Played @ Electric Circus, Edinburgh on Wed 12 Nov
With his band The Walkmen on ‘extreme hiatus‘, lead singer Hamilton Leithauser returns to Scotland with his debut solo album, Black Hours. Of necessity, the size of venue has been downgraded a notch or two, the equipment stripped back to bare minimum, but the rootless melancholy and vocal intensity that were the hallmarks of his old band have not been lost in the downsizing.
This is a two man gig – Walkmen guitarist Paul Maroon providing backing – and the feel is raw. You can hear the scratching of guitar strings, see the concentration on Leithauser’s face. It’s a chance to see the inner workings that allowed the Walkmen to capture the hearts and minds of live audiences with pure sound in a way that other bands could only do with on-stage energy and physical presence.
In person, Leithauser comes across as an affable, New York dude, maybe a little more loquacious now he’s gone solo. He banters about getting his equipment stolen in Manchester, questions ‘is this Buckfast?’ as he’s handed a drink. But when performing, a switch is flicked, and he is channelling something deep from the soul. Leithauser’s voice, hoarse and strained as it is, is not a thing of conventional beauty, but in its tension and dynamics it carries huge emotional weight, like the grittiest of blues singers.
Much of Black Hours is upbeat and straightforward melodically, even downright pop on lead track Alexandra. As such it could carry, even benefit from, the full band treatment. So, tonight, it’s on the slower, more mournful songs that the set really shines. Album opener 5AM, for instance, is reproduced wonderfully to open here. Newly-written songs show that the creative river is in full flow too, which is just as well. Considering at the time of the Walkmen’s last album in 2012, cosy domesticity seemed to be setting in – the band even did promo shots with their kids – to be back on the road touring small clubs to diminished returns, you have to really want it. Leithauser clearly does.
Tonight’s gig may be for fans and intrigued newcomers only, but is all the better for it. No-one is videoing proceedings, no-one is uploading selfies to Facebook and, even with only an hour of unfamiliar material, no-one is left disappointed – a reminder of how good small club gigs can be.