comment on decay of post-modern society.

Whatever; they are eye-catching and I dare say, if you experience one of those awkward silences, a reasonably good conversation starter. With candle lit corners and a bar serving a rather potent ale called Honey Brew a night in the Lamp was a rather attractive prospect. M.J. hails from Peterborough he complains about never getting out of the Midlands but seems to provide him with a lot of inspiration for his songs and his persona on stage.

He opens proceedings with a nostalgic song called Wide Game Team Group B. A wide game is when you run around in the dark, one kid always gets scared, someone else spends the whole time convincing you that a murder actually took place on the very spot where you're standing; oh and their could be some kind of capturing of the other teams flag/base/ other. I once played one where the aim was to bring a rather reluctant German shepherd dog back to the clubhouse. I think the dog won we certainly didn't.

But back to the unique songs of M.J. the joy of the wide game song is that team b gets the second place trophy in a two-team race. He appears to always back the underdog; like in Let The Weird Band Win where he pleads with the judges that just because they can't play and they look a bit different, we should applaud their individuality. Not give first place to the ones that have flashy this and that, and have more fans 'cos it's cool to like them.

Which cleverly brings me on to the song, Remember the lesson of Take That. This one is a must for every teenager/adult who never admitted to liking certain bands because it would loose them credibility among their peers. This kind of musical snobbery is a very important issue when your growing up if you admit to liking something you take your life in your own hands. He has a rich poetic lyrical style that juxtaposes the simple chord structures; he's all about the words.

That's not to say the music is superfluous just undemanding. You listen to him sing/speak and marvel at his wordplay. Something about the way he keeps time, using disjointed couplets that nearly always rhyme. The way he drops that extra word in where you wouldn't expect. Imagery and themes that are immediately familiar like the one about going clubbing in the week called Clubbing in the Week. It's like drinking during the day, you know you shouldn't but you do, and then you suffer for it.

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