Scout Niblett
#3, Dordrecht
07/11/03
I’ve been to countless gigs in the UK and Europe, but it has to be said that sitting on a couch watching a concert is one of the strangest musical experiences I’ve encountered so far. Forget about DVDs, audio clarity and surround sound, because when you have just an acoustic guitar and a voice that isn’t being transformed into an electrical signal and then mashed by a poor PA, then music is as pure as it was ever intended. This is what I faced during a strange night in Dordrecht, showcasing the talents of John Guilt and Scout Niblett. Together they performed an interchanging set, which was stretched out a little more than usual in order to deal with the circumstances, but let me take it one artist at a time.
John Guilt is a band fresh from New York, but John isn’t a person - at least not of the musical variety. On this trek, Andy Goldman, their vocalist had to come on tour alone and woo the people of Europe with some delicate songs on his acoustic. And based on his performance in Dordrecht, he has nothing to fear because the songs pouring out of him were nothing short of lovely.
He would sway gently on the spot, strumming and singing softly. Little patterns were weaved out of those acoustic strings, and they were both aurally complex, yet simple at the same time. More importantly they were hypnotic. So he performed a series of numbers from the recent John Guilt album The Mirrors of Uncle Sam, including the delightful ‘Howl’ and ‘Smokestacks & Graveyards’. The performance also grew to include to a series of older songs from the Maestro Echoplex moniker. In particular, ‘I Know, I Know’ showing how to extend a song while still maintaining interest. If this tour doesn't win John Guilt new fans, I don't know what will.
Then there was Scout Niblett. Her music is rarely stripped down to an acoustic guitar, but it was necessary in these surroundings. Typically, Scout can be seen fronting her electric guitar, or even more regularly, beaming a smile from behind the drum kit as she batters away to her heart’s content. Still, her music didn’t suffer by the circumstances, though, apparently she does lack enough “quiet” songs to play for too long.
This resulted in a number of covers being included in the set. First there was ‘Up Town Top Ranking’ (originally by Althea and Donna), where she proclaimed her wish that it be her next single. It sounded fantastic, and it really suits her voice surprisingly, only Too Pure might not be so happy about the licensing costs needed to release that one. Then there were two Daniel Johnston songs, before she returned to her old favourite of ‘Verse Chorus Verse’ by Nirvana, after taking some time to remember how to actually play it.
Despite so many comparisons with Cat Power and PJ Harvey because of the tone of her voice, Scout has such a unique singing style, and it could probably be off-putting to some. There is a real joy in seeing her perform, though. She just sounds so full of confidence in what she does, and takes pleasure from performing the way she wants to, whether it is singing, or playing drums or whatever. She doesn’t stop to worry about how the rest of the world perceives her, and it was enrapturing to watch her perform, even in these unusual circumstances.
Steven McCarron
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