Devotchka – Belfast – 09/08/09

I arrived in the Spring & Airbrake about 20 minutes into Devotchka’s set. Whoopssie – ‘No Dancing’s’ fault next door. The place looked pretty full too as I dandered in. Lucky for me and my friend, there was a gaping hole to the right of the stage so we quickly took up residence.

The soundtrack on the way was Basso Profundo (if memory serves me right – track above), with me ‘uuuuooohhing’ my way through the crowd. Devotchka are an incredibly sing-a-longable band with language meaning nothing for a fair chunk of the set. The crowd is on fire. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a diverse, happy and warm audience. Young and old, punks and scenesters, long time fans and the surprised all intereacted by whistling, shouting and clapping (in time!).

It’s obvious each member of this band is incredibly talented. From listening to Devotchka’s records, I’ve always thought there would be at least 5/6 of them live. Nope. Four. Just four stupidly talented individuals creating amazing music. I was standing right beside a tuba which Jeanie Schroder exchanged now and again for a double bass. The drummer, Shaw King, was the epitome of a creative rhythm section. And not content at that, he whips out (sorry) a trumpet for ‘Along the Way’.

Tom Hagerman looks the part as a slight man in an over sized suit and violin. Again, one instrument – pah! He picks up ‘Tommy’, the sparkly accordion, and I watch has his fingers perform a sort of crazy line dance on speed up and down the keys during ‘Such a Lovely Thing’.

Then there’s the front multi-instrumentalist Nick Urata. Guitars, bouzouki, theramin, master whistler and vocals. This man just kept bringing the goods. My favorite moments where when he managed to play the theramin by using the guitar he was playing – a multi-tasking man! And there’s something very special about the timbre of his voice, even when dosed with reverb.

Devotchka’s music is hard to pin down. Kinda gypsy punky folk or polka-rock, circus music, spanish in parts… the list goes on. But one thing is for sure, they tread the border of ‘world’, ‘rock’, ‘gypsy’, ‘folk’, ‘cabaret’… whatever… oh so very well. And it’s obvious from the crowd tonight.

Belfast crowds aren’t often noted for their warmth and enthusiasm. Silver Jews, over a year ago, was the last gig that I remember being proud and chuffed to be part of the audience. Where you kind of think, maybe, just maybe, the band will actually remember the Belfast date among the hundreds of gigs they are playing that year.

Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is – Devotchka = 9/10

Here’s what songs (I think) I remember hearing. No particular order either. Feel free to add/correct if you where there:

• Basso Profundo
  
• Along the Way
• The Clockwise Witness
• Head Honco
• Blessing In Disguise
• The Enemy Guns
• How It Ends
• The Last Beat of My Heart (Siouxsie & the Banshees )
• We’re Leaving
• Venus In Furs (Velvet Underground)

Encore:

• Undone
• Such A Lovely Thing

Video of the last song of the set from Jaydee655 on Youtube:

Spotify links:

A Mad & Faithfull Telling
How It Ends
For fans of Nightmare Before Chirstmas

PS. Please feel free to correct any mistakes re-songs played. Just trying to write from memory.