LOS
ANGELES, CA - Damon Gough, within this alter-ego/band he calls Badly Drawn
Boy, will give you an entertaining show. Yet he won't deliver a smooth
show. Meaning, in order to get to the golden nuggets in his set—of
which there were many—concert-goers had to wade through his false starts
(he stopped and restarted two songs during this approximately two-hour
show), wait out a brief, five-minute intermission (bathroom break?), and
listen to him list a few high profile actresses he may (or may not) happen
to be dating at the moment. Ultimately, however, Gough's melodic rock and
smart lyrics are well worth the wait—and the taxed patience.
Those
who were able to put these many distractions aside were greatly rewarded
on this rainy LA night. Gough's unique take on a Christmas song, "Donna
And Blitzen" (from the "About A Boy" soundtrack), revealed an underlying
sweetness within this otherwise rough-edged Mancunian. On "What Is It Now,"
he turned the expectant prospect of a new child into an engaging, jangle-y
rock exercise. Both of these tracks are taken from his two most recent
albums (the second being the just-released "Have You Fed The Fish?"). These
recordings show off Gough's increasing love of orch-pop. And because he's
so handy with a melody, this expanded artistic move suits him just perfectly.
Now
back to those pesky distractions: It was difficult to comprehend Gough's
need to restart two songs during this set—especially when you consider
that this night marked the last date of the tour. Shouldn't he and his
four-piece band have already worked out these kinks? In the end, it was
Gough's casual, charming interaction with the audience, however, that saved
the show from various degenerations. He smoked, drank, and accepted shots
from the audience throughout the night. He even brought out his luggage
bag toward the end of the night, and showed off snaps of his two young
children. We (the audience) were family now, presumably.
Gough
began this concert playing an electric guitar, and even jokingly took one
long Crazy Horse-derived guitar solo shortly into the show. He also switched
to keyboard in places (such as on the soulful "Silent Side") and picked
at an acoustic guitar just after the break. He also blew into a harmonica
for a few brief Dylan-esque moments. A guitarist, bass player, drummer
and keyboard player served as his backing unit.
Just
as his attire suggests (with trademark knit cap and loose-fitting jeans),
Damon Gough isn't flashy or smooth. But inside this rather plain looking
musician, exists a bounty of musical treasures.
