Malcolm Middleton
Bristol St George’s
17th February, 2007

View: from a refurbished pew

Following his parting of the ways with Arab Strap cohort, Aidan Moffat, accomplished multiinstrumentalist Malcolm Middleton brought his unique brand of poetic miserablism to Bristol as a support to Badly Drawn Boy.

Perhaps fazed by the 550 sellout audience, the somewhat grumpy Middleton never really took to the plush surroundings of the fine converted church. Accompanied by a single drummer, opener Devastation – a relationship breakdown song of the bleakest kind – set the tone. Invariably the subject matter is black, with death and self-loathing recurring themes throughout Middelton’s set. A number of the uninitiated left for the bar early. But Middleton’s incisive lyrical wit and ear for a catchy tune ensured that those who persevered enjoyed an intense and strangely uplifting performance by Falkirk’s finest. Middleto’s feeling was that, “This is awful. It’s like being in school and the audience look like mannequins.” But he went on to play Devil & The Angel from his 2002 debut and, with lines such as “Malcolm, you’ll never amount to anything, you’ll never achieve anything, you’ll never be good at anything, and your songs are shite”, how could anyone not warm to the man? His half hour ended with the new A Brighter Beat, a sure-fire antidote to his introspection. As Middleton shuffled off with little fuss, the more discerning audience members gave him the applause he deserved.

Reviewed by Ian Templeton
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