Friday 11th May 07 - Jesse Malin at Fibbers, York (1/2) By Steve Rudd

(1/2), (2/2),

It might have been raining outside, the weather comprehensively showering a sense of profound doom and gloom upon the grand old city of York. Fortunately, inside the cosy confines of Fibbers, Jesse Malin fired out a ninety minute set of sheer joy, as the New York singer-songwriter extraordinaire returned to the venue for the third time in his career to perform material from his just-released third album, the mighty Glitter in The Gutter.

Jesse Malin might not be a household name in the UK, but he should be. Judging by the crowd at this gig, he has a cult following to be proud of, almost everybody packed into the venue singing along to many of the songs and verbally proving that they were in great spirits. In truth, what could be better? It was Friday night, and Jesse Malin was belting out fantastic song after fantastic song with zestful aplomb, backed by a full band, unlike the last time he visited the venue with his stripped down acoustic-based show.

Right from Riding On The Subway, the crowd was with Jesse as he chopped and changed between acoustic and electric guitars, mixing a perfect smattering of old tunes from his first two albums into the mesmerising fray so that songs such as the upbeat Wendy and moving Almost Grown (both taken from his debut album, The Fine Art of Self-Destruction) jostled for attention between amazing new cuts to the tune of Little Star, Lucinda and the fabulously uplifting Don't Let Them Take You Down. Aside from singing like a dream, Jesse's also something of a stand-up comic, blessed with the ability to talk for America and go off at tangents with madcap monologues.

He also openly declares that music should be both a source of enjoyment and inspiration for everybody, regardless of their sexuality, colour or creed.

Jesse is a New Yorker through and through, and a resident of the borough of Queens. His talent at entertaining a crowd does perhaps manifest itself best when he regularly hops the barrier that separates the stage from the crowd. Tonight, he did so during the breathtaking Solitaire, vaulting the barrier and persuading as many people as he could to sit down with him while he passionately continued on with singing the song, another of the must-hear highlights from his first album.

In this way, Jesse never distances himself from his fans, making the effort to interact with them as much as time allows.

Ever the ultimate urban poet, Malin's songs, for the most part, are infectious rock 'n' roll anthems... but with a difference, for they are sublimely shot through with sultry Country influences that are piqued by Jesse's fondness for punk music. Indeed, Jesse used to front US punk band D-Generation, and the influence of the likes of The Ramones and Iggy Pop can be heard in some of his music. Incidentally, one of the songs on Glitter in The Gutter is an astounding piano-led version of Bastards of Young, the tune originally written by Paul Westerberg when he was with The Replacements... not that such a tune was performed live on this occasion.

By default, once-in-a-lifetime gigs tend to come along once in a lifetime. Tonight's Jesse Malin gig in York was one such occasion. I knew it was as soon as Brooklyn hit its superb climax. By the time that he closed the show, after his band had left the stage, with the final track from his latest album in the form of Aftermath, there barely seemed to be a dry eye in the venue. Such a song, Jesse said, was based on him seeing Yoko Ono walking in New York, across the road from him.

Continued .... Next Page (2/2)

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