Martha Wainwright with Tom Baxter at Symphony Hall; Saturday May 24th.
Classical concert venues are not for the faint of heart. In a way they are more awkward for the performer than vast stadiums. In a stadium the audience are a good 50 metres away and the sheer amount of lights blocks them from your vision. In a classical venue they are on tiers and balconies, and they can be as close as five metres away. But concert halls are not intimate venues • despite what the blood-boiling idiot in the middle of the audience seemed to think • and this gig did not work brilliantly well.
The support slot was filled by Tom Baxter, a two man band featuring the titular artist and his brother Charlie, who is probably rightfully a little miffed by the naming of the act. The audience focus in bands is usually on the lead singer • which is understandable • and when a solo artist has a support band • Iggy and the Stooges being the best example • then it is plausibly excusable. But in a two-man band where your brother is playing a crucial role, naming the band after yourself does seem a little ego-centric. Nonetheless it was a good act, musically at least. Tom has an exceptionally good falsetto and allowed it a full rein on tracks such as ‘Skybound’. Charlie’s keyboard and drumming skills were also put to good use. Tom’s flamenco guitar and pretentious vocals made him sound like a limey Enrique Iglesias and although I wasn’t personally very keen on the music, it was an appreciable sound. The audience weren’t too keen either; with half of the seats were empty and the other half silent. By way of response, Tom seemed to avoid looking at his crowd. A pity, but it was only a support act.
For Martha Wainwright the audience doubled, although many seats were left empty. This time though, they were more responsive, loving the banter with Martha. At the same time though, the aforementioned arrogant bloke in the middle of the audience acted as if he was having a private conversation with the artist. The first song was a solo number, showing off Martha’s wide vocal range • a talent that stretches from Tenor to Soprano. The talented backing band appeared for the second song, all sparkles and major chords • good summer music. Musically they lacked the ability of the support act, even if they did put it to better usage. Nasty feedback sent the entire audience covering their ears for one song. Martha really works better without the backing band; coming off edgier and a lot more raw and powerful. Her own nod to the anti-war bandwagon comes in the shape of ‘Tower’, a half decent song but • and I’ll admit I’m not brilliant with allegory • it didn’t seem to have much to do with war. One of the worst aspects of the set was Martha’s dancing; a splayed legged gyrating which, combined with her choice of outfit, must have given the front row quite a view.
All in all it wasn’t an amazing gig. I still have a rage on about the guy who kept shouting out. He alone probably delayed the set by about 5 minutes. There were a few good songs, but a combination of the wrong venue, wrong support act and wrong atmosphere conspired to dampen the experience.