Liverpool Academy 2, 18 November, 2005

In my previous live review I described how most of my musical buses seem to be arriving bunched together in November 2005, and all from a different continent. Well, this particular bus has had a long and sometimes troubled journey. But when it safely arrived it proved to be overcrowded with drama, emotion, vibrancy, humour; improvised and special moments galore; and arguably the finest singer/songwriter to emerge in recent years. Early in 2005, Martha Wainwright released her introductory EP entitled Bloody Mother Fucking Arsehole. There were a couple of things about the EP that fascinated me, including the fact that a fellow Internet magazine (Drowned In Sound) had recorded and released it. My other main fascination was the artist’s quite incredible musical bloodline, although I did wonder whether it could produce yet another great musician; whether this was a coat-tail grabbing lady, hitching up for a free ride… I couldn’t have been more wrong.

What I heard blew me away. Wainwright’s voice and music exhibited the sort of quality rarely heard in a music market which has never been less honest and more mediocre. It was an introspective, emotional rollercoaster with superb melodies and lyrics, delivered by a highly distinctive and expressive voice. This quickly led to my first experience of a Martha Wainwright live performance at the Liverpool Philharmonic, where she supported her brother Rufus. It was USA election night with both the performers and audience hoping for a new president to be elected…

The election result was disappointing in the extreme, but Martha proved to be a formidable live performer. Playing solo, accompanied only by her own acoustic guitar, she delivered a short set of songs from the EP before providing backing vocals to her wonderful brother. The next landmark was the release of her full-length, self-titled album, followed by the release a few weeks ago of a ‘special edition’ that includes three bonus tracks. It was this latest version that finally nailed Martha Wainwright and her album as Shakenstir’s artist and record of the year.

The ‘special edition’ bonus tracks includes a beautiful, haunting duet with brother Rufus; a stunning new song called Baby; and an interpretation of a French song by Barbara (sung in impeccable French) that is nothing short of astonishing, featuring mum,Kate McGarrigle, on piano. By this time, Martha had built up a strong underground public following (especially after her rather mean single-song performance on Jools Holland’s Later music show), and a fair degree of media interest.

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The next landmark for Martha was her headline overseas and UK tour, including this gig at Liverpool University’s more intimate Academy 2 venue. Late sound check and organisational problems meant that the winding, long line of fans spent an extra thirty-five minutes standing in freezing temperatures. They were soon to be warmed-up by the talented, new UK singer/songwriter (also with a notable bloodline - Richard and Linda Thompson) in the form of young Teddy Thompson.

Backed by Martha’s excellent band, Thompson exhibited a fine, powerful voice in performing his own country-tinged songs. He also proved adept at grabbing audience support with witty asides, and general observations on the state of British music. During the performance he also advised the audience that he was due to appear on Jools Holland’s TV show later that night, and would be available to sign a new EP and album after the gig. Now I mention the latter because for a new artist, with modest financial budget, live gigs are a primary source of marketing and sales. Judging by audience response to his performance and subsequent rush for the sales stall, Thompson achieved his objectives. When I arrived home after midnight, I also caught his TV performance. Watch out for a Thompson gig in your neck of the woods as I think you will be impressed, as we all were.

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Accompanied by keyboardist, drummer, bass (Brad Albetta who also produced her album) and backing vocalist (Martha’s cousin Lily Lanken), the star slid onto the stage to a massive welcome from the sell-out and very mixed crowd. Standing in front of me were two young students who had taken the tortuous, long train journey from Bangor University. To the side of me were a Liverpool father and his son team who turned out to be metal and vintage heavy rock fans. In fact, it was one of the most diverse audiences I have witnessed at a gig - a major plus for any artist. Martha seemed genuinely happy to be there and opened confidently with downbeat Factory and wistful Far Away, signalling choke-in and accelerator floored. It also signalled the beginning of finest live performance I have seen in 2005…

On reviewing the album I noted that Martha was potentially the most musically interesting of the whole family. There were several reasons for this including an edgy voice that goes with the emotional flow of her largely introspective songs. Rather like her brother, her vocal tone is very distinctive, but she also able to gently purr one moment and rock it out the next; go from loving to hating in a heartbeat. Even with lyrical phrases, and within a few words, she can change octave and pitch in the fluid way a stream can turn from a trickle to a torrent.

This breathtaking quality was exemplified during the performance of songs like G.P.T., When The Day Is Short, The Maker and the wickedly abrasive Ball & Chain. She also performed one of my favourite album tracks, These Flowers, where her voice sank with the diving bass notes and then soared faithful to the keyboard notes. It was just another example of how she is so in-tune with her own very special music.

The same magic was performed in a moving rendition of Don’t Forget where her voice takes on a contemplative folk sound backed by the most subtle instrumental backdrop, and backing vocal. Physically, she appears to feel every note, emotion and lyric so that one is compelled to pay acute attention. As the gig progressed Martha showed another side to what makes a top performing artist, and that was her ability to embrace an audience. In my experience only Glen Hansard of Irish band the Frames matches her ability to grasp an audience with the tightest of grips. With Martha it’s also a connection thing - she took a cigarette from a punter in the font row, and hugged a terrified audience member invited to provide the backing vocal to one song. Towards the end of the show one Liverpool wag pushed his way from the back of the audience with a tray of shorts for the performers. Such total and intimate audience involvement is as rare as hens’ teeth.

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Special moments regularly punctuated the gig and included renditions of a couple of vintage classics including a fabulous rendition of Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out and a Cole Porter standard; a hastily arranged interpretation of the Beatles Help! for the Liverpool audience; and a moment when she noticed that a couple of top buttons on her low-cut blouse has come undone. On discovering this she then asked the adjacent punters how long they had been undone, and when advised that it was four songs feigned embarrassment and modesty to everyone’s delight. There was another ‘event’ when a new drummer appeared to provide a driving beat to the Rolling Stones’ Street Fighting Man. When Martha completed the song, the drummer decided to extend his final drum roll for about another minute to the visibly bemused but happy star.

A great act needs even better songs, and they came by the truckload. During the gig she played just about all the superb songs from her fabulous album including the bonus Rufus duet song (with her cousin Lily taking the Rufus vocal part), but left two stings-in-the-tail for the close.

After nearly two hours Martha left the stage to deafening applause. After about a minute of foot-stomping and enough noise to lift the venue’s roof, she re-appeared. Back came the audience noise with Bloody Mother Fucking Arsehole followed by my moment of that (or any other) momentous night. And it was a surprising one. With just the keyboardist in place Martha introduced the French song (that I had earlier described to the young university students in justifying additional investment in the new edition version of the album) written by Barbara. It is the most extraordinary, beautiful and moving song, one I think she could release as a Christmas single if the record company was brave enough. I’ve seen some brilliant performances and moments by the very best, but Martha performing the four-minute Dis, Quand Reviendras-Tu will go down as my favourite song performance by any artist, anytime. Now what about a cover album of Piaf and Brel songs?

Martha is a twenty-nine year old singer/writer with a long history of performing with her nearest and dearest. She is now an independent free spirit capable of soaring higher and wider than any new artist I know, and during this show on a freezing Liverpool night, she proved it beyond any doubt.