Sunday 03/09/06 Ben Kweller @ Night and Day Cafe, Manchester.

September 04, 2006 by Gill Ripley

The Night and Day Cafe is heaving with an extraordinary crowd of ordinary looking people. No indication is given as to whether Ben Kweller fans are expecting his traditional grunginess, his industry labelled ‘anti-folk’ or are even student members of his vast MySpace network. There’s s a pleasant atmosphere and some oddly cordial clapping as the band climb onto the stage.

They are like a dishevelled Hanson in checked shirts and denim. Ben appears, sheepish and in need of a haircut. He looks every bit the innocent one in his denim waistcoat. The music changes him into the character that he is really is. Bouncing round the stage enthusiastically- his hometown exterior is replaced by a lad that knows how to play to a crowd.

It’s a jingly, Thrills-esque beginning to the set as Kweller powers his way through ‘Family Tree’. His puppy dog lines are mingled with the reality of long-term love on the road: “Lately I'm finding/ I am the book and you are the binding./ I guess they'll read everything about you”.

There’s a boyish camaraderie between himself and the band. They count the songs in like they are about to fiddle a barn dance, leaping into each song with an untiring cheekiness. ‘Commerce, Tx’ tells of lazy melancholic life. A song he penned on a plane from Japan, ‘On My Way’ is a confession to a mother. He is a storyteller and a philosopher as well as a musician, a half pint Dylan describing modern decay.

Despite his depictions of weaponry and sadness, Kweller is so in love he sings about it all the time. This became a little fraying as he faced the wall on his piano. The set slowed to a lull, with his odes to Lizzie. Endearing lyrics that could form part of the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack send us towards the bar, though his loyal listeners stay glued to the stage.

His older and well respected ‘Wasted and Ready’ generates a grungier vibe- a clever and instant manipulation of the crowd. Kweller is in his element, standing on the speakers to play like the front men who first recognised his talents. His encore of ‘The Rules’ generates a frenzy from the front rows who love his new stuff. Stripped down yet pop driven, Kweller leaves the crowd on a bouncy note, bouncy enough to leave us all satisfied

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