Photo: WENN
Tonight is a family affair – Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is on the road with his son, Spencer, performing tracks from their album, Sukierae.
Tweedy, guitar held high, and his band draw us into the all-American soundscape of Sukierae,ranging from country to blues to rockabilly. On sweet, nostalgic ‘Summer Noon’, our frontman’s wistful voice, singing of coyotes and lions, is punctuated by his son’s almost militaristic drumming. ‘Low Key’ is jerkier, less sentimental - sighing harmonies from backing guitarists contrasting with a more cynical Jeff. We are mesmerised by the simple tenderness of ‘Honeycombed’ as Tweedy is joined by just one other guitar, layered with his own to warm, shimmering effect.
Strange, sensual ‘Diamond Light Part 1’ stands out from the country-tinged crowd, its throbbing, pulsing bass and driving drums pushing underneath avant-garde guitars. Sukie Rae is the nickname of Jeff’s wife, Spencer’s mother, currently fighting cancer, and much of the album focuses on that battle. It’s hard not to be touched by the sight of father and son, faces in profile next to one-another, singing in harmony about a subject so close to their hearts.
The second half of the set is magical. Tweedy is alone, bathed in a single spotlight with the rest of the theatre in darkness. One man and guitar fill the stage perfectly for renditions of songs from his previous lives. Highlights are ‘Shot in the Arm’ and a soulful, personal ‘I’m The Man who Loves You’ from Wilco, and husky, homesick ‘New Madrid’ from Uncle Tupelo. The beautiful, frankly tear-jerking, ‘Please tell my Brother’ from Tweedy’s days in alt-country collective, Golden Smog, is stunning in its simplicity.
His voice and mastery of the guitar carry the tracks during this solo set, lending them a new quality rather than leaving us feeling like there’s something missing. The band’s encore treats us to – among others - old Uncle Tupelo favourite ‘Give Back the Key to My Heart’. Throughout, Tweedy is confident and at ease with the crowd,his voice - , ranging from playful and boyish to sincere and melancholic - as clear and as strong as ever. It is a masterful performance, drawing on a life filled with music.
