Bill Wells warms up the earlybirds here tonight, playing a few low-key piano numbers backed up by the jazzier players from Jens' own band. This Falkirk-born composer is later introduced as a good friend, but their music couldn't be more different emotionally. These are mournful pieces, lying somewhere between Angelo Badalamenti and Miles Davis' slower side. It's interesting to see this side of a man who's later going to be playing piano for songs like Sipping on the Sweet Nectar, but it's over after about twenty five minutes and before the sold out venue even makes it to half capacity.
An introductory a capella is then given by Khaela Maricich of The Blow to a perplexed audience, the first of many bizarre moves in a set that touches on performance art, cabaret, celebrity gossip and even striptease, all delivered with a knowing sense of awkwardness. It could be a hint of strangeness to come, or maybe even a suggestion that she feels very much like an artist working alone. Maricich was formerly one half of a duo, but Jona Bechtolt has now left to focus on his own musical and mixed media project YACHT, leaving Maricich as the sole stage presence, supported only by her touring sound engineer. Her slices of electronic pop and bouts of wilfully obscure dancing are interspersed with soundbites from a gradually unfolding narrative, guiding this sense of abandonment and twisted comedy. There was a collaborator - an actress, a tabloid princess and a friend based in New York - who fell in love with a woman. She wanted to come out with a statement, which was to be a pop album declaring her lesbian love. The one to write this album was none other than the woman standing here in front of us, but this friend got dumped and the album was called off. So here she is, performing a few of her older songs like highlight Parentheses, but for the most part playing songs written for another to sing but no longer wanted, taking the time to explain how it all happened. There is the occasional break from character: "Or I could just be making it all up. Let's hope for the sake of this next song that I'm making it up." When she finally leaves the stage we are left grateful that such a strange combination of events led us to this unique performance, this wild combination of storytelling, dancing, on-stage costume changing and gorgeous art pop. Most of all, we are glad that Lindsay Lohan got dumped.
Jens' first song is a new one explaining his choice of jewellery, a golden key worn around his neck. It is sentimental and affectionate, and it sets a
romantic mood for the evening in a room filled with couples. However, romance with Jens Lekman is never straightforward, and the next song, poppy The Opposite of Hallelujah gets a great reaction during the repeated lines 'you don't know what I'm going through'. It also shows us how well his live band can assist him in the quiet ballads, but also turn it up when they need to. Just like The Blow before him, he seems at ease in engaging the crowd, making jokes about living in Melbourne and about the lack of response for his mailing list requests for residents of Dublin to come out partying. The the subject of his relocation to Australia is used subtly and then not so subtly as an introduction to another new song currently titled An Argument With Myself, in which two sides of Jens Lekman debate his life choices, one even resorting to playground violence ("stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself", complete with actions). What we have here is a man clearly in his element and enjoying himself, but also able to command an incredibly tight band of synths, piano, accordion, drums and saxophone, that can really do justice to his sample-heavy last album Night Falls Over Kortedala. This is exemplified in his casual mid-song cue for a sax solo, which takes us into the jazziest interlude of the whole set. A highlight is new
single The End of the World is Bigger than Love, which he introduces perfectly: "This song's about putting things into perspective, which is something you have to do a lot when you're Jens Lekman". He's clearly having a great time, and comes out for a second encore on his own, playing an acoustic Pocketful of Money and repeating its refrain "I'll come running with a heart on fire" to its absurd logical conclusion. When that's finally over, about an hour and a half after he first came on stage, he says he needs to get some fresh air, but also wants to play some more songs, and invites the audience to 'go somewhere' with him. What happens next is history - a five song acoustic set and singalong at nearby Sand Bar to about thirty five dedicated followers, culminating in general conversation and fun for a long time to come. A true entertainer and a true gentleman.
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