Alternating headliners throughout the tour, Edinburgh based cult-indie songwriter Withered Hand (aka Dan Wilson) and Darren Hayman (formerly of Hefner) joined forces at Nottingham's JT Soar...
The Sneinton Market area changes each time I walk through but tonight I had my mind focused on other things. A welcome return to Darren Hayman of numerous bands but principally known for Hefner and Dan Wilson of Withered Hand. They were alternating headlines on the tour and towards the end of tonight the boundaries blurred.
First up were Enjoyable Listens, a duo contesting stark hard faces bass with incredible vocals. They described themselves as “non dad rock” and presented themselves as part Sparks, part Freddy Mercury and part Jarvis Cocker. What an spectacle of entertainment.
Dan was next with a selection of Withered Hand songs, including the beautiful Religious Songs. Hilarity erupted when he asked for a 99 after someone's phone played an ice-cream van like ditty. Incredible West Coast style ballads stopped back to basics, JT Soar was overcome with a hushed silence, hanging on every note and lyric. Sad and delicate giving comfort to those in need and shaking others to the core.
Always a delight, I first heard Darren in the Christmas chart, John Peel's Festive Fifty, where there was an odd tale of the mundane business of airports. Darren still manages to pull jewels out of the ordinary and tonight these shone brightly with tales of the instructions of staying at a friend's flat, to the life of a ship's piano.
Darren played a few new ones for which he apologised but then discussed the politics of playing old or new stuff, or as he more accurately put it: "After the new ones it will be wall to wall bangers." As usual he gave insights into the songs, something you only get with live music - being able to interact, instead of listening to a streaming service and prepared answers. Long live, live music.
Introducing a song with Lou Reed riffs, he mentioned a friend had told him Lou had died and in this age of the internet he had e-posted, only to find later he hadn’t died. This however was not before the media had quoted "Darren Hayman indie musician and Mick Hucknall report Lou Reed has died!"
Further stories of him singing I Know I Fucked Up (the 'Sweary Song') in front of his eighteen month old godson in Cambridge delighted the audience. There were a lot of sing-alongs with those aforementioned “belters” and a finale of a Withered Hand/Hayman duo.
A great night, if a little dark and the first I’d been to with the new wider disabled friendly doors at JT Soar - read more about the changes they've made to the venue in January's issue of LeftLion.
Withered Hand and Darren Hayman performed at JT Soar on 23 November 2023
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
